Our Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are a family favorite. The sweet rolls are easy to make with just 1 rise, and they have a warm and gooey cinnamon roll swirl inside. This cinnamon roll recipe is perfect for breakfast or any special occasion.
One of our favorite family tradition is eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning. For years we just popped open a can of Pillsbury rolls and let the kids dig in.
Then one year I got motivated to make my own homemade sweet rolls. After our kids declared them the best rolls ever, I knew this was the start of a new tradition.
Now we make these gooey cinnamon rolls for special holidays, birthdays, and our Christmas morning brunch.
Why You Will Love These Rolls
- The homemade dough is easy to make and only needs 1 rise time.
- They bake up soft and fluffy with a sweet cinnamon swirl inside.
- A sweet vanilla glaze melts down into the cracks and makes the rolls extra gooey.
- The rolls be made prepped ahead of time, so you can enjoy overnight cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 packet rapid rise yeast
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour, divided
- 1 large egg
For the Filling
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the Frosting
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Stir together 3 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixer bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir often, so it doesn't burn or stick. Remove from heat and pour into another bowl. Let the milk cool until it is 115°. Use a food thermometer to check on the temperature. Make sure to stir the hot milk often to help it cool.
- Add the warm milk and egg to flour mixture in bowl and mix with a dough hook until everything is combined. Use a spatula from time to time to scrape the sides of the bowl, so the hook can mix everything in. Slowly add 1 cup of flour and mix until a soft and slightly sticky dough ball forms.
- Use the remaining flour for kneading and rolling. Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and gently knead until smooth. I usually do about 10 times. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, mix together the filling ingredients in a small bowl until it looks like wet sand. Set aside.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan.
- Roll the dough out evenly on a floured surface until it reaches a 18x10 inch rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the top, leaving about a ½" border all around.
- Starting from the long side of the dough, start rolling into a large log. The end roll should be 18 inches long. Use unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 12 even slices that are 1 ½ inches. Place the rolls in the buttered pan.
- Cover with a towel or tin foil and place in a warm place to rise. This will take about 45-60 minutes, depending on how warm your room is.
- Preheat oven to 350° F when the rolls have about 20 more minutes of rise time. Once the rolls have risen, remove the covering and bake for 22-24 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool 10 minutes before adding the frosting.
- While the rolls are cooling, mix together the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the frosting evenly on top of the hot rolls. Let it sit for a minute, then spread over the tops and push down the sides. This gives the frosting time to soften and melt down into the rolls.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 458Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 2gSugar: 42gProtein: 6g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Some other traditions that we have enjoyed over the years with our kids are:
- Having an entire day to bake your choice of cookies.
- Taking a day to go see the lights in the city and stopping for coffee and hot chocolate.
- Homemade cards, painting ornaments, gingerbread houses, and decorating the tree in Santa hats.
- Reading the Christmas story and opening new pajamas.
- Choosing the perfect cookies to leave for Santa.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
I love traditions! And cinnamon rolls are the perfect addition to any tradition!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
MMMm, I love Starbucks and Cinnamon rolls. What a delicious pairing 🙂
Dee
I hope the coffee was for adult only?? Cinnamon buns look lovely though
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
Thank you for hosting!
Brandy Miller
Love. Love. Love Christmas traditions!!! Fun to see that we have some of the same ones. 🙂
sis-in-law
The kiddos look so little in those pictures! You're making me really stop and think of what "traditions" my family does....not sure we really have much. Hum...maybe I should start some soon! HA!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
I want that whole cookie platter. Oh, and the coffee too. #iheartstarbucks #itsmylifesource
carrian
I'm all about the holiday traditions. Such a cute family too!
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Look at all these fantastic and wonderful pictures! How sweet!!!
The Witch's Kitchen
Now that's a tradition my boys would certainly get behind.
Coffee & Cinnamon Rolls!
Liz
Coffee and cinnamon buns - perfect combination. Can't get any better than that! 🙂
Arlene@FlourOnMyFace
What a beautiful family you have and great holiday traditions.
I can't wait to try the Starbucks holiday brew.