Description
Delight in these Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, featuring a soft, fluffy dough filled with a sweet cinnamon-sugar blend and topped with a creamy cream cheese icing. Perfect for breakfast or a cozy treat, this recipe yields 12 delicious rolls ready in about 45 minutes of hands-on time plus rising and baking.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 packets rapid-rise yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In a mixing bowl, combine warm water and granulated sugar. Stir in the rapid-rise yeast and let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes, indicating that the yeast is active and ready.
- Mix Dough Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, melted unsalted butter, and the egg to the flour mixture, stirring to begin forming the dough.
- Knead Dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Prepare Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the light brown sugar and cinnamon to create the cinnamon-sugar filling.
- Roll Out Dough: Once risen, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the room temperature butter evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Add Filling: Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough, ensuring full coverage for maximum flavor.
- Shape Rolls: Roll the dough tightly into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick, to form the individual rolls.
- Second Rise: Place the rolls in a greased baking sheet. Cover them again and let them rise for another 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake Rolls: Bake the cinnamon rolls for approximately 25 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- Prepare Icing & Serve: While baking, beat together the cream cheese, room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Once the rolls come out warm from the oven, drizzle or spread the cream cheese icing over them. Serve warm for the best experience.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for easier mixing and better dough texture.
- If you prefer, you can add chopped nuts or raisins to the filling before rolling.
- Make sure the water is warm, not hot, to avoid killing the yeast.
- For softer rolls, cover with a clean kitchen towel during rising to maintain humidity.
- Roll thickness can be adjusted to make more or fewer rolls as needed.
