Cinnamon Knots

Oh. My. Gosh.  Really, these were so fantastic. And pretty too.  Rarely do I make cinnamon rolls for breakfast but these, oh, I will make these again and again.  There are a couple of differences that make these way more attractive to me than traditional cinnamon rolls.  First of all, the portion sizes are smaller so you don't get sick gorging yourself like I do with cinnamon rolls.  Secondly, every single one is like that coveted middle cinnamon roll without the crispy outside edges.  I loved how soft these were.  And last, you make them the night before and just bake them up in the morning- genius!  It was a completely gorgeous, delicious breakfast with no morning effort.

Your favorite bread dough recipe.  (I used this one.)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
1/4 C. Butter, melted

Icing:
1 C. Powdered Sugar
1 T. Butter, melted
2-3 T. Milk
1 tsp. Almond Extract (or vanilla)

Once your dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface and then cut it into 18 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out into an 8" rope.  Melt butter in one bowl and mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.  Grease muffin tins with cooking spray.  Roll each rope in butter then in cinnamon and sugar.  Tie each rope into a loose knot and place each into a muffin cup.  If you are doing this the night before like I did, cover muffin tins with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.  The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then bake the Cinnamon Knots for 15-20 minutes.  While the rolls are baking, mix up all the ingredients for the icing with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Icing will be kind of thin.  Once rolls are done, remove to a serving plate and drizzle with icing while still warm.  YUM!