Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls, smothered in a thick, sumptuous layer of sweet vanilla cream cheese frosting. My whole family goes wild for these. Perfect for breakfast (you can overnight prove them), brunch, afternoon snack, or dessert!
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made these recently. Let me see….
- For guests who’ve come to stay with us as a special brunch treat
- For birthday breakfasts (always requested!)
- To take to the beach as the perfect dessert to the cheesy chips from the local beach cafe (carb heaven)
- For photographing for this blog post (I love my job)
- For filming the recipe for YouTube (double love my job)
📋 Ingredients
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Shaping and cutting the dough
Proving the rolls and frosting the cooked cinnamon rolls
Be sure to spread on the cream cheese frosting while the cinnamon rolls are still warm, so the frosting sinks in a little and makes the rolls extra soft!
I like to make a little extra cream cheese frosting too. That goes in a tub, in the fridge, hidden underneath the bag of kale, so I’ve got extra to smother on if I’m feeling the need for double frosting.
👩🍳PRO TIP Don’t throw away the ends of the rolled up dough!
Save the end pieces you cut off and bake them too. They’re your chefs treat!I place them on a small baking tray and bake them at the same time as the cinnamon rolls, on a shelf underneath. They’re smaller, so they’ll be a little darker at the end of cooking time, but still utterly delicious!
Just look at that fluffy, soft, pillow-like texture 😍
Storing
Because the topping contains cream cheese, I prefer to store these cinnamon rolls in the fridge.
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled a little, after baking, frost them, then cover (with foil/clingfilm/wax-wrap) and let them cool completely. Once cool, place in the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
They will firm up a little in the fridge, so I like to place individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave and heat for about 15-20 seconds to warm them through slightly and make them fluffy again.
Don’t heat through for any longer, or the cream cheese frosting will melt.
Ok last pic, I promise.
Making Ahead
You can make these cinnamon rolls ahead, so you can have them fresh for breakfast in the morning.
Make the rolls, up to the point you add the rolls to the baking tray. Then rather then leaving them to prove, cover them and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Take out of the refrigerator in the morning, and place in a warm room for about 45 minutes – they should rise a little during this time (preheat the oven during this time too).
Then bake as per baking the instructions.
The cream cheese frosting can be make up to three days ahead, then covered and refrigerated until ready to use (you can use it straight from the fridge).
Freezing
Freezing – unbaked
You can freeze the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the tray, covered.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Once defrosted, take out of the fridge and allow to come up to warm up at room temperature for 45 minutes (they’ll rise a little during this time), then bake as per the baking instructions.
The cream cheese frosting can be make ahead and frozen in an airtight container too (it freezes well due to the high fat content, so don’t be tempted to use low fat).Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and it’s ready to use.
Freezing – baked
You can also freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls in an airtight container.
They won’t be as good as freshly made, but they still hit the spot!
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator then once defrosted, reheat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds to heat through and fluff up.
You can freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls without the cream cheese frosting or with the cream cheese frosting.
If freezing with the cream cheese frosting, the frosting will absorb into the cinnamon rolls slightly. I like to make a little extra frosting when I’m making the cinnamon rolls (the frosting can be frozen too), so I can add to the defrosted and warmed cinnamon rolls just before eating, but that’s optional.
