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Made with tender sweet yeast dough, the Best Cinnamon Rolls are filled with spirals of sweet cinnamon sugar and topped with a rich cream cheese glaze.
Today I’m giving you all the tips and tricks on how to make homemade cinnamon rolls that turn out perfectly every time.
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
The recipe starts with the basic sweet yeast dough recipe that I posted yesterday. It’s a simple recipe, with only 7 ingredients, but is a rich dough full of eggs and butter that makes a perfect base for these cinnamon rolls.
It’s not a hard dough to make, but check out the full post for all of the details on how to make a perfect dough.
Divide the dough recipe in half. One half of the dough will make about 8-9 cinnamon rolls which can be baked in a pie plate or 8 x 8 inch baking dish. I prefer to roll out half the dough at a time.
If you want to make the entire batch of dough, they should fit in a 9 x 13 inch pan. You might have a few extra to bake in a loaf pan, depending on how thick you cut them.
Once you have the dough ready, the cinnamon rolls are simple to make. Don’t be intimidated, they really are not complicated to make, especially if you have made the dough ahead of time and have it in the freezer or fridge. (Instructions for that are in the yeast dough post.)
Enough background information, let’s make cinnamon rolls!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Once you have the dough prepped through the first rise, begin by kneading the dough a few times and letting it rest for about 5 minutes.
Resting the dough will allow it to relax a bit, making it easier to roll out.
Roll out the dough into a 18 x 12 inch rectangle. As you can see in the picture, the dough should be very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick.
Rolling the dough this thin will give us a perfect, neat spiral for our cinnamon rolls and make sure there is the most cinnamon sugar layer swirled throughout.
Be patient in getting the dough to this point and try and keep it as square as possible.
Next, spread a nice layer of softened butter over the sheet of dough. Spread it clear to the edge on all sides except for one of the shorts sides.
Leave an inch of space on one of the short sides so you can seal it up after you roll it.
I use brown sugar and cinnamon to spread on top for the best flavor.
We’re not going for low calorie here, this post is on how to make the best cinnamon rolls ever!
Roll them up tightly starting at the short end (the 12 inch side). Starting at the short side will make the giant, perfect spiral.
If you want smaller cinnamon rolls, feel free to roll them up from the long side. I make them both ways depending on whether I’m in the mood for giant cinnamon rolls or smaller ones. Seal up the roll by pinching the end tightly.
How To Slice Cinnamon Rolls
Now here is a trick to cutting the cinnamon rolls that everyone might not know about. Use a piece of thread or dental floss to cut each cinnamon roll.
Slide the thread under the cinnamon roll log, cross the ends of the thread and pull the ends tightly in opposite directions to smoothly cut through the roll.
No more squishing the rolls with a knife when you’re trying to cut them. This trick will deliver perfectly cut cinnamon rolls every time. I recommend cutting the rolls about 1 – 1.5 inches thick.
Place them in a greased pan. I like glass pans the best as they don’t brown them too quickly, but metal or foil will work too. 7 large rolls will fit in a standard pie plate.
Side note: Pie plates are my favorite size for gifting! 12 – 15 rolls will fit in a 9 x 13 inch pan, depending on how big you cut them.
Cover them with a clean towel and let them rise until double. The warmth of your house will influence how fast they rise. Because we rolled them so thin, they won’t take too long to rise 20-30 minutes.
Don’t let them get too big, because if they rise too much, they will deflate and the spirals will separate after they bake.
Compare the picture above with the one right below it for an idea of how much they will rise.
The photo above shows them before they rise, the photo below shows them right before they go into the oven. They will rise a bit more in the oven, so keep that in mind.
After they are risen, put them into the oven, uncovered. They don’t take too long 15 minutes max, so while they are in the oven, make the frosting.
You want the frosting to be ready as soon as they come out of the oven. It is simple to make butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar are the main ingredients.
They will be just slightly browned when they come of the oven, wait about 5 minutes for them to cool and then spread on the frosting.
Spread the frosting on while it is warm so it melts halfway and coats the inside of your cinnamon roll for extra gooey goodness. The top will still have a nice thick layer of frosting and the inside will basically be frosted as well!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
They are best served warm from the oven, but if you offered me a roll hours later, I would still gladly eat it.
You can use the dough to make them the night before, and then, in the morning, bake them for fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning, without getting up at 6.
