Swedish Tea Ring--a Christmas Classic

Last time, I wrote that I am officially done with Christmas. I am. So done. (Except for the cleanup which is still looming large...)


But I just had to post the following for posterity.


It is our family Christmas morning tradition and I wanted to document step-by-step as I learned from The Master...my mother-in-law.


If my husband were to choose his favorite home-cooked, nostalgic Christmas memory...it would be Swedish Tea Ring.


Don't worry...there is no tea in it. Also, I asked my friend from Sweden if she ever made it and she said the recipe was much too sweet to be officially Swedish. But we Americans can pretend. It is delicious.


Here's how to do it:

Make your favorite sweet roll dough recipe or find one online like this one.

Let rise.

Oil countertop and roll dough with an oiled rolling pin into a large rectangle.

Spread with softened butter.

Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, raisins or chocolate chips.

Our family likes a lot of chocolate chips!

Roll the whole thing into one long delicious snake.

Position carefully into a ring shape on a greased baking tray.

Using clean scissors, make slices approximately 1 1/2 inches apart, but only about three-quarters of the way toward the center of the ring.

Take each slice and twist gently, forming a cinnamon roll wreath.

Bake.

Frost with white icing and use green sugar and maraschino cherries to decorate.

Serve Christmas morning with scrambled eggs or breakfast casserole.

Delicious!