When I first had cinnamon rolls at a mall in Dubai (Cinnabon) attracted by the aroma of cinnamon, I knew I had to make it. I have been using this recipe and it has never disappointed me. With Cream cheese frosting on top, this makes an indulgent treat.
If you are new to bread making, I recommend reading these yeast handling tips and tricks.
If you like this recipe, you might want to try the beautiful Cinnamon star bread next.
Recipe at a glance
For the Dough
Dry Ingredients – All-Purpose Flour/Maida, Sugar (granulated or grinded/castor), Salt
Dairy – Milk, Egg,
Fat – Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
Raising Agent – Yeast (granulated or instant)
Water
For the Filling
Walnuts (chopped), you can use pecans or any other kind of nuts.
Brown Sugar, Dark, light or even white is fine too
Cinnamon powder
Butter, soft, unsalted
Raisins (optional)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese
Butter , soft, unsalted
Icing/Confectioner’s/Powdered Sugar
Milk, Full fat
Vanilla essence, optional
Step by Step process
For the Dough
Make a soft dough, let it rest, until double in size.
Roll out, spread the filling. Roll, cut and bake.
Spread the filling onto cooled rolls.
For the filling
Mix all the ingredients into a spreadable mixture.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
Mix all the ingredients and beat well until light and fluffy.
FAQs
Substitutions and Variations
The dough is super versatile and you can make dinner rolls, bread, any shape or size.
You can use any type of filling like chocolate spread, nut spread, jam, date paste, dry fruits etc.
Serving Suggestions
There is absolutely no time of the day when you cannot serve these delectable rolls. Breakfast, lunch, dessert, tea, coffee.
It is great for kids lunch boxes too.
You can skip the frosting part.
You can drizzle the rolls with chocolate sauce or ganache.
Storage and Make Ahead
You can make the dough a day ahead and frost on the day of serving.
You can freeze the rolls, unfrosted and thaw when required.
For fresher rolls, I recommend baking them foil covered in a hot oven for 10 minutes, to heat them through and through.
Frosting can be made ahead as well and kept in airtight box refrigerated.
Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated but should be served at room temperature.
Recipe
Yield: 12
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
When I first had cinnamon rolls at a mall in Dubai attracted by the aroma of cinnamon, I knew I had to make it. I have been using this recipe and it has never disappointed me. With Cream cheese frosting on top, this makes an indulgent treat.
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Additional Time
1 hour
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups Flour, All-purpose/Maida
- 1 teaspoon Yeast, granulated or instant*
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Butter, Unsalted, Soft
- 1/2 cup Milk, Full fat, room temperature
- 1 Egg, room temperature
For the Filling
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- 2 tablespoons Butter, soft, unsalted
- 2 tablespoons Raisins, optional
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoons Cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons Butter, soft, unsalted
- 6 tablespoons Icing Sugar/Powdered/Confectioner’s
- 2 tablespoons Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla, optional
Instructions
For the Dough
- Place flour, sugar, butter, egg, salt and yeast in a food processor or stand mixer with dough hook.
- Start mixing while adding milk, until ball starts to form but mixture should be soft but not sticky. It should not be dry. The texture of dough at this stage determines how airy and soft your rolls will be.
- Turn the dough on a floured surface and knead with palms of your hand for about 5 minutes until smooth, elastic and soft. If too sticky, add in little flour as required.
- If you are using stand mixer or a food processor with dough hook, just place all the ingredients and knead for about 5-8 minutes.
- When dough is ready, place it in a greased container for proofing (to rise).
- Put a little oil on dough also so it doesn’t become dry.
- Cover the container with a lid or cling film and leave it in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until risen and when touched doesn’t spring back.
- Prepare filling meanwhile.
- Once risen, punch it down (not too much, a couple will do to knock out air), transfer on a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle of 1/4th inch thickness.
- Spread the filling and roll from long side to form a log.
- Cut into 16 equal pieces for mini-bons or 8 for large ones.
- Place on a greased tray or tray lined with parchment paper.
- Cover in a plastic bag and leave to rise for about 1/2 hour until double in size.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes at 375 F until golden.
- Once cooled, spread with cream cheese frosting.
For the Filling
- Mix all the ingredients and spread over rolled out dough.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese.
- Add in vanilla, cream and icing sugar.
- Beat until it is spreadable.
Notes
* If you are using granulated, place in a small bowl with a little sugar and water to let it become fluffy. Then add it on your day and proceed as usual.
Recipe Name
Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting
Author Name
Nadia
Published On
Preparation Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Average Rating