To do that, make them as normal and place them in the baking pan, but do not allow them to rise, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. They will rise slowly overnight and be ready to bake by morning.
Take them out of the fridge when you start preheating the oven and bake as normal. It may take a minute or two longer since they were cold.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. I want you all to enjoy the Best Cinnamon Rolls with me!
The Best Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- ***If you haven't yet, be sure to read the full blog post for lots of extra tips and tricks to making these the best cinnamon rolls ever!***
- Make the sweet yeast dough as directed in the recipe through the first rise.
- After the first rise, knead the dough several times and let rest on the counter for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Divide the dough in half and work with one half of the dough at a time. Roll the dough into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Be patient with the dough.
- Spread 1/2 of the butter (1/4 cup) on the rectangle. Spread it to the edges, leaving 1 inch section bare on one of the 12 inch sides. Sprinkle 1/2 of the brown sugar filling on top.
- Roll up tightly starting with the 12 inch side. Cut into 1-1.5 inch sections with dental floss or a very sharp knife. Place 3/4 inch apart in a greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
- Cover and let rise until double, 20-30 minutes. Time will vary based on how warm the room is. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting, beat together the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt and enough of the milk to make a spreadable consistency.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Frost the rolls while they are still warm so the frosting will melt a bit.
- They are best served warm, but will keep a couple of days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 4/17/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/5/21}
If you’re looking for another sweet to make, try my Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns.
Or how about a raspberry cream cheese sweet roll version!
Here are some other flavors of sweet rolls from other bloggers I would love to try!
Chocolate Hazelnut Sweet Rolls from Picky Palate
Swedish Cardamom Buns by The View from Great Island
It’s taking longer for them to bake than what is in the recipe. Is this normal?
Yes, baking times may differ according to different ovens.
If I want to make half the recipe in a 8×8 pan, how big should I roll the dough rectangle? And roll on the short side or long?
I’d probably roll it into a 10″ square for a half recipe.
The recipe was wonderful, however, I found the filling contained too much cinnamon, making it a tad bitter. I am thinking the recipe might have meant 3 teaspoons, instead of 3 tablespoons cinnamon, which would have given me an even ratio of brown sugar to cinnamon. More cinnamon, or less, the recipe is a 5-star winner!
I’m glad you enjoyed the rolls, Susan! I’m not sure exactly what you meant by “even ratio” as there should be 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and just 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. It will absolutely work with less though.
One of theeeee best recipes I’ve tried. This is my second time using this recipe and it never fails. Thank you. My go to for sure!!!!
I’m so glad you love the cinnamon rolls, Ann!
Have you ever made this as a loaf instead of rolls
I have not tried it as a loaf. Let me know if you do and how it turns out, Lacasey.
What the author missed in bakin cinnamon rolls is 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream poured over the rolls about 15 minutes before baking. Cinnabon-style recipe adjustment.
Nope, didn’t miss that step. There are just lots of different ways to make cinnamon rolls, Gwen.
Mine weren’t very pretty but they tasted amazing! A little learning curve but they will be prettier next time. I baked a bit longer since they didn’t look done! Thanks for the recipe! Delicious!
Love that you tried something new, Holli. Cinnamon rolls do take a bit of practice to master but it sounds like you are on your way!
Adorei a receita..mais duvida que medida seria onça de cream chease…na traduçao..
Hi Erica, each tablespoon is 1/2 an ounce of cream cheese. You’ll need 6 tablespoons or approximately 1/3 cup of cream cheese. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Best cinnamon rolls EVER!! The sweet dough makes all the difference in the world. I used to make cinnamon rolls with my Grandmother’s butter bread dough, but not anymore. These rolls are great with a cup of coffee or cold glass of milk. Fabulous!!!!
I’m so glad you love the cinnamon rolls, Deana. I agree; a cinnamon roll with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk is a treat.
The only cinnamon roll recipe I’ll ever need! These bad boys show up for every holiday, celebration, and brunch this house ever sees. Perfect every time! Thanks for making me a family legend!
I’m so very happy to hear this! Thanks for taking the time to tell me.
I always have trouble with the rolls not rising when I make them in the evening to bake in the morning. Any tips? What kind of yeast are you using?
Hi, Michelle! If you’re trying to get the rolls to rise and be fresh in the morning, it’s really important that you let them rise as little as possible the night before. I cover them tightly and refrigerate as soon as I’ve arranged them in the pan. I hope the rolls turn out well for you!