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Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls after baking and slathering icing on top.
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5 from 49 votes

Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

The ultimate soft and fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls! Gooey, soft, tender and absolutely perfect.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 cinnamon rolls
Calories: 426kcal
Author: Jessica

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 standard packet active dry yeast 2 ¼ tsp
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
  • 4 ½ - 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

Filling

  • ½ cup unsalted butter very soft
  • 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 ½ tbs cinnamon
  • 1 tbs corn starch

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt optional

Instructions

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, Add yeast, warm milk and 1 tbs of measured out sugar. Stir together lightly and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy on top. Stir in remaining sugar, salt, melted butter and beaten eggs until combined.
  • Add 3 cups of flour first and then add one tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. The dough WILL still be sticky so do not over-flour your dough! It should be sticky but not sticky enough where it sticks to your hands. Also note that your dough may not completely stop sticking from the bottom of the bowl so don't base your flour additions on that.
  • Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and set into a warm place to rise until doubled, about one hour. I like to turn my oven onto 170 degrees and then turn it off, it creates the perfect warm environment.
  • In the last minutes of the dough rising, gather your ingredients for the filling. In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar, cinnamon and corn starch until thoroughly incorporated. Take the risen dough and don't punch it down just yet. Flip the bowl over and dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Pat it down lightly to release the air inside and roll it with a rolling pin into a very large rectangle, about 12 x 24. Smear the butter on into an even layer and sprinkle the filling on top. Pat it down lightly to pack it down.
  • Roll the dough up very tightly into a long log. Cut the log into 12 or 16 cinnamon rolls. 12 for a large 9x13 pan or 16 for two round 8" baking pans (8 rolls in each). Grease your pan of choice extremely well and place cut cinnamon rolls into prepared pan.
  • At this point, if you are preparing these for the next day, wrap them TIGHTLY with saran wrap (you do not want any air to get in and dry out the dough) and refrigerate until you are ready. Remove from the refrigerator and set back into warm environment for the second rise.
  • Allow them to rise in a warm place one more time until puffy, about thirty minutes.
  • Once rolls have done their second rise. preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the rack into the center of the oven. Bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth with no lumps. Add in confectioner's sugar, vanilla and optional pinch of salt and mix until smooth an creamy. Spread the frosting onto the warm rolls.

Notes

Storage Instructions: These Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls will stay fresh for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I always store mine at room temperature and have never had an issue. If you are concerned about the cream cheese, store in the refrigerator.
Freezing Instructions: Freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls right before they have their second rise. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Take rolls out and place in a warm environment to rise one more time. Bake as directed in the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 614IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg