Sweet Cinnamon Rolls! Made with pillowy brioche dough and cinnamon sugar tucked into every nook and cranny. This makes a BIG batch of dough that you can divide and save for later…or make extra all for yourself!
House Favorite Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
In This Post: Cream Cheese Frosting Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls. Cream Cheese Frosting. Yes.
It seems almost silly to write any more since you, like most normal people, saw “Cinnamon Rolls” and are like, “Yes! In! This is the only gift I need this holiday season!”
You probably started thinking about your favorite part of the cinnamon roll which is OF COURSE, the center. The gooey, soft, pull-apart, cinnamon-slathered, sweet, perfectly glazed bite. The bite you waited for the whole time or, if you’re like some of us, the only bite you took and then discarded the rest because why botherrrrr?!
Well, what if the whole cinnamon roll *was* like the center? What if every single bite was light and soft and buttery and sweet? What if the entire thing was draped in a silky smooth cream cheese frosting that seeped and sneaked into every single available warm cinnamony pocket? Yes. Yes. Goodbye dry, hard frosting-less outer bready bits! We’re here for brioche and we’re never turning back.
Your holiday brunches, your quiet mornings with a hot cup of coffee before everyone wakes up, your treat plate on the counter where you sneak bites in between all the stirs and mashes and temp checks of holiday meal prep…all of this just got so much more delicious.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make these pillowy cream cheese frosting cinnamon rolls come together, you’ll need some time and some patience and some butter. Those are definitely the big things, but there’s a few other ingredients on the list too.
- eggs
- flour
- yeast
- honey
- white, brown, and powdered sugars
- cinnamon
- vanilla
- cream cheese
- butter (butter lovers, this is your moment to shine!)
About that butter. The absolute key to this perfect cinnamon roll, in our humble opinion (but also not humble…hiiii this is the best cinnamon roll!), is the brioche dough. It’s soft and sweet and airy. It is absolutely made to be soaked in cinnamon and sugar and warm drippy frosting.
The Best Dough For Cinnamon Rolls
Trust – it’s easier than you think.
This brioche dough that we’re using is ultra-pillowy, soft, and luscious. Also: stupidly easy. I have zero time for fussy bread recipes, so you know this is doable. You will be big-time rewarded with fluffy dough and amazing bread smells for all your (slightly) hard work. And hard work = 30 seconds of stirring.
Here’s all you have to do:
- Combine water and yeast in a bowl.
- Add all the other dough ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. It will be messy, sticky, and loose.
- Cover loosely and let her rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it has puffed up and doubled in size.
- Store in the fridge: Once the dough has doubled in size, put the bowl in the fridge, covered, to store at least overnight, so the dough has time to chill and become easier to handle.
You can do it!
What Else To Make With This Brioche Dough
If you love the texture of these rolls, which you will, this same dough recipe can be used in multiple ways! It’s a go to around here for lots of pillowy, plush, super tender baked yummies.
Here are my favorite ways to use that leftover dough:
- Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread (a brunch necessity!)
- Christmas Tea Ring with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling (a family favorite perfect for Christmas morning)
- Ricotta Berry French Toast Casserole (french toast for a crowd!)
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
You’re already going to be peeking in that warm oven and absolutely high-fiving yourself left and right as you watch them pillow up over the top of the pan, but there is still more glory to come! That’s right, it’s a fluffy, light, thin but not too thin, covers and drips over everything cream cheese frosting. Icing? Glaze? Reason for living? Whatever you call it, this one is just about perfect.
So there are some tips and tricks here because sometimes a frosting wants to lump, and we’re not having that. So you’ll want to make sure you use an electric mixer to whip it really smooth – the longer you mix it, and the higher the speed, the fluffier your frosting will be (but it then kinda melts down in the most wonderful way once it goes on the rolls).
Flavor Variations on The Cream Cheese Frosting
You can also have some fun here with these cream cheese frosting cinnamon rolls if you’re feeling it.
- A little maple syrup in that frosting perhaps?
- A swizzle of honey to bring out the honey in the brioche?
- Zest some orange in that filling or how about a splash of orange juice in your frosting for a sweet citrusy twist?
Play around, make them your own, make them again and again and again.
We really do not know how you could possibly go wrong! Even if you do get some lumps. Can fully attest that the whole team ate a full batch of these cinnamon rolls with RECKLESS ABANDON and zero regrets.
