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My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a PERFECT holiday breakfast, snack, or dessert. This recipe is a traditional American cinnamon roll with an almond flavored icing. You can double the icing if you want MORE! Check out my suggestions for adding holiday fruit and nuts to both the filling and topping for that extra special holiday treat and look! These work great prepared the day before and baked the morning of (after rising). You can also make these ahead of time including the baking portion. Then, wrap and store them in the freezer until the day you want to eat them. Heat in the microwave and enjoy!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time2 hours 55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, holiday rolls, dessert bread, sweet rolls, sticky buns
Servings: 12 rolls
Author: Summer

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients:

  • 4 ½ tsp (2 pkg or ½ oz) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup (8 oz) milk divided at 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
  • 4 tbsp (2 oz) butter softened or diced
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1¼ tsp (7.5 g) salt if using salted butter; 1½ tsp salt (9 grams), if using unsalted butter)
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp (.15 oz) vanilla
  • 4- 4½ cups (480-540 g) all-purpose flour start with minimum amount and add 1 tbsp at a time, as needed

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (~218 g) packed brown sugar
  • 1½ tbsp (9 g) ground cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp (¾ stick or 3 oz ) butter very soft but not melted
  • ⅓-½ cup chopped dried cranberries optional holiday addition
  • ½ cup chopped nuts pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, or preferred nut (optional)

Icing Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp (.04 oz) almond extract &/or ½ tsp (.08 oz) vanilla
  • 1-3 tbsp (½-1½ oz) almond milk or other milk (amount will depend on preferred consistency)

Holiday Decorative Optional Topping Finishes:

  • ⅓-½ cup chopped dried cranberries sprinkled on top of the iced rolls before the icing hardens
  • ⅓-½ cup chopped pistachios or thinly sliced almonds sprinkled on top of the iced rolls before the icing hardens

Instructions

Dough Directions:

  • In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together yeast and ½ cup (4 oz) milk that has been heated to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C) (in the microwave for 30 seconds). Whisk until yeast is dissolved. Set aside for ~10 minutes until bubbly and frothy.
    TIP: To activate the yeast a little quicker (couple of minutes), measure out the total sugar (from the dough ingredients) and remove 1 tbsp to stir into the yeast and milk.
  • Heat ½ cup (4 oz) milk and diced butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until butter is just melted adding 5 to 10-second increments until butter is completely melted.
    TIP: Either very soft room temperature butter or diced, cold butter melts more quickly as warmer butter or less mass requires less heat. If heating just until butter is melted, you likely don't need to let it cool. It will be at just the right temperature between 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C).
  • Stir in sugar and salt. Set aside until mixture has cooled to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C), if needed. The mixture may already be cool enough to use.
  • Whisk milk mixture into yeast mixture. Add beaten eggs and vanilla.
  • Whisk in 2 cups (240 g) of flour. Use the dough attachment of your stand mixer and begin on low speed (levels 1-2). Add another 2 cups (240 g) of flour gradually while the machine is running. Once you reach 4 cups (480 g), only add 1 tbsp at a time until the dough is elastic, tacky, and pulls away from the bowl. It should not be sticky or look dry. Stop the machine occasionally and use a spatula to scrape down the bowl edges.
    TIP: If you don't have or not using a stand mixer, stir the remaining flour using a spoon. As the dough becomes too thick to stir, transfer dough to a floured surface and begin kneading.
  • Knead in the stand mixer for 8-10 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.
  • Use a spatula and scrape down bowl edges. Spray the top and sides of the dough with cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or towel (or both) and place the bowl in a warm area to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Filling Directions:

  • Once the dough has risen, deflate it in the bowl with a spatula and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat or roll out dough to an 18x12-inch rectangle.
  • Brush or spread (using a spatula) on softened butter from end to end and edge to edge. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the butter (and dried cranberries or nuts, if adding) and pat the mixture lightly into the dough.
    TIP: Spread the filling ingredients all the way to the edges, so you'll have filling in the 2 rolls ends.
  • Starting at one short end, roll up the dough tightly and seal the edges. Cut into 12 slices. Place each roll in a well-greased 9x13- inch pan touching each other. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and allow the rolls to rise in a warm area for 30 to 45 minutes until nearly doubled in size.
    TIPS: If you find the 2 end rolls a little too gnarly in shape, you can cut off ~½ inch from both ends before slicing into 12 rolls. In a 9x13-inch pan, you can fit 3 rolls across and 4 down. A serrated knife or unflavored dental floss works well to cut the rolls and prevents smashing as you slice. If a roll or so tries to unravel after you place it in the pan, use your fingers to seal it.
  • During the last 20 minutes or so of rising, preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C).

Baking & Icing Directions:

  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. While the rolls cool, make the icing.
    TIP: If you frost the rolls while they are still very warm, the icing will melt into the rolls. If you want to visually see the hardened icing on top, wait for the rolls to cool (at least on the top) before adding the icing.
  • In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and extract(s). Whisk in the milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until you reach the consistency you want. Use a small whisk, fork, or spoon to drizzle the icing over the rolls.
    TIP: If you want more icing, double the icing ingredients. By doubling these ingredients, you'll have enough icing to frost each roll like a thinly frosted cake. Talk about SWEETNESS!!
  • For an extra holiday twist, sprinkle dried cranberries and/or pistachios over the icing before it hardens. If you want to highlight the almond flavoring in the icing, sprinkle sliced almonds over the icing before it hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

To Make Ahead:
You can make the dough the night before to bake the following morning. Complete the steps through filling and slicing the dough but instead of placing the rolls in a warm area to rise, place the pan in the refrigerator. The next morning, remove the pan from the fridge and place it in a warm area to rise for about 1½ hours until almost doubled in size. It will take longer to rise after being in the fridge because the rolls need to warm up to room temperature first. Continue with remaining Baking & Icing Directions.
Storage:
Once the rolls have been iced and cooled, cover them well and store at room temperature for a couple of days. The longer they sit, the drier they become. For longer storage, cut them into individual rolls as soon as they cool and wrap them well. I like to wrap each roll in plastic wrap and place all of them in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a couple of months removing only as many as you want. Allow to thaw on the counter for 30 min to an hour and heat in the microwave until warm. If you want to serve a lot at once, after they’ve thawed, place them (unwrapped) in foil and seal the edges. Then, heat in an oven at 350˚F (177˚F) for 15 minutes until ooey, gooey warm again.