Cinnamon Rolls

Our ALL-TIME Favorite Cinnamon Roll recipe! These rolls are so soft and gooey, topped with with a delicious cream cheese frosting. They always get rave reviews with anyone who tries them!

We have a lot of really great cinnamon roll recipes, like our One Hour Cinnamon Rolls, Mini Cinnamon Rolls, and even Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls… But this are our family’s classic recipe!

Mom’s Famous Rolls

My mom is a wonderful cook and baker. Pretty much everything she makes is delicious, but there are certain things she’s “famous” for—like Heavenly Rolls, Empandas, and especially Cinnamon Rolls.

She has tried several Cinnamon Roll recipes in her years, but this one is the one she is KNOWN for! They always turn out soft and gooey and just so finger-licking good, covered in cinnamon roll icing!

Everyone loves these cinnamon rolls so much that she is often asked to make them in large quantities around the holidays for people to give as Christmas gifts.

Yes, it’s true. Many a time I would come to the house to see dozens and dozens of cinnamon rolls laid out for people to come pick up.

I decided it was about time I shared the recipe, so you all can enjoy these amazing sweet rolls!

But no stress if you are short on time. You can always try our other favorite cinnamon buns: Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls.

How to Make Them Step by Step

So many people are intimidated by the thought of homemade cinnamon rolls. But do not fear! With these step by step instructions, you can feel confident in making this delicious recipe!

Step 1: Make the Dough. It’s important to start with quality ingredients, and especially the yeast! Make sure your yeast is fresh (not expired). I typically use active dry yeast in this recipe. But if you’re an experienced baker and know how to adjust recipes for rapid rise or instant yeast, you can.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm whole milk (you can microwave the milk in 15 second increments to warm it up). Add sugar and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Stir gently, cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.

After it has risen the first time, add unsalted butter, salt, eggs and remaining flour. Mix well with wooden spoon.

Step 2: Knead the Dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes (dough will be a little sticky). Place back in the bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise a second time until doubled in size. (Option: Use your stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.)

Step 3: Fill the Dough. While you let the dough rise, make the filling by combining brown sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl.

Once the dough has risen again, roll it out into a 21×16 inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Spread the ⅓ cup softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture.

Cutting, Baking, and Icing

Step 4: Cut Dough Into Rolls. Roll up the rectangle, starting at the long end, and cut into 1¾ inch slices. Tip: Measure it out before cutting and use a knife to mark where you will make your cuts. Use either a knife or string to make clean slices. You should get about 12 cinnamon rolls.

Step 5: Bake. Place on a greased jelly roll pan and let double in size. When they are ready, bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. They should be golden brown when they are done baking. (Note: I prefer a metal pan over a glass baking dish.)

Step 6: Add Icing. While rolls are baking, mix the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and salt together. Be sure to start with room temperature ingredients for best results. Spread the icing over warm rolls right after they come out of the oven.

This will make them perfectly gooey and delicious!

making ahead of time…

Which is totally common (especially when you’re making them for a holiday or special occasion), you can do it a couple different ways:

1. Refrigerate Dough: Make, fill, and cut the dough. But before you let it rise the third and final time, put the jelly roll pan in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, take it out of the refrigerator and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Then bake as usual!
2. Freeze them Unbaked: Make fill, and cut the dough, and then freeze them unbaked. In this case, you will again want to take them out of the freezer, let them thaw, rise, and then bake as usual.
3. Freeze them Baked: Bake and frost your cinnamon rolls, then flash freeze them on a pan. Once they are solid, you can wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or tinfoil, and store them in an airtight container in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, thaw at room temperature, or in an oven set to 300°F.

If you love Cinnamon Rolls as much we do, I highly recommend trying this recipe.

As I mentioned before, they are so soft and the frosting on top is amazing!! I know you’ll love them!

For more great sweet rolls, check out:

• Cinnamon Roll Bites
• Orange Rolls
• Mini Cinnamon Rolls
• Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin cinnamon Roll Bites

ENJOY!

Pictures for this recipe were re-taken by contributor, Alicia, of The Baker Upstairs.