Cinnamon Rolls

Bernice Baran
Jan 27, 2018
4 min read

I know you've had a cinnamon roll before... so you know what these taste like. Heaven... in your mouth. Period. I made these a lot during the holidays and I really want them right now so here's to all you who aren't making better choices in 2018, *eye-roll emoji* #whole30notapproved.

I was a little intimidated to make these, but my goodness, they turned out better then I ever imagined! Of course I did some research before baking these and most people make them in similar ways, but to my surprise, these were actually pretty easy to make so don't be intimidated! You know you what them... lol.

They do take a couple hours or so to make but they're so worth it! I've found, if you want them to be bigger and fluffier, with a nice dough that grows, you will need to be patient. There are quicker ways to make cinnamon rolls but they don't look or taste nearly as scrumptious as these, lol.

I'm not sure why some of these pictures came out with odd colors... mahhh bbbb.

I literally can't get a 'perfect' picture of these puppies, I've made them like 5 times and my lighting is off or I'm in a rush, etc. but they deserve a post, nonetheless. I promise they taste and look a lot better than these photos, lol. I got a new phone in December and since I now have way more storage on my phone and it has a better camera than my last phone, I've sort of been neglecting my camera a bit, lol. It's just so much easier to whip out your phone and snap a couple pictures than getting out that big camera. I'm going to have to make a better effort to use the camera though because the quality of the pictures are better, they're more clear and easier to edit. I have a canon t6i if anyone has any advice!

CINNAMON ROLLS

YIELD: 12 large rolls | PREP TIME: 30 min + wait time | COOK TIME: 20-25 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 2 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS:

Dough: 1 cup warm milk (110F/45C) 2 eggs, room temperature 6 tbsp. (1/3 cup) butter, melted 4 1/2 cups flour, sifted + 1/2 cup for dusting 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup white sugar 2 1/2 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast

Filling: 1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 8 tbsp. (1/2 cup) butter, softened

Frosting: 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract* 1/8 tsp. salt

*I prefer vanilla bean paste but either will do

DIRECTIONS:

Heat milk (in microwave or stove top) to 110F
Add in yeast and allow to dissolve a few minutes
Add in sugar, butter, salt and eggs
Add flour in one cup at a time to and mix until well combined
Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour
Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon
Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle
Spread butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture across dough
Roll up dough starting along the long side and cut into 12 rolls
Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan, cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 - 375 degrees F* Bake rolls for about 20 minutes, until golden brown
While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt
Spread frosting on rolls

LOVE NOTES

If you forget to pull your eggs out the fridge in advance, run them under warm water for a couple minutes.
You can also make this with a stand mixer using the hook attachment; I prefer it this way.
I've made these a few times and my dough seems to turn out pretty sticky every time so I used a generous amount of flour to prevent sticking.
For prettier buns, refrigerate after rolling and before slicing.
I actually make these at night and refrigerate them after step 11 and just pop them in the oven the next day!
*I baked them in a metal pan and if you want them baked through more evenly then bake them at 350F for 25 minutes. If you want them slightly more crispy on the edges and more gooey on the inside (I prefer them this way) then bake them on 375F for 20 minutes.
This frosting is slightly more cream cheese-y than a Cinnabon BUT I actually think it tasted better this way. You can use only 4 oz. of cream cheese and add a little milk for better consistency if you don't like the cream cheese flavor.
I spread half the frosting on them as soon as they come out so it can melt and drip all throughout them and then spread the other half before serving or once they've cooled for a few minutes. If you spread the whole frosting when they're hot, it might just all slip off the edge.
The filling becomes very sticky once cooled and they become more difficult to remove from the pan so eat them fresh! :)
These are great the next day too, just microwave them for a few seconds or pop them back in the oven until warm.

I really hope someone makes these...for my deprived sake...and let's me know how much they loved them. Also I'd love if ya'll gave me some feedback so I know what sort of content to post more about. Or even if you just love something you made, I wanna know that it turned out just as good for you as it did for me. Show some love people! Anywaaayyss love you all and thanks for reading!