Nothing is more delicious than a hot, gooey batch of homemade cinnamon rolls, especially with the buttery cream cheese icing that just seems to add the right amount of extra flavor to each bite. These homemade rolls can be enjoyed as a special breakfast treat or as a late-night “pick-me-up. With this recipe, you can be sure that your handmade cinnamon rolls will taste just like ones you would find in a bakery.

Ingredients

Dough:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups whole milk, warm to the touch
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 5 cups flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

Filling:

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Generously butter two disposable foil pie/cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, melted butter and granulated sugar.
3. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and let set for one minute.
4. Add four cups of all-purpose flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise for one hour.
6. Remove the towel and add an additional ¾ cup of flour, the baking powder and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.
7. Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface.
8. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½-inch thick.
9. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.
10. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
11. Press the mixture into the butter.
12. Roll up the dough, forming a log and pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down.
13. Cut the log in half, then divide each half into seven evenly sized pieces. About 1½ inches thick each.
14. Place 7 cinnamon rolls in each cake pan, one in the center and six around the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
15. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
16. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, butter, whole milk, vanilla and powdered sugar, until smooth.
17. Remove plastic wrap. Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
18. While still warm, drizzle evenly with frosting.

Once you’ve had these homemade cinnamon rolls, you won’t ever view store-bought ones the same. These warm, simple, homemade rolls puff up beautifully and are completely soft all the way through. They’re so tender and gooey all throughout that each bite practically melts in your mouth. I’ve already cooked this amazing recipe a number of times and each time it comes out very well. There were absolutely no problems when I followed the recipe exactly as it was written. I recommend keeping an eye on them after the 25 to 30-minute mark because I find that the baking time varies depending on the size of the pan someone uses. This recipe is ultimately just too delicious for one to not want to make it again.