Fill your house with a delightful smell when you make these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Cinnamon and sugar fill a warm and fluffy bun in this unforgettable classic. Top the rolls with a cream cheese icing and just watch everyone melt at the first bite.
If you want a dessert recipe to warm you up, this is the one. Is there anything better than a gooey, warm cinnamon roll on a chilly day? Except for a nice slice of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars, I can’t think of any. Well, on any day, for that matter? There are very few things I can think of that outdo cinnamon rolls. Of course, I know I’m not alone in this because I’m sure you’re reading and drooling right along with me.
If you like recipes that make your house smell like a bakery, go ahead and try these. Best recipe ever! I promise you’re going to feel like it was the best time you had spent all day. Especially because it results in such a satisfyingly sticky deliciousness.
How To Make
- Start the yeast – Add the yeast, hot milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a mixer and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Make the dough – Once the yeast is foamy, add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and give it a mix. Add in the flour and mix until a dough forms.
- Knead – Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Place in a bowl covered, in the microwave for an hour.
- Work dough – Place dough on a floured surface again and roll into a rectangle.
- Make the filling – Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread on rolled out dough and roll the dough into a log.
- Cut and bake – Cut with dental floss, place in greased pan, let rise for 45 minutes, then brush with butter. Bake for 22 minutes.
- Frost – Mix the frosting ingredients and frost the rolls 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. Enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
- Change the flavor of the icing – You can add flavored extracts to your icing to adjust the flavor if desired. For example, you can use lemon extract to give your rolls a light lemony flavor. There are tons of extracts to choose from.
- Change the color of your icing – Add a touch of food coloring to your icing to give your rolls a color theme for various occasions.
- Don’t overheat the milk – If you heat your milk too much, it will kill the yeast, effectively ruining your dough from the get-go. Do not go over 115 degrees when heating your milk.
- Use plain icing – If you’re not a fan of the cream cheese icing or want something lighter, mix powdered sugar and milk together to make a simpler, thinner icing.
- Make a Nutella version – If you want to mix up your recipe, try these Homemade Nutella Cinnamon Rolls!
Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Hard?
Usually, cinnamon rolls become hard from overcooking. You can avoid this by simply not cooking your rolls as long. You can also run into this issue with too little or too much flour. A denser cinnamon roll can result from too little flour while a crumbly dry cinnamon roll results from too much flour. Cinnamon rolls aren’t difficult, but they need a good balance to result in the perfect, decadent dessert.
Can Cinnamon Roll Dough Rise Too Long?
If your rolls are at room temperature, yes, you can leave them to rise too long. However, if you need to leave your rolls to rise longer due to timing, you can cover them and place them in the fridge. This slows down the process and usually gives you until overnight before you need to move to the next step.
Storage and Reheating
- Pantry – Store in a cake keeper or in a sealed container in a cool, dry area for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Store, covered in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freezer – Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating – Reheat using the microwave.
If you enjoyed these mouthwatering soft cinnamon rolls then you will also enjoy these jelly donuts. These sticks buns are super delicious too! You can also find other delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk 105 degrees F
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tbsp sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast foams up, stir in the remaining granulated sugar, eggs, salt, 8 tbsp melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- Add half of the flour to the yeast mixture and combine until well incorporated.
- Add the remaining flour slowly and mix with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky.
- Lightly flour your working surface and roll out the dough a knead it for 1 minute with your hands.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl then cover it and place it in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter, set aside.
- When the dough has doubled in size, roll it onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a 17x10 rectangle. Spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough within 1/2 inch of the edges.
- Beginning at the 17-inch side, tightly roll the dough into a log.
- Using unflavored dental floss, cut 12 rolls and place them on a buttered 9x9 baking dish. Cover the rolls and place them in a warm place. Let them rise for 45 minutes or until the rolls double in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once the rolls double in size, brush them with melted butter and place them in the oven. Bake them for 22 minutes.
- While the rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softened butter until nice and smooth.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting all over the cinnamon rolls while they're still warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don’t overheat the milk - If you heat your milk too much, it will kill the yeast, effectively ruining your dough from the get-go. Do not go over 115 degrees when heating your milk.
- Keep in mind that the dough should be slightly sticky, if you add too much flour they can become hard and dry.
- Don't overbake the rolls.
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