According to a recent (and very scientific) Instagram poll, 97.5% of respondents prefer to enjoy their cinnamon rolls with icing – and lots of it. (OK, maybe not super scientific, but we did conduct a poll, and those were the actual results). If life has taught us anything, it’s that the secret to making a cinnamon roll that everyone will love is to slather it with so much icing no one can complain there’s not enough. This recipe is fun, forgiving and always makes people smile. And that makes the Gluggable Team very happy!
Makes 12 rolls
For the dough
1 cup milk
2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
⅓ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup 35% heavy cream (or half-and-half), room temperature
For the frosting
1-250 gram package of cream cheese, must be at room temperature
2 ½ cups icing sugar
⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened (see note below)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Warm the milk to 100°F-115°F and then pour into a large bowl with the yeast, eggs, butter, salt and sugar. Stir to combine, allowing the butter to melt into the other ingredients. Let rest for two minutes. Stir in the flour (you may have to use your hands here) until a dough forms, then tip it out and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it’s smooth and soft. Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap (or plastic bag) and leave it to double in size, about 30-60 minutes. In the meantime, you get on with the filling.
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out to a rough rectangle about 12” x 26” and brush with the melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the buttered dough and gently press in. Beginning at the long side of your dough rectangle, tightly roll the dough and gently seal the edge by pinching the seam together. Cut the roll into 12 even rounds.
- Line a 9” x 13” metal baking pan with parchment paper and place the rounds, swirly cut-side up, in three rows of four (don’t worry about a snug fit, as they will puff and swell as they prove). Let rolls rise for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until puffed up until roughly 1.5 times their original size. While they rise again, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Pour the 35% cream (or half-and-half) over the rolls and then put in the hot oven to bake for 25 to 35 minutes (check after 25 minutes) and are a rich golden brown (rolls are cooked when internal temperature reads 190°F). Remove rolls from the oven and set them aside to cool while you prepare the frosting
- To make the frosting: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Then, generously slather frosting on top of cooled cinnamon rolls and enjoy
Professional Frosting Note (a ProFroNo, if you will): You can use softened (not liquid) brown butter here, as recommended by Claire Saffitz for an ultra-rich frosting. Make the brown butter and refrigerate until it solidifies, yet is still soft.
