The Best Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
This cinnamon roll recipe with cream cheese icing is a delightful way to start the day. This is an easy recipe with only an one hour rise time and they are able to be prepped ahead of time and frozen, so they are perfect for all occasions- even Christmas morning!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
While it has a nice prep time of only 30 minutes, these can also be made as overnight cinnamon rolls, with the prep done the night before so that you can just pop them in the oven for the next day for an easy and quick (but incredibly delicious) breakfast dish.
Being able to put these gooey cinnamon rolls in the oven first thing the next morning makes them great for a special occasion like Christmas morning, so that less time can be spent prepping food and more time can be spent with friends and family.
Topped with delicious cream cheese icing, this is sure to become a family favorite recipe, and proof that you can’t have too much of a good thing since these will leave you wanting more! These are sure to make any morning feel special, from anything from lazy weekends or the holidays.
For an extra boost of seasonal flavor, I’ve included instructions for making these into pecan cinnamon rolls, but this is optional.
This cinnamon roll dough is very similar to the dough I use to create my garlic knots and hamburger buns. The best way to achieve a quick rise time is to add a good bit of instant yeast. This reduces the rise time to make the dough rise in only one hour.
No hand kneading is necessary to create these soft and delicious cinnamon rolls, a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment will do all of the hard work for you.
What You Need:
- stand mixer with dough hook attachment (optional, but recommended)
- parchment paper
- 9×13 baking pan
- bench knife
- mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
Ingredients Needed:
- Instant yeast
- warm water
- honey, brown sugar or Sucanat
- oil
- all purpose flour
- salt
- butter (room temperature)
- brown sugar
- pecans (optional)
HOW TO MAKE THE DOUGH FOR THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS:
In your large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), start by letting the yeast bloom in warm water. Once the yeast has become bubby, add in the honey, flour, oil and salt.
Next, let the stand mixer combine the ingredients together on low speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a large rectangle.
Then, spread room temperature butter out on top of the dough.
Next, sprinkle the buttered dough with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans (the pecans are optional).
Lastly, roll the dough along the long edge into a log shape. Cut the dough into rolls about 1.5 inches thick.
Next, place the cut cinnamon rolls into a greased 9×13 dish. Make sure to pack the cinnamon rolls in closely with the sides touching. Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise for one hour.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls:
First, in a small bowl, melt the butter and cream cheese in the microwave.
Next, stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Slowly add in powdered sugar mixing thoroughly.
Once all ingredients have been combined, pour over the warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
How To Prepare Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
This is the perfect hack for being able to serve delicious homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning without having to do all the prep work the morning of.
If you are planning on serving these homemade cinnamon rolls the next morning, prepare the dough the night before you want to serve them. Then, follow the recipe as normal until the cinnamon rolls are placed in the 9 by 13 pan.
Once the rolls are in the 9×13 pan, cover them with plastic wrap. This slows down the rising process. Then, make the icing following the recipe, and then place it in a ziploc bag or airtight container. Both the cinnamon rolls and the icing will go in the fridge if you intend to serve them the next morning.
The next morning, pull the rolls out of fridge and allow them to sit on counter for about an hour or until they have risen. Then, bake as usual. To warm the icing up, place it in the microwave and heat at 30 second intervals until the icing becomes liquid. Then, pour the icing over the rolls and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp Instant yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp honey or sucanat
- 2 tbsp oil
- 5.5 cups of all purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 stick of butter (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of pecans (optional)
QUICK CREAM CHEESE ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
- 2-3 tbsp melted cream cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixing bowl and let sit until bubbly.
- Add in the honey, oil, salt and flour.
- Using a dough hook, mix the ingredients together on low.
- Once the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out in a large rectangle.
- Once you have the dough shaped, spread the room temperature butter evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the buttered dough.
- Sprinkle on the chopped pecans (optional).
- Using both hands begin to roll up the dough along the long edge. Keep rolling until you have a log shape.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into small rolls. The amount of cinnamon rolls you end up with will depend on how thick you cut them. I cut my rolls about 1.5 inches thick and ended up with about 28 rolls.
- Place the rolls close together in a greased baking dish.
- Let the cinnamon pecan rolls rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 about midway through the rise time.
- Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting:
1. Melt butter and cream cheese in the microwave.
2. Stir vanilla and heavy cream into the melted butter and cream cheese.
3. Slowly add in the powdered sugar making sure to fully assimilate the powdered sugar before adding in more. Adjust amount to your taste.
4. Pour on top of warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Can You Freeze Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes! There are two ways you can freeze these cinnamon rolls. The first way is to freeze the cinnamon rolls before they are baked, and the second way is to freeze them after they are baked. After the cinnamon rolls have risen in the pan, cover the pan tightly with foil and place the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the freezer. Freeze the icing separately in a ziplock or airtight container.
If you want to bake the cinnamon rolls in the morning, freeze the cinnamon rolls before they have been baked. Follow the recipe as usual until after the cinnamon rolls have risen in the pan. Then, cover the pan tightly with foil and place the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the freezer. Freeze the icing separately in a ziplock or airtight container.
To bake the frozen cinnamon roll dough, pull them out of the freezer and allow the cinnamon rolls to thaw on the counter overnight the night before you want to bake them. To thaw the icing, place it in the fridge over night. The next morning uncover the cinnamon rolls and bake according to recipe instructions.
To freeze already baked cinnamon rolls (which is a great way to save extra already made rolls for later), freeze the rolls after they have been baked but before they have been iced. Thaw the rolls overnight on a counter before you want to use them and place the icing in the fridge to thaw overnight as well. Reheat the cinnamon rolls the next morning at 275 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes before icing them. After the icing has thawed in the fridge, heat it in the microwave at 30 second intervals until the icing is liquid.
After the cinnamon rolls are warmed up and iced, enjoy an easy but delicious breakfast!
The Best Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Instant yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp honey brown sugar or sucanat
- 2 tbsp oil
- 5.5 cups of all purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 stick of butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of pecans optional
- Quick Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
- 2-3 tbsp cream cheese melted
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixing bowl and let sit until bubbly.
- Add in the honey (or other sweetener), oil, salt and flour.
- Using a dough hook, mix the ingredients together on low.
- Once the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out in a large rectangle.
- Once you have the dough shaped, spread the room temperature butter evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the buttered dough.
- Sprinkle on the chopped pecans (optional).
- Using both hands begin to roll up the dough along the long edge. Keep rolling until you have a log shape.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into small rolls. The amount of cinnamon rolls you end up with will depend on how thick you cut them. I cut my rolls about 1.5 inches thick and ended up with about 28 rolls.
- Place the rolls close together in a greased baking dish.
- Let the cinnamon pecan rolls rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 about midway through the rise time.
- Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cinnamon pecan rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting:
- 1. Melt butter and cream cheese in the microwave.
- 2. Stir vanilla and heavy cream into the melted butter and cream cheese.
- 3. Slowly add in the powdered sugar making sure to fully assimilate the powdered sugar before adding in more. Adjust amount to your taste.
- 4. Pour on top of warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Notes
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