Homemade Classic Cinnamon Rolls

With their pillowy dough, perfect cinnamon + brown sugar filing, and a luscious cream cheese frosting, these homemade classic cinnamon rolls will be your go-to for breakfast or brunch.

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon rolls, classic, homemade, yeast

Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1- ¼ Ounce Pack of Yeast, instant or dry active {.25 ounce if weighing}
⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 ⅓ Cup Whole Milk, warmed to about 110°
⅔ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting and rolling out the dough

For the Filling:

½ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
⅔ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (light or dark is fine as well)
2 ½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:

2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
4 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
1 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
½ Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Half and Half, optional

Instructions

For the Dough:
In the bowl of you standing mixer, combine the instant or dry active yeast, the sugar, and ½ cup of the warmed milk. Let it sit for about 10-20 minutes until it becomes frothy.
Add the remaining milk, softened butter, eggs, salt, and a cup of the flour. Attach the paddle to your mixer. Mix on low and slowly add the rest of the flour until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough in your mixer on low for 5 minutes on by hand on a floured surface for about 5-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour as needed, ¼ cup or so, but you want a very soft dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
For the Filling:
In a bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Mix until you have a smooth, cinnamon-infused paste.
Assembling the Cinnamon Rolls:
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.
Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
Starting from one long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log.
Cut the log into 12 equal slices with a sharp knife. You can also use a pizza cutter to cut twelve equal slices prior to rolling the dough, and roll each piece up individually. Either way is perfectly fine and entirely up to you and your preference.
Place the slices in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Cover the dish with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for another 30 minutes.
Baking:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Before baking, pour the ⅓ cup of heavy cream over the risen rolls.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
While the rolls are baking, prepare the cream cheese glaze.
In a bowl, beat together the softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla paste, and half and half until smooth and creamy.
Finishing:
Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven and slightly cooled, drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the top.
Serve the classic cinnamon rolls warm and enjoy!

Notes

See blog for dietary substitutions regarding dairy and gluten.