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Home / Appetizers / Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (plus one not-so-secret trick)

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (plus one not-so-secret trick)

November 3, 2020 · Christina · Leave a Comment

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Ah, cinnamon rolls, everyone’s favorite sinful treat. Not just any cinnamon rolls, mind you, but the kind with the “cinnamon goo”. I think you know and understand that term.

I have the best and easiest cinnamon roll recipe right here for you! I’ve made these plenty of times and they go fast! Topped with a delicious cream cheese spread, they’ll be gone in a day. Mine usually are.

I have a confession, though. I used to make cinnamon rolls with out this special trick, and the results were good, but not CINNABON good. This recipe hack takes it to that level. The level where Earth ends and Heaven begins.

The trick, folks, is this: Pour half a cup of heavy cream over the uncooked rolls just before baking.

SAY WHAT?

Yes. Trust me. Do not be afraid. At first you won’t believe me, because it looks like the rolls are swimming in liquid. Trust me, your friendly neighborhood cook has prepared them this way for a while now. Do not make the rolls without this!

The resulting deliciousness of adding the cream is the stuff dreams are made of. Ooey, gooey, cinnamon pouring out of the rolls. so incredibly good!

Now, a few people have caught on to this heavy cream hack, but I still see many recipes without it. Just go ahead and add it to your recipe! You will not be sorry.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls make our world go ’round. We enjoy them on random Sunday mornings, holidays, or any day. Such a great treat to gift to family and friends as well. I hope you enjoy these wonderful cinnamon rolls!

Print Recipe

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (plus one not-so-secret trick)

These cinnamon rolls are a perfect copy of Cinnabon. Enjoy!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the Rolls:

  • 1 cup milk, lukewarm, about 115 degrees*
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, and cooled, or softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs (room temperature preferred)
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, to pour over uncooked rolls

Filling:

  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup butter, unsalted, softened

Icing

  • 6 tablespoons butter, unsalted preferred
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • To prepare the rolls: Warm milk on stove or in microwave until it reaches approximately 115-120 degrees. I always use a thermometer. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the milk and mix. Sprinkle yeast over the milk and allow to proof, about 10 minutes.
  • In a large bowl for your mixer, add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour, and mix well until incorporated.
  • Pour the milk and yeast mixture over the flour mixture. Using a dough hook, mix well until the dough sweeps the sides of the bowl clean. I allow the hook to "knead" the dough approximately 10 minutes. Sometimes I will also knead by hand. The dough will feel tacky.
  • Place dough ball into a large oiled bowl, turning so it's all covered by the oil. Cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size. This almost always takes 2-3 hours for me, but will depend on the tempature of the house.
  • While waiting, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Once risen, pour dough onto a floured surface and roll with a rolling pin into a 16"x 12" rectangle, about 1/4" thick.
  • Spread room temperature butter over the dough, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough.
  • Carefully, and relatively tightly, roll up the dough from the long edge. Pinch dough together so its sealed.
  • Using twine or floss, cut dough evenly into 16 rolls. Place in greased 9×13 dish.
  • Cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • While waiting on the oven, pour half a cup of heavy cream evenly over the rolls.
  • Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Cooking times may vary.
  • While the rolls are cooking, whisk up the icing ingredients until fully inncorported, and smooth.
  • When rolls have finished baking, spread immediately with icing mixture. Allow to rest several mintes. Enjoy!

Notes

*Yeast can be tricky to work with. I highly recommend using a thermometer to check the temperature of the liquid. 
I wrote a few tips about working with yeast here. 
These cinnamon rolls can be made in advance. Prepare to the point of the second rise. Instead of allowing them to double in size in an hour or so, place rolls in fridge to stunt the yeast growth. Keep covered. They will continue to rise, albeit slowly. 
I NEVER use a knife to cut cinnamon rolls and I don’t recommend it. Kitchen twine should be in every pantry. I cut a piece of twine about 12 inches long, then pull out 2-3 strands, which mimics the thinness of dental floss. Place twine directly under “dough log”, pull up, and cross your hands over to make the cut. Works perfectly every time!
 
 

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Hi, I'm Christina, and really excited you stopped by. Read More…

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