PB & J Sweet Rolls

Are you ready for this? Yeah, it's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...in Cinnamon Roll form!

So awesome. 

Okay, so they take a little bit of time. But it's so worth it! Besides, using yeast is fun, especially when you get it right. You'll feel accomplished, I promise. 

The Dough:

• 1 Cup very warm milk (can go anywhere from skim to whole to buttermilk...obviously depending on how many calories you want vs. how much flavor) 
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Packet Active Dry Yeast (I've tried extra active and I don't like it as much)
• 1/2 Stick Butter, melted
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 Cups all Purpose Flour (I know this is a big range, but different flours have different moisture and you might need more or less)
• Optional: 1/2 Cup mini Chocolate chips, 1/2 Cup chopped peanuts (honey roasted are delicious in these)

1. Heat milk to at least 110 Degrees (pretty hot to the touch)
2. Combine milk, Sugars, and yeast and mix very well (you can use the dough paddle of a stand mixture for this) 
3. Add the melted butter, then the egg 
4. Add one cup of the flour and mix with the dough paddle (or a hand mixer) until well incorporated. If using your stand mixer, switch to dough hook. Continue adding flour until a slightly sticky dough is formed. Let the dough work on the stand mixer for ten minutes. Kneading by hand can also be done, but takes much longer to form gluten. At the end of kneading, add in the chocolate chips and/or peanuts if desired. 
5. The dough is done when you can stretch it out without it breaking right away. Because this is a sweet roll, I find that you can get away with under-kneading it a little more than with regular breads. When you're done, put it in a floured bowl in a very warm area covered with a wet towel. Let it rise until it is doubled in size. 

The PB & J Filling:

• 3/4 Cup Peanut Butter (Crunchy gives nice texture) 
• 1/4 (1/2 Stick) Butter, melted and hot
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Jam (any kind-pick your favorite)

1. Soften Peanut Butter in Microwave or add to butter while it's still really hot so it melts into it easily. Add brown sugar and stir. 
2. Add the jam to a plastic ziplock bag (when assembling the rolls you will cut the tip off of the baggie)

To Assemble:

1. Place the raised dough on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness into a large rectangle. 
2. Spread the peanut butter mixture first onto the dough rectangle. Then, cut the tip of the plastic baggie off and drizzle the jam evenly onto the entire rectangle as well. 
3. Finish by tightly rolling the rectangle along the LONG edge and using a floured knife to cut the rolls out. I wasn't very good at it at first, but after a while I got the hang of it! 
4. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350 Degrees. Allow them to continue to rise as your oven is preheating. When it's done, put them in!
5. Cook about 12 minutes or until you can press on the tops and it springs back and it is slightly golden brown, 

Enjoy your PB & J!