Classic Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Icing
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These classic cinnamon rolls are filled with cinnamon sugar and topped with the same rich vanilla cream cheese icing you know and love. Golden on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, they’re the perfect lazy morning treat.
Good news: If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make cinnamon rolls from scratch, but hesitated, it’s not as difficult as you might have believed! Think of making homemade cinnamon rolls as three steps: making the yeasted dough, the filling and the icing. The more you work with yeast, the more confident you’ll be, and our classic cinnamon rolls are the perfect recipe to start with.
Wash it down
Nothing completes a morning feast quite like a hot cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. We think these creative drinks are the perfect way to mix-up your classic cinnamon rolls!
If you want to add cinnamon roll fillings to these classic rolls, try our Tiramisu Cinnamon Rolls with Espresso Mascarpone Icing, Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls with Eggnog Icing or Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Marshmallow Icing.
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Classic Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Start to finish: Active: 1 hour | Inactive: 2 hours
Makes: 12 rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
1½ cups whole milk, warmed to 110 F
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, room temperature
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
For the icing:
4 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine milk, butter, egg and yeast. Add flour, sugar and salt. Mix 10–11 minutes until the dough is soft, tacky and forms a single ball with just the bottom of the ball sticking to the bottom of the bowl. If it’s too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough feels tacky. Place the ball of dough in a large, lightly buttered bowl. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
For the filling:
In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside until ready to use.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle (about ¼-inch thick). Spread the filling all the way to the edges, leaving a ¼-inch margin at the top edge of the dough. Roll the dough from the long end away from you. Seal the bottom edge by pinching the dough together. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 12 1½-inch rolls.
Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and place the rolls swirl-side up inside the dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm spot for 30–60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Before baking, pour heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls. Bake at 350 F for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
For the icing:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together until combined. Mix in powdered sugar until just combined. Add in vanilla extract and mix until just combined. When cool, spread the icing over the tops of your classic cinnamon rolls and enjoy.