Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls With Caramel Sauce and Cream Cheese Frosting
These are the best cinnamon rolls EVER. They're soft and fluffy with a gooey brown sugar cinnamon filling, frosted with cream cheese frosting, all while drenched in a rich, buttery brown sugar cinnamon caramel sauce on the bottom.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 757kcal
Equipment
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
** If your kitchen is cold, place the dough in the oven with the oven light on. That should produce enough warmth.
Nutrition
Calories: 757kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 471mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1289IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 3mg