I made apple cider cinnamon rolls again, this time determined to do everything exactly according to the recipe. I started the dough Sunday night, left it in the mudroom overnight, and was delighted to see it so beautifully risen in the morning. I remembered to bring it inside as soon as I got up, and set the bowl across from the fire to help it come to room temperature more quickly. It rolled easier this time, and I brushed the melted butter on the dough as prescribed instead of mixing it with the filling.

And this time they baked perfectly all the way through. Then I made the glaze exactly according to directions, cooking one-half cup apple cider with a pinch of salt down to exactly a quarter cup, and mixing in cream cheese and butter. It turned out perfectly. And once the rolls had cooled for five minutes, I spread a very thin layer of glaze over, and let them cool an additional twenty minutes before spreading the rest of the glaze. I’m not sure why this extra step, but I’m not going to argue with it: I can imagine some magical alchemy of the thin layer melting into the hot rolls and creating a protective film or something.

The looked absolutely perfect. I could hardly wait for them to cool enough to try one. And when I did, it tasted like something was missing. It was delicious, but there was just a little something something not quite right… a few hours later it hit me: I forgot the nutmeg! The filling mix, mostly brown sugar, also calls for cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves. I had lined up the spices from the baking drawer, but forgot to set out the nutmeg grinder from the countertop turntable. I’ve never been a huge nutmeg fan, but I can see that even a quarter teaspoon can add that extra little pop in a cinnamon roll. Oh well! Practice makes perfect.