Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

May 3, 2023

homemade cinnamon rolls frosted top view

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It’s undeniable that Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate comfort treat, with dough that is beyond fluffy, a gooey-buttery cinnamon center, and (of course) covered in silky cream cheese frosting, how could they not be!

What are Cinnamon Rolls?

Look, if you are unfamiliar with Cinnamon Rolls, let me paint you a picture: imagine a fluffy cloud of dough, generously slathered with a perfect blend of cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter. This is then all rolled up into an iconic spiral, creating a gooey center (the best part!) and a golden exterior. Lastly, but certainly not least, the warm rolls are coated with generous amounts of fresh cream cheese frosting.

What are the Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls?

It might be intimidating to make these, but all it takes is a little bit of time, some love, and of course ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a batch:

For the Dough:

– Water

– Instant Dry Yeast

– Granulated Sugar

– Milk

– Eggs

– Salt

– Unsalted Butter

– All-Purpose Flour

For Filling:

– Unsalted Butter, softened

– Brown Sugar

– Cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

– Cream Cheese

– Powdered Sugar

– Vanilla Extract

– Milk

homemade cinnamon rolls frosted in a pan

Tips for making the Best Cinnamon Rolls

Even Spreading: When applying the cinnamon-sugar filling, make sure to spread it evenly across the dough. This ensures every bite is full with flavor!

Use Floss: Use unflavored dental floss to cut your rolled dough, this prevents squishing and maintains those perfect swirls. Don’t have floss? Thats okay, just make sure to use a sharp knife.

Perfect Frosting Finish: Once baked, let the rolls cool down a little, before spreading on the cream cheese frosting (don’t hold back, the more frosting the better!). Feel free to add any extra additions on-top at this time, like sprinkles or nuts for an added texture!

Fresh is Best: Cinnamon rolls are at their prime when fresh out of the oven. If you can resist, allow them to cool slightly, but not too much. The warmth enhances the experience.

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Ingredients

Adjust Servings

	½ cup Water
	2 tablespoon (1 packet) Instant Dry Yeast
	½ cup Granulated Sugar
	½ cup Milk
	2 Eggs
	½ tablespoon Salt
	½ cup Unsalted Butter, cubed
	4 cups All-Purpose Flour

For Filling & Cream Cheese Frosting

	½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened
	¼ cup Brown Sugar
	1 tablespoon Cinnamon
	1 cup Cream Cheese
	1 ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
	½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
	1 tablespoon Milk of choice

Directions

Preheat Oven & Prepare the Filling

Preheat your oven to 345ºF and lightly grease a baking dish or line it with parchment paper. In a small bowl prepare your filling, mix together brown sugar and ground cinnamon until well combined. Set aside & set out your butter for the filling to soften (if needed).

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Make the Dough

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, fitted with the hook attachment, combine the water, yeast, sugar, milk, eggs, and salt. Add the cubes of butter and mix until just combined, it is okay if there are still some little cubes or pieces of butter. Next, add the flour, stirring on low until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

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Knead the Dough

Lightly flour a clean surface and turn out the dough. Knead it gently for about a minute until it becomes smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is manageable. It should slowly bounce back up when poked. At this point, you can either move on to the next step or place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until ready to roll out and bake them (this is NOT a required step).

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Fill the Dough

Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Then, sprinkle the prepared brown sugar cinnamon filling mixture over the buttered dough, covering it completely.

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Roll the Dough

Starting from one of the long ends of the rectangle, tightly roll up the dough into a log, pinching the bottom together once you reach the end. Using a sharp knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss, cut the dough into 8 even rolls.

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Bake the Rolls

Place the cinnamon roll slices in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little space between each one. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the rolls have risen and turned golden brown.

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Frost the Rolls & Serve

Once the cinnamon rolls are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Spread a generous helping of the cream cheese frosting over the warm rolls and enjoy!

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