cake mix cinnamon rolls

wha??? who makes cinnamon rolls with a cake mix? i thought it sounded ridiculous, but dude.. they were really good! my kids really liked them and so did my husband.

cinnamon rolls

*1 pkg cake mix (yellow, white or spice. i used spice, cuz that's what i had)
*4-6 cups white flour (i snuck in 1 cup whole wheat)
*2 pkgs (or 4 1/2 tsp.) yeast
*2 1/2 cups warm water

put the dough hook on your kitchen aid and mix this all together. start with 4 cups of flour and gradually add UP to 2 cups more until the dough is smooth. it should stick to the dough hook and not to the bowl. continue to let the hook knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

remove the bowl from the mixer and oil the sides and bottom of the bowl and the top of the dough. i spray it with pam. cover and let rise until double. this could take up to 60-90 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.

filling:
*1/4 cup melted butter
*1/3 cup white sugar
*1/3 cup brown sugar
*1 tsp. cinnamon

mix sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 14' by 10" rectangle. (yes, i really measured. you might want to, too. i had no idea how big (or small) that really is.)

brush the dough with butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. roll the dough, starting from the long side, like a jelly roll. cut into 12 pieces and place into a buttered 9x13 pan. to get even pieces, cut the dough roll in half, in half again, and then cut each piece into thirds. :) handy little tip there...

repeat this process for the other piece of dough. let both pans of dough rise until double (about 20-30 mins). i usually speed the process by placing the pans into a 170 degree oven for 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes. remove from oven and make frosting. let cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

frosting:
*6 T butter, softened
*3 cups powdered sugar
*1 1/2 t. vanilla
*2-3 T milk

beat butter, sugar and vanilla together. add milk gradually until you get the desired consistency.

spread frosting on the cinnamon rolls and serve. these didn't last long at my house.