How To Make Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
There are some steps here. There is a little bit of time and planning and love that goes in, but what are the holidays if not time and planning and love. And we promise, absolutely all your efforts will be rewarded. BIG TIME.
- Make the brioche. This really is meant to be an overnight process. You’ll mix your dough together, all sweet with honey and rich with butter, and then cover her loosely and let her double in size (about 1-2 hours). After that, just go ahead and pop her in the fridge and go to bed. The brioche dough really is so much easier to work with after a chill because of all the…ahem, butter.
- The morning of. Mix together your filling: cinnamon, your sugars, and your melted butter. If you really want to get fancy you can stick some orange zest in there, maybe some cardamom, some cocoa?!
- Roll it out. When you’re ready in the morning, roll out your dough into a large rectangle.
- Form the rolls. Spread the filling over your dough and then roll it up, starting from the short end. Trim the uneven ends (but don’t you dare leave those! toss them in a ramekin and bake them up, make little cinnamon twists, give them to kids to play bakery with…point being, bake a tiny snack with them). Cut the log into 8 equal pieces and place them in your pan. Give them another 45 minute rest in a pre-warmed oven.
- Bake. After they rise, bake for about 22 minutes. Let the coziest, merriest, warmest kitchen smells commence!
In a way, making these perfectly soft, pillowy, sweet cream cheese frosting cinnamon rolls is a lot like gathering friends and family for the holidays. It takes a little time and patience and planning. But once everyone is all tucked in and ready to go, there’s nothing more warm, more cozy, more joy-giving than having them at the table.
Cinnamon Rolls: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you recommend storing these to keep them fresh?
If you have leftovers (ha!) keep them in a sealed container in the fridge and they should stay fresh for a few days! Reheat in the microwave or oven until warm.
How do I rewarm my cinnamon roll?
Just pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for a quick 5 minute rewarming treatment, or about 15-20 seconds in the microwave.
Can I prep and make these ahead of time?
Yes! See the notes section of this recipe for a sample timing option that shows how you can make these the night before and let them sit in the fridge until the next morning.
How can I make these cinnamon rolls with less prep time?
Make the dough the night before; let it rise from 8-10pm. Put it in the fridge. Roll out the rolls the next morning from 7:30-8am, let them rise from 8-9am, bake and be ready to eat by 9:30am.
How far ahead can the dough be made?
This particular dough can hang out in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t like to leave the pre-rolled rolls in the fridge longer than overnight because I feel like the filling starts to seep out. But the dough ball itself can hang out for 5 days.
My cinnamon roll dough isn’t rising. What should I do?
This happens to me every once in a while (due to variances in temperature of the room or temperature of ingredients). I find that it’s almost always because the dough is not warm enough yet. Assuming that your yeast was alive and you are smelling that sweet, yeasty smell from the dough, it just needs a bit more time, warmth, and moisture. Covering it with a damp towel and placing it near a warm oven for an extra 30-60 minutes should get it going. You can also try any of the tricks in this post– in particular I like the boiling water / oven method.
Source Notes: To get to light, pillowy, aggressively frosted cinnamon roll nirvana, I am using the method from the amazing cinnamon roll recipe in Bread in 5’s Holiday and Celebration cookbook (affiliate link). This is one of the best baking books I own for easy, do-able baking! Highly recommend and owe all credit for much of what I’ve learned about making brioche to them and this book!
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House Favorite Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 8 cinnamon rolls 1x
Description
Our House Favorite Cinnamon Rolls – the ones we make every year! With pillowy brioche dough and cream cheese frosting tucked into every bite.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cinnamon Roll Brioche Dough:
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (not hot water)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 1/2 cups flour + extra for dusting
Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 5 tablespoons white sugar
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (more as needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- small pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: Start by adding the water and yeast to a bowl. Melt the butter, whisk in the honey, then the egg and salt. Add your butter mixture to the bowl, and then measure in the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. It will be messy, sticky, and loose – that is correct.
- First rise: Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let her rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours until the dough ball has puffed up and roughly doubled in size. I often turn on my oven to 200 degrees and place the dough bowl in close proximity to the fan to speed this process up.
