Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

A homemade cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting.

4.41 from 5 votes

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls should absolutely be on your holiday or weekend brunch menu. These soft, pillowy rolls are filled with a cinnamon sugar mixture, and are topped with the best cream cheese frosting!

Course Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword cream cheese frosting, homemade cinnamon rolls

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Rise time 1

Total Time 1 55

Servings servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 Tablespoons yeast - I use Red Star Active Yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups warm 2% milk - not hot, not cold
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5-6 cups all-purpose flour - or to right of consistency

For the sugar and cinnamon mixture:

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter - softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese - softened
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter - softened
3 cups powdered sugar - sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large standing mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Be careful to use WARM milk, not hot. After about 15 minutes, the yeast should be bubbly and you can proceed.
Add the melted butter and kosher salt – and stir with a spatula. Then add the dough hook, about 4.5 cups of all-purpose flour, and start the mixer. Continue adding flour until you get your desired consistency. (I normally use just a little more than five cups.) Remove dough to a greased bowl.
2 Tablespoons yeast, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 cups warm 2% milk
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 5-6 cups all-purpose flour
Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl of dough with a clean dish towel and place in a warm corner of your kitchen. Let the dough rise until it’s doubled in size.
Divide dough in half. Place the dough on a greased baking mat, and use a knife to divide the dough in half.
Form and add cinnamon and sugar filling. Take one piece of dough and use your hands to quickly form it into a rectangle. (No need to push on the dough too hard.)
Then spread half (3 tablespoons) of the softened butter on top of the dough. Follow it with half of the brown sugar (1/3 cup) and half of the cinnamon (1 tablespoon). Repeat with remaining half of dough.
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Roll the dough and slice into sections. Carefully roll the dough up (from long side to long side) so that the dough is in a log. Slice it into nine equal pieces.
Let rise again. Place the dough rounds into an 8×8 baking dish or pan (that has been sprayed with baking spray). Use your hands to push down on the rolls slightly so that the dough fills the pan evenly. Then cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled in size.
Repeat process with the remaining half of the cinnamon roll dough.
Bake rolls. Bake rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven, until golden brown on top, approximately 25 minutes. Remove rolls to a cooling rack.
Make cream cheese frosting. Make the frosting by combining the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream ingredients together until light and creamy. Then add the (sifted) powdered sugar and mix again until well combined.
8 oz. cream cheese, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 cups powdered sugar
Add frosting. When rolls are cooled, spread the frosting on top. If serving immediately, add frosting when rolls are just slightly warm.

Notes

How to make rolls ahead of time:

Store them in the fridge overnight. After placing the rolls in the pans, cover them tightly and place them in the fridge. The following day, bring them to room temperature and let them rise again before baking. This can take several hours so plan in advance.
Freeze them before baking. After placing rolls in the pans, cover tightly and place in freezer bags. Freeze them immediately. The day you need them, give yourself around 12 hours to prepare them. Place them on your kitchen counter and let them thaw completely, come to room temp, and rise again. If you plan to serve them at breakfast, set them out overnight.
Bake them and freeze. Bake the rolls, cool, and wrap tightly. Place in freezer bags and freeze. When ready to serve them, remove from freezer and either let them come to room temp, or microwave them on defrost until they’re ready.

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