Truly the Best Cinnamon Rolls~ Ever

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Often I don't think of posting a recipe I find on another blog if I don't alter it noticably, especially if it is quite popular or has been seen many other places. But I am making an exception because I think everyone is in need of the absolutely best cinnamon roll recipe. And this is it!

In my quest for the best cinnamon roll from scratch, I happened upon a post on Pinterest that claimed to be the recipe for the best cinnamon roll. Thankfully there were many comments from those who had actually used the recipe. They weren't necessarily negative comments but they were enough to push me to continue my search. Yay for me! And thank you Kaitlyn for posting the recipe that really wowed me.


It isn't as if this is a hidden recipe. Actually the original source is allrecipes.com.  I have probably even seen it before since it is highly rated and reviewed on that site.  But for some reason, I had not tried it before.  I have made cinnamon rolls a few times but was never wowed. I even gave up and decided to make a cinnamon roll bread that is no knead.  I like it. It is good.  It's texture is nice.  But I enjoy the satisfaction of actually make a cinnamon roll.

I did make a few changes to the recipe.  Some are very slight changes such as the amount of flour and yeast.  The most noticeable change is simply that I doubled the amount of frosting.  I like more than a slight slather of frosting with my cinnamon rolls.  If you like yours lighter, just half the frosting ingredients.

The filling alone in these is soooo good {you can't go wrong with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon}, it's almost too difficult to decide whether to have them frosted or not.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever
from Kaitlyn Cooks, original from allrecipes.com
1 c milk
1/2 c white sugar
3 tsp yeast
1/3 c butter, melted
2 lg eggs, room temperature
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 ~ 5 1/2 c flour

For Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 c brown sugar*
3 tsp cinnamon

For Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk

Warm 1 cup of milk to about 115~120F. Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl of mixer and add milk; stir. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir lightly. Let sit for 5 minutes til foamy {yeast is now activated}. Add butter, eggs and salt to yeast mixture; stir.  Add 2 cups of flour; stir with paddle attachment.  Add another cup of flour and stir.  Switch to dough hook and add the fourth cup of flour.  Knead for a minute; continue to add dough, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky {about 10 minutes of kneading with dough hook}.  Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased glass bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Roll dough out to about 16x20 inches.  Spread 1/3 c softened butter onto dough.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; top buttered dough with cinnamon and brown sugar mix.  Roll from the long edge.  Cut dough into twelve equal pieces.  Transfer to a greased 9x13" baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Bake rolls for 18~20 minutes {unless you like a bit more gooey on the inside, then cut time to 15 minutes}, until golden brown.  While baking, make frosting.  Place softened cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer; blend til smooth.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Mix well, til no lumps are found.  Spoon over warm rolls.

*I suggest light brown sugar, though either dark or light may be used.  Dark brown sugar has a more intense molasses flavor.

The filling is so plentiful that it overflows its spiral housing while it's baked.

Tips and Tricks~
*Have all your ingredients ready~ eggs cracked and ready to use {at room temperature}, butter melted, and sugar in mixing bowl. As the milk and sugar and yeast sit, the temperature will quickly decrease. In order for the yeast to work well in the whole recipe, you want the ingredients to stay warm.
*The original recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of flour.  I found that each time I have made these, I really need 5 ~ 5 1/2 cups of flour.  Once you have added 4 cups, just watch the dough as you add more, only 1/2 cup at a time.
*The dough doesn't rise a bunch like bread dough, so just let it rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  It will be noticeable, but I wouldn't say that it really doubles in size.
*Use very soft butter, almost melted, for spreading on the dough for the filling.  You want it to spread easily.
*Use floss to cut the rolls.  Slide the floss under the rolled dough, bring the strings to the top and cross, then pull quickly to cut through the dough smoothly and without smooshing it.
*When rolling dough out, place the 9x13" baking dish next to it.  You want your dough to roll out a bit larger than the dish.
*To make these ahead, follow directions to the point of rolling, slicing and placing in baking dish.  Instead of letting rise again, cover dish with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.  Take out and let sit on counter for 15 minutes.  Place dish in oven and preheat {while the dish is in it}.  Once the oven is preheated, bake for 18 ~ 20 minutes.
*For a less intense cream cheese flavor, add 1/2 cup of softened butter to the softened cream cheese.  Blend til smooth.  Add an additional 1/2 cup powdered sugar to the frosting and mix as directed.  I actually prefer this frosting; it is superb.