- Store in the fridge: Once the dough has doubled in size, gently reach in with your hand and pull the sticky dough from the edges of the bowl. This should somewhat deflate the dough – that’s great. Put the bowl in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. It needs at least 3 hours in the fridge so the dough has time to chill and become easier to handle. Don’t try to work with it right after the first rise – chilling is necessary to make it workable. The dough can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Assemble the rolls: Remove the dough from the fridge and coat the outside lightly with flour. Roll your dough ball out to about a 9×13 rectangle. This dough doesn’t like to be over-handled, and you don’t want to have to add a lot of extra flour – so work with it right out of the fridge.
- Filling: Brush the rectangle with the melted butter and sprinkle with the sugars and cinnamon. You can use your hands to press it in and make sure it’s all evenly coated.
- Roll: Roll the dough up starting at the short side. Try not to over-handle the dough as it will become sticky. Once the log is rolled up, use floss or a very sharp knife to trim the uneven ends, and then cut the log into 8 equal rolls. Place the rolls in a 9-10 inch round baking dish or pie plate (another size could also work, I just like how they fit in a round pan with 7 around the outside and one in the center).
- Second rise: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and then turn it off. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the rolls rest in the turned-off oven for 45 minutes. They should fit a little more snugly together in the pan at this point. Cute! Take them out and turn the oven back on to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
- Prep the cream cheese frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little bit of milk at a time until you get a smooth glaze; then continue to beat with the electric mixer until you have a light and fluffy frosting.
- Frost and enjoy: When they come out of the oven, give them a minute to cool. Then brush or spoon them with the frosting so it gets every crevice coated with gooey, drippy deliciousness. You can frost them again (second layer!) once they’ve cooled a bit more. Savor every warm, pillowy, glazed bite. YOU MADE THAT. Cinnamon roll bliss is yours!
Notes
Previous Version: A previous version of included extra dough for 3 batches of cinnamon rolls; you can find the previous version here. The updated recipe now is for ONE batch of cinnamon rolls. The video still reflects that older method of splitting the dough in 3; you can just ignore that, until we are able to get it updated. 🙂
Sample Timing – for less work in the morning: Make the dough the morning before; let it rise from 8-10am. Put it in the fridge. Roll out the rolls in the afternoon or evening, cover, and put back in the fridge. Take the rolls out first thing the next morning, rise from 7-8am, bake and be ready to eat by 8:30am.
Sample Timing – for last-minute people: Make the dough the night before; let it rise from 8-10pm. Put it in the fridge. Roll out the rolls the next morning from 7:30-8, let them rise from 8-9am, bake and be ready to eat by 9:30am.
Fridge Time: This particular dough can hang out in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t like to leave the pre-rolled rolls in the fridge longer than overnight because I feel like the filling starts to seep out. But the dough ball itself can hang out for 5 days.
Freezing: Currently freezing isn’t a part of my routine for these because I find that the dough is so rich and buttery that it’s hard to get a good second rise. I prefer to just work within that 5 day timeframe and store them in the fridge during that time!
If your dough is not rising: This happens to me every once in a while (due to variances in temperature of the room or temperature of ingredients). I find that it’s almost always because the dough is not warm enough yet. Assuming that your yeast was alive and you are smelling that sweet, yeasty smell from the dough, it just needs a bit more time, warmth, and moisture. Covering it with a damp towel and placing it near a warm oven for an extra 30-60 minutes should get it going. You can also try any of the tricks in this post– in particular I like the boiling water / oven method.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes + 12 hours wait time
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cinnamon rolls, maple glaze, homemade cinnamon rolls
More Holiday Brunch Recipes We Love
- Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread (this caramel is not messing around – it’s so good!)
- Christmas Tea Ring with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling (family favorite!)
- Carrot Cake Coffee Cake (perfect sweet addition to the holiday table)
- Biscuits and Gravy Egg Bake (the ultimate brunch recipe mash-up!)
- Egg and Croissant Brunch Bake (a classic brunch crowd-pleaser!)
- Breakfast Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce (a little something different that will blow. your. mind.)
Time To Show You Off!
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November 29, 2021
Created By The POY Team
Rita Boersma
Writer
Emily Caruso
Videographer
Lindsay Ostrom
Recipe Developer
Eman Kemp
Editorial
OMG! Yes please!! Will definitely be trying these! I do have a question about getting the dough to rise. I have the worst time with yeast and not getting a good rise. Any tips or tricks?
Make sure your yeast isn’t expired! Here is a good method to check: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-long-is-yeast-good-for-1388307
Other than that, just make sure you give the dough enough time to rise (double in size). It helps to set the dough out in a warm place. Enjoy!
