Yep, it’s another recipe that’s full of cinnamon! Is there anything better though than waking up to a warm cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee? These cinnamon rolls are delicious and I know you’ll love them. They are also a Christmas morning must in my home. The frosting isn’t overly sweet and it just melts enough to perfectly compliment the warm cinnamon roll. The one thing for me that makes these rolls fantastic is the type of cinnamon. I use a good Vietnamese cinnamon and it really brings them up to a new level of deliriousness! When I travel at Christmas to visit family I bring my own vanilla and cinnamon with me. Is that not normal? Doesn’t everyone do that?
When I am making these for a big group or for a lot of family on Christmas morning, I easily double the recipe. When it comes to rolling out the dough, I just divide it in half and roll out two rectangles. If you double the recipe it is a bit too much dough to roll all at once. You can also chop some pecans and scatter them over the cinnamon before rolling them up for cinnamon pecan rolls. However you make them, they will be perfect and delicious.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
These rolls are bursting with cinnamon goodness! Enjoy them warm out of the oven.
- 1/4 cup warm water (lukewarm water – around 110F or 43C)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast ((or 1 packet))
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 ounces unsalted butter ( or 57 grams)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 3/4 -3 cups All purpose flour (352-384 grams or 12.4-13.6oz)
- 3/4 tsp salt
Cinnamon Filling
- 1/2 cup +2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp+ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ounce unsalted butter (at room temperature) (or 28 grams)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 5 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ounce unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner sugar – sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add the 1/2 cup of milk and 2 oz of unsalted butter to a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Once all the butter has melted, remove the saucepan from the heat to cool some. (You want the mixture to be lukewarm when you add it to the other ingredients.)
Stir the sugar into the milk and butter mixture and set aside.
Add 1/4 cup of lukewarm water (around 110F or 43C) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water and gently stir it in.
Let the yeast sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to foam.
Add the egg, 2 3/4 cups of the flour, salt, and milk mixture to the mixing bowl with the yeast. I find it easiest to stir it all together with a spoon just a little first to get the dough started. Using the dough hook, knead the dough. (you can knead by hand but it is a sticky dough, especially in the beginning.
If the dough is too sticky you can add in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour a little at a time. You’ll know the dough is ready when it starts climbing up the dough hook.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a buttered bowl. Turn it over once so it is coated on the top. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. The dough should double in size.
Filling
Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl.
Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together until they are blended evenly.
Preheat the oven to 375F or 190C
Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down. Lightly flour a clean working surface.
Roll the dough into a rectangle of about 15 inches (38cm) by 10.5 inches (27cm). It will be around 1/4 inch high. (it doesn’t have to be perfect or exactly this size.)
Evenly spread the butter over the surface of the dough.
Pour the cinnamon and sugar mixture on to the center of the dough. I know it looks like a lot, but YUM! (Don’t worry, it isn’t too much)
Working from the middle, spread the cinnamon and sugar evenly over the top of the dough.
Once the cinnamon is spread over the dough, gently press it down a little with your hands.
Starting with the longest side away from you, start rolling the dough toward you.
Continue completely rolling the dough toward you until it is a log.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1 inch rolls. (2.5cm) You will end up with 12-15 rolls.
Carefully place each roll on a parchment lined baking sheet. (I used a 12 x 16 half sheet pan) You don’t want to use a flat sheet with no edges as the sugar sometimes can melt and drip off the side of the pan. The edges on the half sheet pan will save any oven clean up. Give the rolls a little space in between each other for rising during baking.
Lightly cover the rolls lightly with a tea towel and let them rest for 20 minutes. (You won’t see them rise a lot during this time but they will a little and they need that 20 minutes to rest.)
Bake the rolls in a preheated 375F/190C oven for 11-13 minutes. They will just start to turn a nice golden color on top when they are done.
Cream Cheese Frosting
While your rolls are baking, add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl. Mix these on medium speed for a few minutes.
Sift the confectioner sugar to get rid of any lumps. I like to sift it directly onto a piece of wax paper and then I can easily lift it and pour it into the mixing bowl from the paper.
With the mixer on low speed, add in the confectioner sugar.
Add in the vanilla and mix on medium speed for a few minutes until the frosting is well blended. You will probably need to scrape the bowl after the first minute or so and mix again.
Now for the best part! It’s time to drown your cinnamon roll in frosting. I don’t like to just dabble a little on top. I like to cover the roll completely. If you like less frosting, you can drizzle less over the top.
Enjoy!
When I make cinnamon rolls I only frost the ones we are eating right away. I put the extras in an air tight container and the frosting goes into the refrigerator. When I am ready for another roll, I warm it up in the oven for about 3 minutes, cover it with frosting and enjoy the experience all over again!