There’s nothing quite as good as homemade cinnamon rolls! Now, I know there are many Cinnabon fans out there, but the Best Cinnamon Rolls are actually those that have been made by your own hands in your kitchen, and today I’m going to show you how.
If you’ve never baked with yeast before, don’t worry. This recipe walks you step-by-step for fail-proof cinnamon rolls every time! They’re soft and fluffy with gooey cinnamon caramel sauce, sweet cinnamon filling, and a sweet and tangy cream cheese icing - perfect as a sweet treat any time of the day!
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🗝️ Recipe's key points
- These homemade cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy and easy enough for those who haven’t baked with yeast!
- They are perfect as a sweet treat any time of the year, but especially for special occasions like Easter.
- This recipe is simple to adapt - follow some of my suggestions further below in the post.
What could be more scrumptious than pulling apart freshly baked sweet cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing?! Make sure to have your coffee ready once these cinnamons are fresh out of the oven!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- First, we need to bloom the yeast and we do that by mixing the active dry yeast with 1 teaspoon of sugar and all of the warm milk. Stir and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes until it foams on top.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- Add the whisked eggs, softened butter, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix.
- Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and mix until blended.
- Switch to a dough hook and knead the mixture on medium speed for 7-10 minutes. Stop once the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl and forms a ball that springs back when pressed.
- Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place to rise for 1-1 ½ hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
- While the dough is left to rise, make the caramel sauce for the bottoms of the rolls.
- Mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, heavy cream, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Spread the caramel sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish.
- You can also make the cinnamon filling while the dough rises. Mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
- Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and punch it to release the air.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into an 18x12-inch rectangle with ¼ inch thickness.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Roll up the dough tightly in a long log shape and then cut a bit off each end to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 ½ inches wide using unflavored floss or a very sharp knife.
- Place the rolls in the casserole dish on top of the cinnamon caramel sauce and pour room temperature heavy cream between each roll.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it proof in a warm spot for an hour or until they have doubled in size. Preheat the oven about 15 minutes before the rolls are done proofing. Bake them for 29-32 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Add the softened butter to a medium bowl and mix it on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add the cream cheese and mix until fully combined on medium speed.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until it’s all combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
- Allow the baked rolls to cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread the cream cheese icing over the warm rolls and serve!
🥫 Storage
Leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
They can also be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months and thawed in the fridge before you warm them up to enjoy.
📚 Variations
- Change the flavor of the icing slightly but including some coffee - it pairs beautifully with the cinnamon and sweetness of the cinnamon rolls.
- Easily adjust the sweetness of the cream cheese icing by increasing or decreasing the powdered sugar.
- Add chocolate chips into the dough for chocolate chip cinnamon rolls.
- Add a sprinkle of chopped nuts to the top of the cinnamon rolls while the cream cheese icing is still slightly wet.
- You can cut down on recipe time and use a tube of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough instead of making the dough from scratch.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Placing the covered raw dough ball outside or in a cold oven with the light on works well for allowing the dough to rise.
- If you find that the cinnamon filling is too firm to spread, add a teaspoon of heavy cream to it at a time until you get a consistency that is spreadable.
- If the cinnamon rolls brown before the end of the baking time, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Add more powdered sugar for a sweeter tasting frosting.
🤔 FAQs
It’s the type of cinnamon that is used by Cinnabon. This cinnamon is called Makara and it has a slightly sweet taste than regular cinnamon but much stronger in flavor. Makara is from the Korintjie region of West Sumatra in Indonesia.
The high fat content in the heavy cream adds moisture to the rolls and tenderizes them while they bake.
The filling consists of brown sugar, softened butter, cinnamon, and salt. Heavy cream is also added if the filling is too firm to spread evenly.
No. If you need to leave your unbaked cinnamon rolls overnight, cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge, not at room temperature. Remove the rolls from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking to reach room temperature.
The dough won’t spring back after pressed and the cinnamon rolls may be dense with a stronger yeast flavor once baked.
📗 Related Recipes
- Amish Cinnamon Breakfast Bread - This cinnamon breakfast bread is loaded with raisins and warm cinnamon spice. It’s the perfect way to start the day!
- Nutritious Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Oatmeal Muffins - Another nutritious breakfast choice! These muffins also include chunks of softened cinnamon apple.
- Homemade Bagels With Cinnamon Dried Fruits And Nuts - Why buy dried-out bagels from the store when you can make your own chewy and nutritious bagels with delicious dried fruit and nuts?!
🍽 What to serve with The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Enjoy this cinnamon rolls recipe with our grape apple fruit salad at brunch and breakfast or with hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
If you want to start your day on a sweet note, these delectable Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls, sitting atop a luscious Cinnamon Caramel Sauce and topped with a decadent Cream Cheese Frosting, is it!
Please don't settle for a boring breakfast when you can treat yourself to something extraordinary. They are perfect for serving on special occasions or enjoying a cozy morning at home with loved ones. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, you'll love creating this cinnamon roll recipe for your family or to impress guests.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls With Caramel Sauce and Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk (300 ml)warmed to about 110℉
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar to bloom the yeast
- 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (593g) spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon granulated white sugar (25g)
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112g) very soft
For the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112g) very soft
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (220g)
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup honey (116g)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream (45ml)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112g) very soft
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (220g)
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream (60ml) for pouring in between the rolls
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter (84g) very soft
- 6 oz cream cheese, cold but soft (170g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (97g)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- Bloom your yeast by mixing together the 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 tsp. white sugar, and 1 ¼ cups (300ml) milk warmed to about 110℉. Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy on top. This is blooming the yeast.
- Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix flour, salt and sugar together. 4 ¾ cups (593 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled,1 ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated white sugar.
- To the dry ingredients add the 2 whisked eggs, 1 Tbs. vanilla and ½ cup (112g)softened butter. Mix.
- Add in the yeast mixture and mix until everything is blended. Switch to a dough hook and knead at medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl, forms a ball, and springs back when pressed.
- Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1- 1 ½ hours, or until the dough doubles in size. ** see notes
For the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce:
- While the dough rises, make the sticky caramel sauce for the bottoms of the rolls by mixing ½ cup (112g) soft butter, 1 cup (220g)brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, ⅓ (116g) honey, ½ Tablespoon vanilla, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, and ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt together in a medium bowl.
- Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spread the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan.
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- While the dough rises, make the filling by mixing ½ cup (112g) soft unsalted butter, 1 cup (220g) light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. (If the filling is too firm and not spreadable, add heavy cream, a teaspoon at a time, until it spreads easily.
Assembling and Baking the Cinnamon Rolls:
- Once the dough rises, remove it from the bowl, punch it to release the air, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into about an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. It should be about ¼ inch thick.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Roll the dough tightly into a long log shape, starting from the end closest to you. Cut off a bit off the ends to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 ½ inches wide using unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife.
- Place the rolls in the prepared casserole dish with the cinnamon caramel sauce mixture and pour room-temperature heavy cream between each roll. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for about an hour or until they have doubled in size. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ for about 15 minutes before the rolls are done proofing.
- Once the rolls have completed their second rise, bake them for 29-32 minutes until golden brown. TIP: Cover with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes if they start getting too brown.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the 6 Tablespoons (84g)softened butter to a medium bowl and mix the butter on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add in the 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add the sifted ¾ cup (97g)powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time, mixing on low speed until all is combined. For a sweeter topping, add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Add in the ½ Tablespoon vanilla and combine on medium speed until the frosting is smooth.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes, then spread the warm rolls with the cream cheese icing. Then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
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