Can the extra dough be used for something savory like garlic bread sticks?
We’ve never tried using this dough in a savory recipe. The dough is a bit on the sweeter side, but I could definitely see it working with savory ingredients!
I accidentally gave this four stars, when I meant to hit five stars! Trying to type quickly withy toddler on my lap and didn’t realize until I hit submit! So sorry about that!
Hi POY team! These look amazing! Question: I’d like to prep the whole thing — including the 1.25 hours rest prior to baking — the night before. Would that work? Put them in the fridge after the rest and then take out in the morning to bake?
Hi Noelle! Great question. Yes, you can definitely prep everything the night before and put them in the fridge, but Lindsay still suggests leaving them for at least an hour on the counter to really puff up before baking.
Do you think this would work with gluten free baking flour?
We haven’t tested this, but we think it’s worth a try.
Gluten-free flour AP works! Eating them now and they are delicious. Like most gluten-free baked goods they don’t puff up as much but they are still light and flaky…plus the cream cheese frosting is AMAZING!
So glad it worked out, Robyn! Thanks for circling back on that!
Hi PoY! What size round pan do you recommend? The pictures show a cast iron so I’m wondering what size and if that is the preferred method of basking?
We’ve used a variety of pans/dishes, like pie pans and regular casserole dishes, for this recipe, so a cast iron isn’t necessary. The skillet shown in the photo is either 11 or 12 inches!
Yum! Can’t wait to try these. Also, could you use this dough recipe to make rolls? I have a heck of a time trying to find brioche rolls here. Thanks!
Yes you can!
I’m so excited to make these for Christmas morning. I love a good cinnamon roll but I’ve never attempted to make them myself. Now that I have a stand mixer I think I’ll try!
We hope you enjoy them, Mallory!
Hi there, these look so yummy. So I am questioning if you need to triple the filling and frosting Since you divide the dough into thirds To make three batches. If you Just make one of the batches, do you use the recipe as Written and then you need to make The filling and frosting again to make Each of the rest of the batches each time? Or do you divide the filling in frosting ingredients into thirds for each batch? Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Erika! Great question! Yes, you will need to triple the filling and frosting if making 3 batches of cinnamon rolls. The recipe for the filling and frosting as written is for 1 batch or 1/3 of the dough.
So, when you want to use the stored dough balls, do you make filling and glaze for each one according to the instructions above in the recipe (so a total of 3 recipes’ worth for the entire amount of dough)?
Thank you.
Yes, that’s correct!
How long is too long to leave the dough in the fridge? I’m thinking of making the dough on a Friday morning and then sticking in the fridge until early afternoon Saturday to finish making/baking. Would that be too long or would it work okay?
Hi Emma! That should be fine. I’ve read that the dough can hang out in the fridge for up to a couple days.
How do I not get clumpy frosting? The cream cheese got a little clumpy but it still tasted good.
These look delicious! Wondering if you’d have any suggestions for substitutions for the honey in the dough? Can’t use due to allergies
Great question! We haven’t tested the dough with anything other than honey, but I’m guessing maple syrup would be a good substitute!
What exactly does the honey do? Can you use white sugar instead?
Great question, Rosalind! We based this recipe off of the brioche dough by Artisan in Bead in 5. I looked through the comments on their brioche dough post, and the author indicated that sugar will work as an almost 1:1 substitute for honey, and recommended reducing the amount of sugar by 15%.
I have been unsuccessful at recipes that involve dough rising on the counter, thinking maybe my house it too cold? “Room temp” in my kitchen is 68 degrees. Do I need to pop the bowl in a low temp oven to help with the rising? Or is this recipe not that sensitive?
I think that’d be a good idea! I’ve run into the same problem in the past, and have found that setting my oven to the “warm/proof” setting really helps dough rise.
Can you sub sourdough starter for the yeast and if so, how much in grams? Thanks!
Great question. We’ve never worked with a sourdough starter before, so it’s hard to say if it’d work well in this recipe. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear back!
I love POY! Food allergy family and the recipes are so easy to alter for our needs. Any thoughts if these would work with egg replacer? I usually use Bob’s Red Mill – unless you have a better suggestion. Thanks.
Hi! We haven’t tested these rolls with an egg replacer, but we think it’s worth a try! Let us know how it goes!
When I mix yeast and water in bowl, does it need to sit or stir to dissolve before adding flour? Is there also no kneading of the dough?
