When I was a little girl, I would often go to my Aunt Ruth’s house. She was the wife of a hard working wheat farmer, the mother of four boys and one girl, an incredible cook, and always had something delicious going on in the kitchen! One of my favorites was her cinnamon rolls. Aunt Ruth passed away a few years ago, and it has been years since I had even thought about those fabulous cinnamon rolls!

While visiting my mother-in-law Eileen a few months ago, she pulled out her recipe book and showed me a recipe for cinnamon rolls . . . and then told me it was Aunt Ruth’s!!! Now here’s where I need to do a little explaining because my Aunt Ruth is my mother’s sister. She has another sister, Aunt Arlene, who lives in Morgan, Utah – the hometown of my husband Ron. Arlene has three children, and one of them, Deanne, is married to my husband Ron’s brother, Malan. In fact, Deanne is now not only my first cousin, but also my sister-in-law. Deanne is the one responsible for lining me up with Ron. She worked hard to get us together . . . years in fact!!! We both finally decided she wasn’t going to let up, so we agreed to go on a double-date with her and Malan to get it over with. Well . . . the rest is history as they say. Ron and I were married within the year. Best decision I’ve ever made in my life!!! Not only did I get the guy, but I also got his mom!!! Double-score!!!!

So back to the cinnamon roll story. My cousin/sister-in-law Deanne had gotten a copy of Aunt Ruth’s infamous cinnamon roll recipe before she passed away. And it is so yummy, that my mother-in-law got a copy of it from Deanne.

When Eileen pulled that recipe out and explained that even though Deanne’s name is written on it, it was actually Aunt Ruth’s recipe. I almost started crying! I loved Aunt Ruth, and the memory of her cinnamon rolls reminded me of how much I loved her, but even more, how much she loved me! So Eileen pulled out a bowl, and we made those cinnamon rolls together that day. Eileen is also an incredible cook! I think it must be the World War II generation of brides, they all seem to be amazing cooks. The rolls turned out exactly how I remember them, and between the two of us, we ate every single one . . . well over the few days I was up visiting Eileen anyway. 😊

I have included a copy of the recipe for Aunt Ruth’s Cinnamon Rolls below, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Maybe you can even make a new tradition in your own family, and become famous for your own version of Aunt Ruth’s Cinnamon Rolls!

Love Ya Lots, Les

Aunt Ruth’s Cinnamon Rolls

Mix Together:

2 C. warm milk

1/3 C. white sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 C. Crisco Shortening

Dissolve: (I actually do this step first to allow the yeast to bubble and get activated)

2 T. yeast (I like to use the SAF brand)

¼ C. warm but not hot water

Add:

4 beaten eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

6 C. flour or enough for sticky dough

Let the dough raise

Roll out on counter top sprayed with cooking oil spray (Aunt Ruth rolled her dough out using flour on her counter top, but I like to use PAM cooking oil spray instead. Flour can make your dough “tough”.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar

Roll into long tube

Cut rolls using unflavored dental floss

Place on greased jelly roll pan

Cover with clean dish towel

Let raise again

Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes

Let cool

Frosting:

3 T. butter

3 T. Crisco Shortening

Dash of salt

1 egg (I leave this out, because raw eggs are not safe to eat)

½ tsp. vanilla

2 C. + powdered sugar

Family