The Best Cinnamon Rolls

The best homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon Cream Cheese Frosting.  These giant sweet rolls are light and fluffy and are always a hit for breakfast or Christmas morning.  If you love rich and soft cinnamon rolls then this is the recipe for you!  Made just like grandma used to make!

There is nothing better than waking up to warm cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven.  They are the perfect treat for holiday breakfast with the family and we even love them for dessert.

Over the years, I’ve made cinnamon rolls but I always come back to this easy sweet roll recipe.  My Nana used to use this recipe to make a variety of sweet breads and it’s one that my mom continues to use.  The recipe is from The Settlement Cookbook.  My Nana adapted recipes throughout the years and it’s something my mom and I occasionally look through and recreate.

This dough recipe is so versatile that it’s used for sweet rolls, sweet bread, butter horns, and more.

Perhaps my favorite part of cinnamon rolls is the cream cheese icing.  I love the icing from the Pillsbury cinnamon roll packs and I have found the perfect combination to recreate that same sweet and tangy frosting.

The frosting is so good that I may have licked an extra spatula once or twice along the way!

The trick to getting giant fluffy and soft cinnamon rolls is to allow the yeast to rise.  My mom always taught me to heat the oven on the lowest setting ( or 150 degrees F ) for 20 minutes to allow the dough to rise.  This trick is especially important when making these cinnamon sweet rolls for Christmas or the holidays.

It’s not usually for me to repeat this step a few times before punching the dough and rolling it out with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar.  Once the dough is rolled and cut, I allow the yeast to rise once more in a slightly heated oven so it can grow.

Cinnamon Rolls are a classic breakfast time and dessert staple.  If you want to make an impressive breakfast spread, then this is the recipe for such an occasion.

Looking for more delicious breakfast recipes?  Try these n0-yeast Sugar Donut Holes or this Cherry Crumb Coffee Cake. I love this Easy Cherry Cream Cheese Danish, too! For something savory, this Cheesy Egg Hashbrown Casserole is a favorite!

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

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Soft and fluffy giant cinnamon rolls made with a rich cream cheese frosting.  The perfect breakfast for Christmas morning or for special occasions. 

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast & Dessert

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
• ▢ 1/4 cup warm water (120 degrees F)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 lemon rind, grated
• ▢ 1 cup warm 2% milk
• ▢ 4-5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

• ▢ 1/4 cup butter, melted
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 3 cups powdered confectioners' sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 5 ounces (3/4 cup) white chocolate, melted
• ▢ few splashes lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Heat water to 120 degrees F.  Dissolve yeast in water then stir in 2 teaspoons sugar; set aside.

  Cream butter and sugar on high, about 4 minutes; add eggs one at a time, salt, lemon rind, the dissolved yeast, warm milk, and the flour.  

  Knead until smooth and elastic. 

  Cover and let rise in a large glass or metal bowl in a warm place, until double in bulk. Place a wet tea towel or kitchen towel over the top of the bowl. I heat the oven to 125 degrees F.  occasionally and place bowl on cookie sheet then heat intermittently until doubled in size.  May take 1-2 hours or longer if warm spot is cooler.

  Butter or grease a 13x9 casserole dish; set aside.

  Toss dough on lightly floured surface, roll out into large rectangular shape until dough is 1/4 inch thick. 

  Melt 1/4 cup butter then brush dough well.  Mix 3/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon together.  Evenly sprinkle over the top of melted butter.

  Tightly roll dough like a jelly roll.  I started the roll at the less wide end which will result in large rolls. Cut into 12 even pieces.  Brush sides with additional butter then place into baking pan.  Let rise again until dough has filled in spaces.  Bake in 350 degree F oven for 15-25 minutes or until light golden color.  Careful not to overbake! 

  To make the Cinnamon Roll Frosting, in a large bowl combine cream cheese and butter. Beat with mixer until light and fluffy.

  Add confectioner's sugar 2 cups at a time, beating to combine. Beat in vanilla extract, and salt. Turn mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

  Melt white chocolate chips in microwave on power level 4 until melted or melt over stove top. Add white chocolate to mixture then beat 3 minutes.  Beat in lemon juice.  This will remove some of the sweetness. 

  Frost cinnamon rolls. 

Nutritional information is only an estimate and it's accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.

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