Thanks
Hi Karen! No need to let the yeast and water sit and you don’t need to knead the dough.
Do you need to stir the yeast and water to combine?
You do not!
Just made these! The texture is divineeeee for sure but we found it a lacking in cinnamon sugar flavour. I think I’ll double the cinnamon sugar mixture next time. We’re never going back to Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls in this house though!
I should add that the dough recipe as-is would make amazing rolls! I might try that out with one of my extra dough balls.
Thanks for the feedback, Meg! Glad you enjoyed them!
Any tips on what would be the best way to scale this down for one person who only wants to make a couple at time? Is there a good recipe converter tool for scaling down more than half? I love your recipes “for two” and would love to see more of those in 2022!
Hi Kristi! You could try plugging the recipe into a tool like this: https://mykitchencalculator.com/recipeconverter.html
These look like the perfect breakfast for Christmas. Can’t wait to try!
Enjoy, Liz!
aaaah man… I’m on the search for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and the best cinnamon roll recipe. I haven’t attempted the Pioneer Woman’s because … I don’t want to make 7 pans the first go round but oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy these look heavenly.
That does it… I’m going in!
We hope your love them, April!
I only have regular active yeast instead of instant. How much longer would this need to rise? Or could I put it in the instant pot to proof and if so, how long?
I just used active yeast as well yesterday to makes these and it worked perfectly! Just leave in the water and honey for 10 minutes until foamy. Some people recommend increasing the active yeast by 25% since more of the yeast is dead in active yeast than in instant yeast.
You can use active yeast instead! You shouldn’t need to make any changes.
These look great! I was wondering if POY might include weight measurements in their baking recipes? It can make a big difference in a final product. Thanks as always for your awesome content!
Thanks for the feedback, Lindsey!
There’s an option to convert to metric at the top of the recipe part! 😁
Could you give any tips on how to prepare and give as Christmas gift boxes? Should you bake and then freeze to give away?
Great question! I think that’s good idea especially if you won’t be gifting them, right after you bake them.
Hello! Looking at the recipe, i see you didn’t specify if we should use unsalted, semi-salted, or salted butter for the dough. Would you please let me know? Thanks!
Hello! Getting ready to try the recipe this weekend and would love to know if best to use salted or unsalted butter. Thanks!
Lindsay has used both salted and unsalted butter for this recipe, so whatever you have on hand will work. We tend to use salted butter in the Pinch of Yum kitchen!
Made these cinnamon rolls and love them!! Any suggestions for an icing or glaze recipe that is not cream cheese? I tried a a recipe from a different site and it wasn’t great.
Great question, Cheryl. We’ve only tried the cream cheese glaze with these cinnamon rolls. This glaze looks like a good one! https://julieblanner.com/cinnamon-roll-icing/
So easy and sooooo good!! Yeast products have always scared me so I avoid them 😆 it’s summer in Australia and I had to let the cold tap run for a few moments to cool it down to lukewarm temperature 🤣🤣 I doubled the cinnamon in the filling. Instructions don’t say to flour as you roll but I assume you’re meant to as it wasn’t happening otherwise 😆 thanks for this it was amazing! Excited to have two thirds of dough left to play with
Hi! Can you freeze the glaze for the next batch?
Hi Emily! We haven’t tried freezing the glaze, but we think it’d work okay if you have some leftover!
Hi. Just a suggestion. Don’t white the instructions of the recipe as if you’re making it for 3×8 rolls and then have the ingredients for just 8 rolls. It’s totally confusing. I halved it thinking i’m gonna get 12 rolls. 🙁 Now I’ll only get 4?! Anyway, I only saw this fact in the comments, beacuse I did not check the portion number in the recipe card – I never really had to in other POY recipes. Thanks.
We appreciate the feedback, Barbara!
I’m wondering if I could use 1/3 of this dough to make your raspberry tea ring? We love that for Christmas and I want to try these this year too! It looks like the same dough, with slightly more ingredients in so maybe 1/3 would be enough to form a ring? Thanks! Love your recipes!!!
Yes, we think that’d work just fine! Let us know how it goes!
Hi, i’d like to make this recipe, they look delicious. Can you tell me if i should use strong bread flour, s/r or plain flour please?
Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas 🎄
We used all purpose flour!
Should I use the whipping attachment on the vitamix for the glaze? Great recipe!
We’ve never tried that attachment but it sounds like it’d help!