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25 comments:

  1. These look absolutely delicious! I'm seriously craving them now!

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    Replies
    1. Fortunate for my taste buds, they are delicious. Not so fortunate for my hips.

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  2. These look wonderful, I love cinnamon rolls!

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    Replies
    1. Sadly, I love them too. Too much.

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  3. They look great frosted, and unfrosted.
    You know, I love the coffee that PW adds to her glaze/frosting.
    I didn't think I would, but then I tried it, just so I could say I had, but that it wasn't any good, but, to me, it WAS!

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    Replies
    1. I've seen her recipe, and have to admit that I have never tried it, mostly because of the coffee. I love coffee with my cinnamon roll but don't know how I would like it in the frosting. I'll have to give it a try.

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  4. I shouldn't be reading your blog before lunch. This makes me so hungry for cinnamon rolls .......

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  5. Warm any liquid that will come in contact with the yeast. I even set my eggs in a cup of warm water before cracking and adding them. Don’t want to shock the yeast.

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    Replies
    1. Great tip! Yes, the temperature is key.

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  6. Anonymous1:01 PM

    I have made this recipe several times now and it is delicious.

    The only change I make is that I add the seeds from one vanilla bean to the dough. Just slice along the bean lengthwise then scrape the seeds out with the back of a knife.

    Also is you prefer a sweet sticky bun you can make a batch of the filling with butter in it over the stove and pour that in the base of a cake pan before placing the buns in. For these it is best to grease your pan with lard to prevent sticking.

    Mmmm delicious

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    Replies
    1. I think I'll try the sweet sticky bun variation this Christmas. I've never made sticky buns but would love to try them.

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  7. Katharine Mallory6:08 PM

    Is it possible to make these a day ahead and store them in the refrigerator overnight?

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    1. You can make the dough the day ahead through to the rolling. Just don't let them rise a second time, cover them tightly with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid. The next morning, take them out of the fridge and allow to set on the counter for about 20 minutes before baking; they should rise some while refrigerated and rise more while sitting out. Bake at regular temperature and time. Happy baking!

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  8. I made this yesterday, good recipe to be sure !!
    The smell of butter and cinnamon is haunting my kitchen now (which isn't a bad thing actually) and the rolls turned out quite satisfactory. However it's just too sweet for my liking (us Asians, I know!!!) so I'm gonna halve the amount of brown sugar in the filling and totally skip the icing.
    Thanks for the recipe again

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    Replies
    1. These are truly a SWEET treat. So happy you can modify them to your taste!

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  9. i made them, i did the overnight recipe. and i used apple pie spice instead of cinnamon because i didn't have any and they were amazing!

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    1. I thought you were leading up to saying you had used apple pie filling instead. Now I'm thinking it would be pretty neat to try to layer apple pie filling on the bottom of the baking pan, top with rolls, bake and flip over. . . yum!

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  10. Anonymous11:56 AM

    Light brown or dark brown sugar?

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    1. I use light brown sugar. Either can be used but the light brown has a less intense flavor. I guess I should clarify that!

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  11. Anonymous11:58 AM

    Can I mix by hand if I dont have a mixer? Will it come out the same?

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    1. You can knead my hand, it just will take more time. It's a good arm workout! When I do this by hand, I use a whisk when I add the first cup of flour then start using a wooden spoon to stir the flour in after the first cup. Once the dough is thick enough, I just use my hands. You want to knead the dough until the dough is smooth. Kneading will make the dough more elastic and more chewy once baked, instead of being dense. You'll knead for a good ten minutes and more, probably.

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  12. hello, for some reason I could not get my yeast to activate properly... I did everything correctly, and even restarted to try it again. It works perfectly when I use it in water and sugar for my bread recipe... Help!

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    1. Hello Cassidy, sorry for the trouble. Are you measuring the temperature after you add the sugar? The temp can change easily. I would treat this recipe the same way you do with water if you normally have succes.

      One other thing. I usually proof my yeast in a glass dish, not the metal mixing bowl. I have noticed a difference when proofing in metal dishes.

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  13. hello, for some reason I could not get my yeast to activate properly... I did everything correctly, and even restarted to try it again. It works perfectly when I use it in water and sugar for my bread recipe... Help!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:17 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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Catching my breath. Be back ASAP.