Gooey Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls

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There is nothing more comforting than these easy Gooey Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls! Made from simple pantry staple ingredients, this is a pastry that any baker at any skill level can make. Light and fluffy sweet dough filled with the perfect amount of cinnamon and brown sugar filling, topped with a three ingredient vanilla icing. There’s just so much to love, every bite just melts in your mouth! Enjoy warm, right out of the oven, with a cup of coffee for the ultimate gooey and delicious cinnamon roll. It’s truly the perfect breakfast for any holiday, get-together, lazy weekend, or whenever you’re craving a simply delicious cinnamon roll.

About The Recipe

We have been making these cinnamon rolls my entire life! They are the definition of a delicious and comforting breakfast. Buttery, soft, sweet, rolls with the best ever cinnamon filling AND icing on top? Seriously, count me in!

Before we actually started this blog, one of the first “recipes” we posted on our Instagram was actually these cinnamon rolls! Though, it was before we really knew what we were doing… It was just a photo on Instagram without the actual recipe posted below.

But, fast forward a few years and we are FINALLY sharing it!

In all honesty, we actually have changed the recipe quite a bit over the years. Adding things, taking things out…it’s definitely been a process, but there is really nothing better than recipe testing cinnamon rolls, you know?

But, I can officially say that this version is seriously the best cinnamon roll you’ll ever have!

Oh, and the best part? They are seriously SO easy to make, can be made in about 3 hours, and are the perfect crowd-pleasing treat that makes everyone happy.

Whether you’re just craving a batch of cinnamon rolls or need a breakfast that will make the whole family happy during the holiday’s, this recipe is exactly what you need!

Why These Cinnamon Rolls Are The Best EVER!

• Seriously gooey, soft, and melt in your mouth delicious.
• Can be made in 3 hours or less.
• The perfect crowd pleasing breakfast! I mean, who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls?!
• Made with extra cinnamon filling to give these rolls allllll the delicious goodness.
• Perfect for any and every holiday (or just the weekend)!

Equipment Needed

• Small Saucepan
• Instant Read Thermometer
• Stand Mixer
• Dough Rising Bucket
• Proofing Box (optional)
• Mixing Bowl
• Hand Mixer or Pastry Knife
• Rolling Pin
• 8×12 Inch Casserole

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Dough:

• Salted Butter – for this recipe, we like to use salted butter, but if all you have is unsalted, that will work, too!
• Whole Milk – to ensure that you have a super soft, fluffy, melt in your mouth delicious dough, it’s best to use whole milk.
• All-Purpose Flour – No need for anything fancy here! Just regular unbleached all-purpose works beautifully for this recipe.
• Granulated Sugar – Just enough to slightly sweeten your dough and give your yeast somethng to feed off of!
• Instant Yeast – The wonderful ingredient that creates lift and gives these rolls their beautiful structure.
• Salt – Just a dash of salt to enhance the flavors.
• Large Egg – These cinnamon rolls are an enriched dough, which means the addition of eggs and milk! It’s best best to get your eggs out about an hour or so early and allow them to come to room temperature.

For The Filling:

• Salted Butter – Our go-to for filling! It helps balance the sweetness, but also bring out the cinnamon flavor.
• Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is that caramel-y, gooey, goodness that’s found in the center of every cinnamon roll. You can use light or brown sugar, but do NOT use granulated sugar!
• Ground Cinnamon – Obviously!! The ultimate flavor. We use Vietnamese cinnamon, as that’s our favorite for flavor and heat, but you can use whatever you have on hand!
• Salt – A must-have addition for the filling.
• All-Purpose Flour – To bind everything together and everything there. Which means, you have a gorgeous swirl every time!
• Vanilla Extract – A splash of vanilla makes everything better, as well as help round out the flavors and make tis filling just standout from the rest.

For The Icing:

• Powdered Sugar – To make your icing! It is the only sugar you can use to do this.
• Half and Half – Our secret to thick, luscious icing for cinnamon rolls. If you don’t have half and half, you can either make your own by combing equal parts whole milk and heavy whipping cream. If you don’t have heavy cream to make half and half, you can just use whole milk, but keep in mind it will be much thinner.
• Vanilla Extract – Of course! What cinnamon roll is complete without a little bit of vanilla icing?

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1: Make the dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.

In a small sauce pan, heat butter and milk until butter melts. Cool to 120°-130° F.

With the mixer running at low speed, pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.

Add eggs. Mix on low until completely combined, about 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium high. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.

Step 2: Proof

Place dough in a covered container that has been sprayed with cooking spray, or use a proofing box set to 78° F. Allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Step 3: Prepare the filling

While the dough is rising, combine all ingredients for the cinnamon filling in a medium bowl, and beat until combined. Set aside.

Step 4: Roll and fill dough

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll into a 12×18 inch rectangle.

Spread cinnamon filling across dough, taking it all the way to the edges.

Step 5: Slice and proof

Starting with the long side, roll up jelly roll-style. Slice into 1½ inch rolls.

Place rolls in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until rolls swell noticeably, about 1-1½ hours

Step 6: Bake

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Step 7: Make icing

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Drizzle over warm rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls FAQ’s

Can more than 12 rolls be made?
Absolutely! There is a double and triple button in the recipe card below.

How can I tell when the dough is properly kneaded?
A properly kneaded dough should be smooth and shiny. The bowl of the mixer should also be clean and the dough should lift out of the mixer in one piece, rather than ripping into two pieces.

Why didn’t my cinnamon roll dough rise?
Is your yeast in-date? If not, then you need to get new yeast and try again. If it is, did you check the temperature of the butter/milk mixture? When the mixture is over 120-130 degrees, it’ll kill your yeast! Be sure to have a thermometer on hand.

Can these rolls be made ahead of time?
Definitely! That’s one of our favorite things about this recipe. You can bake these rolls ahead of time and store in the freezer. It’s always best to make the icing fresh, but it can be made the day before you need it. Just store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.

What’s the best way to cut cinnamon rolls?
In our opinion, a very very sharp knife! But, instead of pushing down to cut the rolls, we very gently make slow slices through the dough, then wipe our knife to keep the swirls clean!

When’s the best time to ice the cinnamon rolls?
Personally, I think the best time to eat cinnamon rolls is as soon as they come out of the oven! So, that’s when I like to ice them. We tend to let them cool about five minutes before digging in!

How To Store

The best way to store these rolls is unglazed and in the freezer!

They will keep for up to 3 months. This way, you can easily reheat them in the oven for almost-like fresh baked sweet roll! Just be sure to get them out of the freezer a few hours prior to reheating and remember to cover them with foil.

If the rolls already have icing on top, no worries! You can store in the fridge or freezer.

In the fridge, they’ll keep about 3-5 days. In the freezer, about a month or so. Just allow to come to room temperature or place one sweet roll in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute on high heat (keep in mind that, this way, the icing will melt!).

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, Triple Berry Croissant Bake, Cinnamon French Toast, Cinnamon Sugar Walnut Pull-Apart Bread

Expert Tips

• Check your yeast and make sure it’s in-date.
• If milk mixture does accidentally boil, don’t worry! You haven’t hurt it. It just takes longer to cool down this way. Just give it time to cool to 120-130 degrees before pouring it into the dry ingredients.
• Don’t have a big enough lidded container to allow the dough to rise? You can put the dough in a glass bowl and cover it with plastic wrap!
• The butter for the filling needs to be room temperature.
• If you want the dough/rolls to proof faster, place them near something warm like the oven! Just don’t put the dough in the oven.

When you make this Gooey Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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