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Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 180 ml (3/4) cup full-fat milk (whole milk)
- 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter chopped into small cubes
- 55 g (1/4 cup) granulated or caster sugar
- 2 ½ tsp easy bake dried yeast or dried quick rise yeast
- 1 large egg room temperature (*Note 1)
- 1 egg yolk from a large egg room temperature
- 360 g (3 cups) strong white bread flour
- ¾ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 90 g (2/3 cup) light brown sugar muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp flour (bread flour or plain (all-purpose) flour) for shaping the dough
Cream Cheese Topping:
- 180 g (6.3 oz) full fat cream cheese
- 70 g (4 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 180 g (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar /icing sugar/powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the milk and butter to a microwaveable bowl and heat for about 1 minute, stirring once, halfway through heating, until the butter has JUST melted. The milk should feel warm, but not hot. Alternatively, you can heat it in a saucepan, with the butter, until just warm.180 ml (3/4) cup full-fat milk (whole milk), 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- Pour the warm milk and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. (*Note 2)
- Add the sugar, yeast, egg, and egg yolk. Mix together for a few seconds, until just combined. I do this with my dough hook, so I don't have to change out the mixer attachment later.55 g (1/4 cup) granulated or caster sugar, 2 1/2 tsp easy bake dried yeast, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk from a large egg
- Add the flour and salt into the mixture and mix again, on a slow setting (so the flour doesn't fly out) using the dough hook, for about 30-60 seconds, until combined.360 g (3 cups) strong white bread flour, 3/4 tsp salt
- Turn up the speed to medium, and knead the dough, with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes. The dough should be sticky (this stickiness now will result in softer cinnamon rolls later).
- Remove the mixer bowl from the stand mixer and cover with cling film (plastic wrap) or a wax wrap.
- Leave the dough to prove/rise in a warm place (a warm room) for 60-90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
- Line a rectangular baking dish – approx. 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches with baking parchment. I use a rectangular Pyrex dish.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the flour on a clean work surface and tip out the proved dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.4 tbsp flour
- Shape the dough, using your hands into a rectangle, approx 16×10 inches, with the longest side closest to you (parallel to the edge of the work surface)
- Spread the butter all over the top of the dough rectangle, right up to the edges, using the back of a spoon.60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the butter. You can use your hands to ensure it's spread evenly.90 g (2/3 cup) light brown sugar, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Carefully roll up the dough, from the longest side, rolling it away from you.
- Use a long piece of natural cotton or unflavoured dental floss to cut off the very ends of the rolled-up dough, on both sides. This will ensure the rest of the cinnamon rolls are neat and even (*Note 3).
- Now use the cotton to slice the dough roll into 12 even cinnamon rolls.
- Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish so they're evenly distributed (4 rolls by 3 rolls).
- Cover the dish with clingfilm or a wax wrap and leave to prove/rise for a further 30-60 minutes, until they've increased in size (the rolls should all be touching after this rise).
- Preheat the oven to 170C/340F (fan).
- Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, remove the clingfilm and place in the oven.
- Cook for 20-22 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the cream cheese topping.
- Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and give it a whisk (an electric or manual whisk is fine) to loosen it up.180 g (6.3 oz) full fat cream cheese
- Add the softened butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla bean paste and whisk again (start slow, so the confectioners's sugar doesn't fly out), until you have a smooth cream cheese frosting. Put to one side.70 g (4 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, 180 g (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- When the cinnamon rolls have finished baking, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the cream cheese frosting on top of the still-warm cinnamon rolls (doing this while it's still warm will ensure the cinnamon rolls stay lovely and soft).
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Leave the eggs in for 5 minutes and they should be ready to use. *Note 2 – Don’t have a stand mixer? You can mix the ingredients together in a bowl, using a wooden spoon or your hands, until it comes together. When it’s time to knead the dough, drizzle 1 tablespoon of flavourless oil on a clean work surface and tip the dough out.
Rub your hands with a little bit of oil and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes. Why are we kneading in oil instead of flour?
- Cinnamon roll dough is a sticky dough. Adding more flour to the dough will make the dough tougher and drier.
- Using oil will stop the dough from sticking to your hands and the work surface, and will still ensure you have a nice moist dough.
I place them on a small baking tray and bake them at the same time as the cinnamon rolls, on a shelf underneath. They’re smaller, so they’ll be a little darker at the end of cooking time, but still utterly delicious! Have a bread proving oven? If you have a bread proving oven, you can reduce the overall proving time.
For the first prove, use full steam on the bread-proving function and prove for 30 minutes. For the second prove, use full steam on the bread-proving function and prove for 20 minutes. Storing Because the topping contains cream cheese, I prefer to store these cinnamon rolls in the fridge. Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled, cover them and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
They will firm up a little in the fridge, so I like to place individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave and heat for about 15-20 seconds to warm them through slightly and make them fluffy again.
