The Fountain of Youth Is Cinnamon Rolls

November 4, 2026

By Gretchen Westdal Centers

Around an often-crowded kitchen table that’s filled with kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and friends, you can find Elaine Knutson and her cinnamon rolls. She has been making and baking them for decades, and they have been central to the life she’s built in Winneshiek County. 

A few decades’ ago, her story wouldn’t be so uncommon. But, with an ever-evolving way of life that seems to whittle away time from regular, casual get-togethers with family, friends and community, it’s one worth showcasing. Elaine’s life hasn’t been devoid of heartbreak, but it’s been filled back up with love, laughter and a seemingly endless supply of energy fueled by her commitment to loved ones and her hobbies. 

Elaine lives south of Ossian, a small town in Northeast Iowa. After marrying her husband, Howard, in 1964, they started dairy and hog farming in 1966. By 1970, they bought the farm that Elaine still lives on, and that’s where they raised their four boys and one girl. Life was full and loud and bursting with energy. With five kids, Elaine was always busy in the kitchen, making sure her family had what they needed. Between milking cows on the farm, her family commitments and playing the piano and organ for two churches, her life was full. 

Baking With Purpose

But Howard wasn’t well. And farming is hard work. He had a heart condition that put him on the heart transplant list. While waiting and hoping, he contracted pneumonia and passed away. Howard was only 59. 

With a full farm to run, Elaine’s children stepped up to do their best in helping fill their dad’s work boots. 

“It was the kids and me,” remembers Elaine. “They did a really good job helping me find a new normal routine, and that’s where I really started up with my cinnamon rolls. I always liked them, but never had them much when I was younger, so I just learned to make them myself

The significance of the moment is clearer in hindsight. What Elaine was doing, in taking up this new baking hobby, would positively impact not only her family, but also herself. It was life-giving and filled with purpose. 

The American Psychiatric Association states that “Americans who engage in creative activities at least weekly report better mental health.” That combination of trying a new skill, staying busy and giving back to her family created not only light in a time of darkness, but also a hobby that would bring more and more people to her table. 

“I started making them, and people started to really like them,” Elaine recalls fondly. “I've always had a lot of people around here coming for coffee and rolls, especially on Saturday mornings years ago. And then a lot of the grandkids would come, along with the daughters-in-law and different people. I'd end up making cinnamon rolls almost every weekend.”

On A Roll

Word got out, and Elaine was getting requests for her cinnamon rolls left and right. Using the recipe for overnight cinnamon rolls she found in a Cedar Rapids newspaper, which still hangs on the fridge, she started baking… a lot. One year, for the Winneshiek County Fair, Elaine baked more than 1,000 cinnamon rolls. That’s a week’s worth of baking. 

“I’ve made them for graduations, birthdays and a lot of parties. I do a lot for my own family and relatives. I haven't been doing quite as much lately because I've gotten older and had a few health problems, so I couldn't quite keep up with everything. But I still make them,” says the octogenarian.

Her granddaughter Kelsey thinks of them as a staple of family holidays and celebrations. She notes that her grandmother made them for countless fundraisers. The Cattlemen’s Association held an auction where two dozen of Elaine’s cinnamon rolls won a bid of $1,050. 

The Secret Ingredient

Elaine’s family, including her eight granddaughters who all share their grandmother’s love of cooking and baking, have access to the recipe, but no one can make them quite like her. 

“A lot of the family has the recipe,” laughs Kelsey. “But Grandma has it mastered. We all try to do the exact same thing, but we can never make it quite right.”

When asked about her secret ingredient, Elaine says it’s time. She doesn’t need to rush things. The recipe is for overnight rolls, and she likes to let them rest. It’s a good reminder for all of us. And one maybe even Elaine needs reminding of every once in a while. 

She’s just as busy as ever at the age of 82, which she says keeps her young. She plays piano at three different churches and is a fixture of her community. 

“Everyone knows who Grandma is,” says Kelsey. “She's definitely well known in our community. . People call her Grandma Elaine even when they're not related.”

Between her extended family and her kids, 13 grandkids, and (soon-to-be) 20 great-grandkids, her door is always open, and there are always people eating at her table. She even makes lunch nearly every day for the guys who help on the farm. It’s this kind of warm, welcome hospitality that seems rarer and rarer with each new tech innovation or social media app. 

Creating an environment where people can sit, have a meal and chat is to be cherished. And it’s especially lovely to do that over a plate of homemade, warm, gooey cinnamon rolls.