The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

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Every year around Thanksgiving, we begin doing the holiday breakfast dance. My family traditionally has cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Thanksgiving, and my husband’s family does them on Christmas. We usually end up having them on both days, and for good reason.

These are the best cinnamon rolls ever.

What Makes These the Best

When you enjoy a cinnamon roll, it first has to fill your house with that classic Cinnabon fragrance, immediately lulling you into perfect comfort.

As you peel open that perfect swirl, the bun itself should be pillowy soft and perfumed perfectly with cinnamon and sugar. It should melt on your tongue and chew just so delicately.

The frosting, in my opinion, has to be cream cheese or it lacks that essential tang to offset the sweetness of your perfectly executed cinnamon roll.

And finally, when you get to the center, it should be just a hair undercooked for that gooey, oh-ma-gosh, soul-melting experience.

That, my friends, is why we don’t care that we’re eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast on every big holiday of the year.

Mixing the Dough for the Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

This recipe is adapted from Baker Lady’s adaptation of All Recipe’s cinnamon roll recipe. Like I’ve said before, I can’t not mess with a recipe, so obviously I made some small tweaks to get this recipe where I felt like it.

The original uses a bread maker, so head there if that’s your deal. Then, Baker Lady’s recipe calls for mixing by hand. I have a toddler, and no bread machine, so below are the instructions for using a stand mixer.

I find that it makes kneading bread dough a heck of a lot easier, especially with inherently sticky doughs. If I do it by hand, I will end up adding in too much flour. You want to be careful not to overdo it, or you’ll end up with tough buns.

Perfect Cinnamon Roll Filling

I’ll tell you what, if you love sugar, the original filling recipe will serve you well. For us, though, we needed to cut back by about a quarter cup of sugar to temper that sweetness. Then we added a little bit more cinnamon just because we wanted to. Guys, you’re in charge of your own bakes so you can make changes like that.

The key, though, is not to leave any butter behind. It’s melted and you’ll be brushing it on for what seems like forever, but trust me. You need it all.

And then don’t be afraid of how thick you’re laying on that cinnamon sugar spread. Just go for it!

Acing Cinnamon Roll Icing

The frosting is arguably the best part. I have the leftovers in a little container in my fridge to dip graham crackers in. To really get it right, you’ll start with room temperature butter and cream cheese, and then beat the tar out of them. You want to get them nicely smooth and incorporated.

Then, flavor with vanilla and salt before adding in the sifted powdered sugar really slowly. Once it’s all mixed together, you’re going to turn the mixer’s speed up way high and whip it to get air into it. This is going to increase the volume.

Let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes before you frost them. You want them warm enough to be gooey as you dig into them, but you also don’t want the frosting to totally melt.

Making Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Honestly, yes, the stand mixer is what makes this thing so easy, but the recipe isn’t as hard as it sounds even without one. So much of this is just mix it together and then wait.

You’ll mix the dough, wait for it to rise. Dump the dough onto the counter and wait. Roll it out, add the filling, and roll it up… then wait. Put them in the oven and wait.

Basically, what I’m saying is don’t be afraid of this recipe. It’s truly delicious and comforting, which is a great option for self-care in the New Year. Put in that little bit of time to put these together, and you’ll feel accomplished, too.

Tools You’ll Need to Get Started

Here’s what you need to make your best ever cinnamon rolls:

• Stand mixer with a dough hook and whisk attachments
• 9×13 non-stick pan
• Offset spatula
• Pastry brush
• Sharp knife

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The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

You don't need an excuse to make some of the best cinnamon rolls ever. These are great for holidays, parties, or just Tuesday nights in your jammies.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Dough Rising Time 12 hours hrs

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

Equipment

• 9×13 pan
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Stand mixer with dough hook

Ingredients

  

The Dough

• 1 cup warm milk 110°F
• 2½ tsp active dry yeast
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
• 4½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
• ½ cup pure cane sugar

The Filling

• ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
• ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
• 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

The Frosting

• 3 oz cream cheese room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp pink himalayan sea salt

Instructions

 

• Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter, eggs, and yeast/milk mixture. Once combined, turn speed up to medium and knead for 5 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball, and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cover, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
• Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling and grab a pastry brush for the melted butter (filling). Set aside.
• Roll dough into a 15×20 inch rectangle.
• Brush the dough with all of the melted butter. Then evenly distribute all of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture all over the dough.
• Tightly roll up dough starting along the long side. Cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls into a buttered 9×13 inch baking pan.
• Cover and let rise in the fridge overnight, for at least 12 hours.
• In the morning, place the 9×13 pan onto the center rack of the oven. Then turn it on to preheat at 350°F. Set the timer for 35 minutes.
• While the rolls bake, make the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add in the vanilla and salt. Then slowly incorporate the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time. Once mixed well, turn the mixer's speed to high and whip it fluffy.
• When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, allow them to cool slightly (about 5 minutes) before frosting them.

Keyword Bread, Buns, Cinnamon, Rolls

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