Brown sugar glazed cinnamon rolls hearken back to a simpler time, when most households had a baking schedule.  Taste one and realize why home baked sweet rolls still merit their own day of the week.

Though I haven’t shared about my mother and grandmother for a while, I remain thankful for these two remarkable, faithful women who continue to influence me in matters of faith and family.  That they have also lent me some of their kitchen expertise, I also appreciate.  One of the earliest recipes that I shared here at Swirls and Spice was a dairy-free version of my mom’s delicious custard-style rice pudding.

Although my grandmother has gone onto glory, certain recipes and foods remind me of her at home in her tiny kitchen. Straightforward baked goods like Swedish hardtack, date squares, and butter tarts were just a few of her specialties.  She also made a particular kind of cinnamon roll that I wanted to taste again.

Saskatchewan-born and raised, my grandma learned to make cinnamon rolls the no-fuss prairie way.  No separate frosting made from icing sugar was involved.  Just carmelized brown sugar and cinnamon glazed the tops of each roll after they were turned upside down from the pan.  This style of cinnamon roll can still be found on the plains of Nebraska all the way up to Saskatchewan today.

During my mom’s most recent visit in March, I asked her to help me develop a recipe that would closely resemble my grandma’s simple cinnamon rolls.  Since my grandmother made cinnamon rolls every weekend when my mom was a child, no written version of her recipe needed to exist. Even into her late eighties, my Grandma A. could still create them skillfully, while other memories of past places and names faded away.

And now, thanks to my mom’s memories and guidance, those cinnamon rolls can grace my table–and perhaps yours too.