In my household, cinnamon rolls are practically worshiped. Ever since I could remember, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls have been the main part of every holiday breakfast in my household. On Christmas morning each year, my parents are in the kitchen making breakfast and my mom is arranging the cinnamon rolls into the shape of a Christmas tree. She would even color the canned frosting green with food dye and add sprinkles on top. On Easter mornings, my mom shapes the cinnamon rolls to look like a bunny. My four siblings and I would go crazy for the classic breakfast pastry and if you weren’t fast enough, you might not be able to snag one. It wasn’t until January of this year that I decided to tackle the exhausting, but incredibly rewarding process of making cinnamon rolls completely from scratch. Ever since then, the store-bought Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls have just not been able to cut it for me and I will only have cinnamon rolls if I make them from scratch. 

There are many characteristics of what I would consider to be the “perfect“ cinnamon roll. There is nothing worse than biting into a cinnamon roll that isn’t all the way cooked through and still is a little raw, so the roll itself must be golden brown with a little crunch on top and pillowy soft in the middle. Cinnamon rolls need to be filled to the max because a cinnamon roll lacking in filling is a sad cinnamon roll. My favorite part of my homemade cinnamon rolls is the fluffy cream cheese frosting that tastes divine. Before you consider omitting the homemade icing, take a moment to acknowledge how much better your cinnamon rolls would taste if they had freshly made frosting instead of the nasty stuff found in a can at your local grocery store. The generic frosting bought at the grocery store is often way too sweet to enjoy and can completely ruin your desserts with an artificial taste. My cream cheese frosting recipe is not overly sweet and it perfectly complements the cinnamon rolls. I strongly recommend making it yourself because your cinnamon rolls can taste a lot less fresh if you don’t. 

For the dough:

• 1 cup of milk (warmed)
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 3  tablespoons of unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour

For the filling:

• ½ cup of unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons of cinnamon 

For the frosting:

• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (softened)
• 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tablespoons of milk

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and egg.
2. Slowly add in the flour, about one cup at a time, and mix the dough in between each addition. Once the dough has formed a ball and doesn’t stick to your fingers, you know it’s ready to go. 
3. Grease a large bowl with cooking spray or a little butter and place the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour. 
4. To make the filling, place a stick of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt the butter completely.
5. Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix the filling until combined.
6. Take out the dough and place it on a floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out into a 12×18-inch rectangle.
7. Spread the filling evenly across the dough and tightly roll the dough into a log.
8. Use a knife to cut the dough into 12-15 even rolls.
9. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and place the rolls evenly spaced out in the pan.
10. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rest for 30 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
12. Uncover the pan and place it in the oven for 22-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
13. To make the frosting, place the softened butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. 
14. Mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth and there are no lumps. 
15. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until just combined.
16. Add in the vanilla extract and milk and mix. Add food coloring if desired.
17. Once the rolls have cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly onto each cinnamon roll and enjoy!

These cinnamon rolls are sure to be a hit at any event or function and I’m so happy to share this recipe with you!