Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
These cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting are perfect for holiday mornings or weekend brunch. With a gooey cinnamon filling and creamy icing, this easy recipe is great for making ahead or freezing for later!
Equipment
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- .5 oz active dry yeast (2 packs; about 4.5 teaspoons)
- 9 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1-2 extra cups for kneading)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
For Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 2 sticks butter (softened)
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup ground cinnamon
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 32 oz powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- splash coffee
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make Cinnamon Roll Dough
- With a liner in the Instant Pot, add a quart of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Stir well.
- On the Instant Pot, use the yogurt setting and press the "adjust" button until you see "boil" on your screen. Place a glass lid on the pot if you have one and allow the boil cycle to complete, lasting about 10-15 minutes. It helps to whisk your milk every 3-5 minutes during this process. If you don't have an Instant Pot, bring this mixture to a low boil on the stovetop.
- Once the boil cycle is complete (your pot will beep when it's done), test the milk. It shouldn't be boiling, but should feel warm if you hold your hand above it and should be giving off some steam. If it's not, do another boil cycle, covering your pot while it heats and whisking regularly.
- Heat the milk until nearly boiling, then let it cool to lukewarm (below 110°F). I place mine on the stove grate to cool; it should feel warm but not hot before proceeding.
- Once the milk is cool, sprinkle the yeast on top and let it activate for a minute or two. It should start to smell "yeasty" after a few seconds.
- While the yeast activates, mix together dry ingredients (9 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and a pinch of salt).
- About a cup at a time, add dry ingredients into the milk/yeast mixture to form a dough. The dough shouldn't be mushy or wet once all dry ingredients are added; if it is, add ½ cup flour at a time until at the desired consistency.
- Put the inner liner back into the Instant Pot to allow your dough to rise. To do this, use the yogurt setting and select the 8-hour option (you won't let it rise for this long, but this is the lowest automatic setting). If you don't have an Instant Pot, a warm area (like a window) will work.
- Allow dough to rise for at least an hour (you can do it for a few hours if desired). You might have to poke it down with a fork a couple of times to keep the cinnamon roll dough from overflowing.
- Once cinnamon roll dough has risen, refrigerate for an hour or two to make for easier handling. I usually like to refrigerate dough overnight before moving on to the next step.
Fill, Roll, and Bake
- Once the dough is cooled, place half of your dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle with a little bit more flour. The surface of the dough should not be sticky; if it is, sprinkle with more flour.
- Knead dough until it is firm and easier to work with. Add more flour if needed.
- Roll dough out into a very long piece. I usually make mine about 2 feet by 1 foot, with a thickness of maybe ¼".
- Make the cinnamon filling. To do this, use a hand mixer to blend 2 8oz blocks of cream cheese and 2 sticks of butter (all softened). Once blended, mix in 2 cups sugar and ⅓ cup cinnamon. Blend well; there will probably be lumps, this is normal.
- Spread half of the filling mixture on the first rolled half of dough.
- Gently, roll the end of the dough away from you into a log.
- Cut log into 1" pieces and place cut rolls in the containers sprayed with cooking spray.
- Allow cut cinnamon rolls to rise for 15-20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Once rolls rise, bake for 20ish minutes, or until tops of rolls start to turn golden brown. Repeat for the other half of the dough and filling.
Add Cream Cheese Frosting
- While rolls bake, mix the frosting. Microwave an 8oz block of cream cheese and ½ stick butter for 30 seconds or so, until stirrable. Microwave another 30 seconds if needed. Once you can stir easily, add in 32oz powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup milk, a splash of coffee, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together well, until there are no lumps.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, pour icing over while still warm. You'll want it to get all in those nooks and crannies...that's what makes them good!
Notes
- These cinnamon rolls can be frozen. Bake according to instructions and cool to room temperature. Cover with the lid and freeze. Once ready to serve, remove from the freezer, remove lid, tent with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
- Frosting on top will not completely harden but will form a light crust over the top of the cinnamon rolls as it cools.
- The cinnamon rolls should be stored in the refrigerator after serving.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1rollCalories: 310kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 172mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 2gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 188IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 1mg
