Every New Years Eve when I was young, I’d spend the night at my cousins’ house. My dad’s older sister, her husband and their two children were a close family. They lived a couple of towns away in a weathered shingle sided cape. A lovable yellow dog would greet me when my mom would pull into their driveway. I wish I remembered her name now.

We would spend hours setting up lego towns and building houses complete with those red shuttered windows and flower boxes.

Thinking back, I never seemed to pack a toothbrush in that overnight bag of mine. Not to worry though because my aunt would let me pick my very own brand new one from their bathroom bureau. I picked either Big Bird or my favorite Sesame Street character of all time, Cookie Monster.

New Years Eve was about family fun.

These years it’s much the same. We’re building lego worlds, eating homemade meatball sandwiches while reminiscing about all the great experiences we enjoyed this past year.

Earlier, while perusing one of the cookbooks that I received for Christmas this year, I immediately made these delicious cinnamon rolls. They are without yeast, which means they are quick and easy. But that doesn’t mean they skimp on flavor.

Yeastless Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar (divided)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted + 1 Tbs. butter, softened
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk flour, baking powder and 1/4 cup sugar. In another bowl, mix egg with milk and butter.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and knead into a ball. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sugar and the cinnamon.  Spread the Tbs of butter onto the dough and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Roll up jelly-roll style and cut into even slices, about 12.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla icing.

Vanilla Icing

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Now be careful. It is very easy to eat a half dozen of these in one sitting.