Our family has been making these for decades & they are a favorite for sure! My kids say they like them even more than the Cinnabon classic. You know how the best part of a cinnamon roll is typically the gooey center? These are like that all the way through, with a yummy cream cheese frosting melted into the rolls. Our family tradition is to make these for Christmas morning, and also twice a year for our church’s semi-annual General Conference.

FOR THE ROLLS:
1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup real butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup real butter, softened

CREAM CHEESE ICING:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) real butter, softened
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Dissolve yeast in warm milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes while you combine the rest of the roll ingredients (it should have bubbles forming as it sits to let you know the yeast is active and alive). In a stand mixer with dough hook attached, set it to low and combine the sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Then slowly add in the yeast mixture. Mix well. Spray the top of the dough (still in mixer bowl) with a little cooking spray, or brush the surface with a little olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until double in size (typically about an hour). If you have a “proof” setting on your oven you can use that to cut the time in half (it maintains a temp of about 100 degrees in your oven).

Tip: You can warm up your oven a little (set at lowest temp for just a couple minutes then turn it off). This creates a warm place for the dough to rise. But don’t make it too hot or you’ll kill your yeast and have to start over. You should be able to touch the rack of the oven without burning yourself. Then set your covered bowl of dough inside. This typically cuts the rising time in about half.

Once doubled in size, roll dough out on lightly floured surface until about 21 inches long and 16 inches wide (about 1/4-inch thick).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Make the filling by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread the butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving 1-inch without butter on the edges. Then sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter.

Take the long side of the dough (a 21-inch side) and roll it to the other side so you have a long cylinder of dough. I like to moisten the edge of the dough with a little water on my fingers so it sticks to the roll and stays there.

Cut the rolled dough into 12 even slices. You can use a very sharp knife, or the dental floss method. (For dental floss method use unflavored floss. Slide the floss under the dough, criss-cross it on top, then pull to cinch the dough…easy perfect cuts)

Let the rolls rise again until double in size (about 30 minutes). Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until light brown on top.

Tip: We always make the rolls the night before if we want to eat them the next morning. Instead of setting the oven, I cover the formed rolls (don’t let them rise yet) and put them in the refrigerator. The next morning when I wake up, I take them out of the refrigerator and let them rise until double. They’ll take longer to rise since they’re coming out of a cold refrigerator, so plan accordingly.

While rolls are cooking, make the cream cheese icing. Combine all icing ingredients and beat with electric mixer until fluffy.

As soon as rolls come out of the oven, evenly coat them with the icing. Let the icing melt into the rolls and then enjoy warm!

Cover any remaining rolls once cool, and store on kitchen counter. Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Rolls are best when eaten within 24 hours. If you aren’t going to finish them within that time frame, they can be frozen after baking. Then just reheat in the microwave as mentioned previously.

These are SO GOOD!