APRIL HENRY, WRITER
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    • Goodbye, 2021
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      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
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        • My Mom and the Round Rock
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      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
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    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
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    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
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    • Write what you know?
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    • How to start a new book
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JB's Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Picture
This recipe does not appear in the book, but these are the cinnamon rolls J.B. cooks in Square in the Face. At one point, it was the #2 result in Google searches for cinnamon roll recipe.

For the Dough:
1/2 cup warm water
2 pkg. yeast (if using rapid rise yeast, follow package directions)
1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm (helps dough rise higher)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 cups flour, plus more for kneading

For the Filling:
1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

For an Optional Cream Cheese Frosting: 
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 -2 tablespoons milk

Mix water, yeast and milk together. In a large separate bowl, mix four cups flour, sugar and salt. Add liquids and shortening. Stir in eggs. Add enough flour for dough to hold together. With floured hands, knead for eight to ten minutes on floured surface until dough is smooth and springy, like a baby’s butt. Add a little more flour as needed. Turn in a greased bowl, and let rise in a warm place, covered, until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, let rise again until nearly double, about 45 minutes.

Roll out into rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Top with the melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, and sprinkle on melted butter. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired. Roll up to form a log, jelly-roll fashion, and pinch ends together to seal. Cut with dental floss or doubled string into 1.5 inch slices.

Grease bottom of one 13-by-9-inch baking pan and one 8-inch square pan with butter, and sprinkle a little sugar in each pan. Place cinnamon roll slices close together. Cover, let rise again until about double, about 45 minutes. Cook at 375 degrees until tops begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. If desired, frost with cream cheese frosting. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add vanilla and enough milk to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle frosting across the top of each bun.

Note: Without the cinnamon/sugar/butter filling, this also makes a nice dinner roll.


  • Home
  • Past News
  • Bio
    • Goodbye, 2021
    • How my Apple watch saved my life
    • Masks for Covid-19
    • In the name of research
    • Why I write scary things
    • Roald Dahl Made Me a Writer
    • Fun Facts about April
    • Questions teachers often assign
    • 10 Reasons I Love Martial Arts
    • Learning to Fight Back
    • Dear Teen Me
    • My Parents >
      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
      • My Mom, Nora Henry >
        • My Mom and the Round Rock
    • My great-grandfather, the killer
    • I come from a long line of criminals
  • Books
    • For Teens (and Adults) >
      • Future books
      • Girl Forgotten
      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
    • Foreign Covers
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • About My School Visits
    • A Sneak Peek at a School Visit
  • Fun
    • FAQ
    • Does Your Character Need a Job?
    • Girl, Stolen Alternative Covers
    • I Get Letters
    • Blob on the Side of the Filing Cabinet
    • Books I Like
    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
    • How to get an agent
    • Videos with writing tips
    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
    • Story starters
    • Write what you know?
    • What if you get stuck?
    • More tips about writing
    • Need to create a fake social media profile?
    • How to start a new book
    • My daughter is 14 - how can she be published?
    • I'm a teen writer-can you give me feedback?
    • Student Writing
    • How to get it right
    • Questions about writing from two teens
    • Should I pay to be published?
  • Blog
  • Contact