The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Ever!
These fresh out-of-the-oven homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing are hands down so sticky, gooey, buttery, and sweet. I would even say they’re better than the cinnamon rolls I buy at Cinnabon. They’re great to serve for friends and family especially around the holidays. We actually have a tradition in our house and make these cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning. Yeah they’re high on calories and totally bad for you, health wise; but, there’s no harm in indulging on deliciously, sweet treats once in a while. This easy to follow recipe is originally from my all-time favorite food blogger & TV personality Ree Drummond, but with a few tweaks.
The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Ever!
Ingredients
- 1 quart Whole Milk (4 cups milk)
- 1 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 packages Active Dry Yeast (or 4-1/2 teaspoon from jar)
- 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup extra, separated) All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
- 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
- ½ cup Melted Butter
- 2 cups Sugar (combine 1 cup brown, 1 cup white plus the cinnamon in a separate bowl)
- Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon (for sugar mixture)
Cream Cheese Icing:
- 1 package 8oz Cream Cheese – room temperature
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar (add more if mixture too runny – should be pourable, but still hold ontop of rolls)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) Butter, Softened
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 2½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ¾ teaspoons Salt
Instructions
Step 1. Grab a pan and mix in the milk, vegetable oil and sugar. Heat mixture until just before the boiling point. Turn off heat and let cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once the mixture is lukewarm to warm, (make sure it’s NOT hot) sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. Note: To save some time, you can heat it up just enough to lukewarm instead of heating the mixture just before boiling point. You’ll skip the cooling period and there will be no difference in the outcome.
Step 2. Once the hour is up, add 1 more cup of flour mixed with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
Step 3. When you’re ready to prepare rolls, sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over top.
Step 4. Start at the opposite end and begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Then, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Step 5. Now, spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then start cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Step 6. Repeat the same process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375°F until light golden brown for about 15 to 18 minutes in the oven.
Step 7. To make the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed above and stir well until smooth. The frosting should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Don’t skimp, and if you want to pour on straight out of oven, it’s okay.
This recipe will make around 4 round pans or two 9 x 13″ rectangle pans.
Enjoy every bite!
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Photography by Jill Chen (except the last one). Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman
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