There’s nothing better than biting into a warm, fluffy, sweet cinnamon roll.  If you don’t make breads a lot, it can sound intimidating, but this recipe will change your mind!

If you haven’t tried my Go-To Dinner Rolls recipe, it’s a must!  That dough is the base for these cinnamon rolls and they are literally melt-in-your-mouth delicious and SO easy.

I made made them last night for a church Christmas party and they were gobbled up so fast I barely had time to grab one myself before they were gone!  Dozens of people asked for the recipe, so I knew it was a winner.

If you love cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning (or any morning for that matter) these can also be made the night before!!  You just shape your rolls, put them in the baking dish, cover them, place in the refrigerator overnight, and the next morning you’ll bake them to perfection and be the hero of the day.

This recipe can also easily be cut in half to make 12 cinnamon rolls, instead of 24.

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5 from 4 votes

Go-To Cinnamon Rolls

Pin Recipe

Servings: 24

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks) melted & slightly cooled
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 Tbs dry, active yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

• 8 Tbs butter softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting

• 1 stick butter (8 Tbs) softened
• 1 block cream cheese (8 oz) softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Combine butter, water, yeast and sugar. Mix gently and let sit 3-5 minutes until bubbly.
• Add eggs, salt, baking powder and 2 cups flour. Mix well. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups flour and mix until combined.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray and let rise about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Divide dough in half and roll one half into a long rectangle (about 20" x 10").
• Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl.
• Spread 4 Tbs of softened butter over the rectangle of dough. Sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture.
• Roll the dough up longwise to form a log.
• Using flavorless/cinnamon floss or fishing line or string, slide the floss under the log to the middle. Pull up both ends of the floss until they cross each other, cutting the log in half. Cut each of those halfs in half. Then cut each section into thirds, making 12 pieces.
• Place rolls in a greased 9x13" baking dish. Roll out your other half of the dough and repeat the process to make another pan of cinnamon rolls. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes, until golden brown on top.
• Add all frosting ingredients into a bowl. Beat together until smooth and creamy.
• Frost cinnamon rolls after they've cooled for about 10 minutes.

Notes

• To make rolls the night before, complete instructions through placing them in the greased baking dish.  Then cover the dish and place in the refrigerator.  In the morning, pull your baking dish out of the refrigerator when you turn the oven on.  Once the oven is preheated, your rolls should be warmed enough to go right in the oven and bake as directed!   You'll likely need to add 3-5 minutes to the baking time, but just watch for golden brown tops.
• You can also make the frosting in advance, but it will harden in the refrigerator overnight, so pull it out at the same time you get the rolls out so that it can soften up while they're cooking.
• This recipe can easily be halved!  Just don't divide the dough in half before you roll it out - you'll just make one log to be covered, rolled and cut, instead of 2.

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