Don’t heat through for any longer, or the cream cheese frosting will melt. Making ahead You can make these cinnamon rolls ahead, so you can have them fresh for breakfast in the morning.
Make the rolls, up to the point you add the rolls to the baking tray. Then rather then leaving them to prove, cover them and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Take out of the refrigerator in the morning, and place in a warm room for about 45 minutes – they should rise a little during this time (preheat the oven during this time too).
Then bake as per baking the instructions. The cream cheese frosting can be make up to three days ahead, then covered and refrigerated until ready to use (you can use it straight from the fridge). Freezing – unbaked You can freeze the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the tray, covered.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Once defrosted, take out of the fridge and allow to come up to warm up at room temperature for 45 minutes (they’ll rise a little during this time), then bake as per the baking instructions. The cream cheese frosting can be make ahead and frozen in an airtight container too (it freezes well due to the high fat content, so don’t be tempted to use low fat).
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and it’s ready to use. Freezing – baked You can also freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls in an airtight container. They won’t be as good as freshly made, but they still hit the spot! Defrost overnight in the refrigerator then once defrosted, reheat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds to heat through and fluff up. You can freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls without the cream cheese frosting or with the cream cheese frosting.
If freezing with the cream cheese frosting, the frosting will absorb into the cinnamon rolls slightly.
I like to make a little extra frosting when I’m making the cinnamon rolls (the frosting can be frozen too), so I can add to the defrosted and warmed cinnamon rolls just before eating, but that’s optional. Like your cinnamon rolls bigger? Divide the rolled up dough into 9 pieces instead of 12 and bake in a square baking dish.
They’ll need about 2-3 minutes longer in the oven to cook through. Recipe Inspiration This recipe was inspired by Monique’s recipe at Ambitious Kitchen. I first started out making Monique’s delicious recipe a few years ago and I’ve adjusted bits here and there along the way. Nutritional information is approximate, per cinnamon roll.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Georgious cinnamon swirls. The worst bit was getting the sticky dough out of my Thermomix.
Recipe was easy to follow and they turned out just like the Recipe photo ☺️
We’ve tried about eight of the kitchen Sanctuary recipes and every time they are a winner – thanks Nicky 😊
Fab recipe, so much helpful detail. Thank you Nicky, long time follower so I knew I was in safe hands with this, as your food always looks amazing and I love your dinner recipes. Made these on Christmas day morning having proved them the day before and they turned out wonderful and they were a perfect breakfast for Christmas wirh the addition of red and green sprinkles for the kids obvs 😉 Would highly reccommend! Merry Chriatmas and a happy new to you. X
These came out perfect! The best recipe I’ve ever used for cinnamon rolls. Tasted soo yummy and perfectly fluffy
Instead of dried yeast could you advise on making them with sourdough starter please Nicky. Thank you.
Amazing! I didn’t use bread flour (didn’t have any) BUT I did add 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum for needed extra protein.
The texture was perfect. Fluffy and full of spongy softness. This IS Absolutely how cinnamon rolls should be!
I also poured a bit of cream in between rolls as I painted on the rest of the cream across the rolls. About 2 1/2 -3 tablespoons. Delicious Folks! Thank you for an incredibly great recipe!!
🤩✨🤩✨🤩✨🤩
These are the best cinnamon rolls I
What is a strong flour?
Hi Terry, this is bread flour (as opposed to regular plain/all-purpose flour). Bread flour (also called strong bread flour) uses ‘hard wheat’, rather than a mixture of hard and soft wheat. It’s got a higher protein and gluten content, which gives the dough better structure and rise, and a lighter, chewier finish – which is perfect for bread-dough-based recipes.
I have been wanting to try this recipe, since you posted it the other week and oh my it didn’t disappoint.
Proved last night, just had them for breakfast. The kitchen smelt amazing and a delicious weekend breakfast treat. Thank you😋