Is there anything better than starting off your day with homemade cinnamon rolls?
Not in my book. These cinnamon rolls in particular are so soft and fluffy and have the perfect balance of cinnamon, butter, and cream cheese. My husband and I had to try *really* hard not to down the entire batch in one go when I made them the last time. Not only are they delicious, but they come together in just a few hours. You can even make them the night before and bake them off first thing in the morning for the perfect weekend treat!
A few notes:
- When I say room temperature, I mean it: Whether it’s the butter, the eggs, or the cream cheese, these things really do need to be room temperature for this recipe. If you don’t have time, microwave the cream cheese and butter and put the eggs in some warm water to help get them up to temperature. For these cinnamon rolls, it’s better to err on the side of too warm instead of too cold.
- Make the filling to your taste: I got some questions regarding whether it’s better to add the cinnamon sugar over the softened butter for the filling vs beating the butter, sugar, and cinnamon together to make a “smear” to spread over the dough. My thoughts are as follows: Do what you want! The “smear” method supposedly results in a more gooey filling while you get a more distinct cinnamon layer by keeping the butter separate. I think I prefer it separate but let me know what you think!
- Make the rolls the night before: If you want freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning, put everything together the night before! Follow the recipe up until you arrange the rolls in the pan. Then cover them tightly and put in the fridge for a max of 16 hours. The next morning, let them come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours and then continue with the baking instructions.
- Don’t like cream cheese? Make vanilla icing instead: If you have individuals in your family who do not enjoy cream cheese frosting like I do, you can always make vanilla icing instead:
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Oh so fluffy and packed with cinnamon, butter, and cream cheese, it's hard to only eat one of these cinnamon rolls. Make them within a few hours or start them the night before for the perfect weekend treat!
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Hand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- 13×9 glass pan
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
The Dough
- 1 Cup Whole milk warmed (240 ml)
- ⅔ Cup Sugar divided (135g), 2 tablespoons of this amount will be used to bloom the yeast
- 1½ Tbsp Active or instant dry yeast (2 standard packets or 14g)
- ½ Cup Unsalted butter softened and cut into pieces (113g)
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4½ Cups Flour (563g)
The Filling
- ½ Cup Unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ⅔ Cup Brown sugar packed (135g)
- 1½ Tbsp Cinnamon
The Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz Full fat brick cream cheese softened (113g)
- 1 Cup Powdered sugar (120g)
- 1 Tbsp Heavy cream or milk
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Whisk together the warm milk (100-110℉), 2 tablespoons of sugar (taken from the total ⅔ cup needed for the dough), and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should become foamy.1 Cup Whole milk, 1½ Tbsp Active or instant dry yeast
- On medium speed with the dough hook attachment, beat in the rest of the sugar, softened butter, eggs, and salt. Beat until the butter has broken up and the rest of the mixture starts to combine, about 2 minutes.⅔ Cup Sugar, ½ Cup Unsalted butter, 2 Eggs, ½ tsp Salt
- Switch the mixture to low and add the flour, one cup at a time. Make sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the last ½ cup and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes.4½ Cups Flour
- Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky, add a teaspoon of flour at a time until it reaches the correct texture. Be very cautious while doing this as you do not want a dry dough. In the end, the dough should be be tacky and soft. You know it's ready when it slowly bounces back after poking it with a finger.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased medium bowl, turning to coat all the sides with oil. Cover and let rise for 2 hours or doubled in size.
Make the filling:
- While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps of either by the end. Set aside.⅔ Cup Brown sugar, 1½ Tbsp Cinnamon
Build the rolls:
- Grease a 13×9 glass baking dish and set aside.
- Punch down the dough and then place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 12×18 inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin, keeping it as even as possible.
- Spread the softened butter over the dough. I found the easiest way to do this was to divide the butter into 4-5 pieces, glob those on different areas of the dough, and then use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly. The butter needs to be *soft* so feel free to microwave it for a few seconds if it's still a little hard.½ Cup Unsalted butter
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter in an even layer, patting it into the butter to make sure it sticks.
- Starting at the long end closest to you, tightly roll up the dough to form an 18 inch log. Using an extra sharp knife, cut the log into 12 equal pieces, about 1.5 inches each. Arrange the rolls in the greased baking dish.
- Cover and let rise until puffed, about 1 hour.
Make the icing:
- While the rolls rise, make your cream cheese icing. To a medium bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat until well combined and the icing as a satiny finish. Set aside.4 oz Full fat brick cream cheese, 1 Cup Powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp Heavy cream, ½ tsp Vanilla, Pinch of salt
Baking the rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. Check in on them after ~15 minutes. If they are browning too fast, tent with aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- Spread the cream cheese icing over the still warm rolls and serve immediately. Cover tightly and store a room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- When I say room temperature, I mean it: Whether it’s the butter, the eggs, or the cream cheese, these things really do need to be room temperature for this recipe. If you don’t have time, microwave the cream cheese and butter and put the eggs in some warm water to help get them up to temperature. For these cinnamon rolls, it’s better to err on the side of too warm instead of too cold.
- Make the filling to your taste: I got some questions regarding whether it’s better to add the cinnamon sugar over the softened butter for the filling vs beating the butter, sugar, and cinnamon together to make a “smear” to spread over the dough. My thoughts are as follows: Do what you want! The “smear” method supposedly results in a more gooey filling while you get a more distinct cinnamon layer by keeping the butter separate. I think I prefer it separate but let me know what you think!
- Make the rolls the night before: If you want freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning, put everything together the night before! Follow the recipe up until you arrange the rolls in the pan. Then cover them tightly and put in the fridge for a max of 16 hours. The next morning, let them come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours and then continue with the baking instructions.
- Don’t like cream cheese? Make vanilla icing instead: If you have individuals in your family who do not enjoy cream cheese frosting like I do, you can always make vanilla icing instead:
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- Pinch of salt
