The Best Cinnamon Rolls {Cheryl’s Famous Recipe} – with step-by-step tutorial and tons of tips
This recipe for the best cinnamon rolls EVER will make you rethink who you are and every cinnamon roll recipe you’ve ever made! They are so light, so fluffy, and so amazing!
Well, today is a big, BIG day.
Several weeks ago, I quickly mentioned (in this Friday Thoughts post) that I had found “the cinnamon roll recipe to end all cinnamon roll recipes” and I asked if you had room in your heart for one more cinnamon roll recipe? Haha. Hundreds of you responded saying: uh, hello, are you crazy, BRING IT ON! While the other two of you said: don’t need another cinnamon roll recipe, thankyouverymuch.
I’ve been buried under requests for this recipe ever since. You’ve emailed. You’ve commented. You’ve found my personal Instagram account and stalked me there to ask for it. You’ve begged. You’ve pleaded. You’ve called. You’ve emailed and commented and asked again. 🙂
Although I had already made the recipe several times when I mentioned it that Friday, I wanted to make it several more times and take lots and lots of pictures in order to make sure I could provide the most foolproof recipe and preempt any troubleshooting. In total, I’ve made this best-ever cinnamon roll recipe at least nine times since my friend, Cheryl, gave it to me mid-December.
Speaking of Cheryl, I gotta give this lady all the credit. She’s the source of the greatest cinnamon roll recipe of all time! And she’s adorable (and so nice).
So is her husband. That’s him, Jean (pronounced John), making his other-worldly artisan bread. He’s a master bread baker. And Cheryl is one of the most accomplished, gourmet cooks and home bakers I’ve ever met. Like, she takes everything totally next level (they had us over for a Mediterranean-inspired dinner and I could barely eat, I was so in awe at the amazing spread). And these cinnamon rolls are no exception. Thank you, Cheryl! And thanks for letting me share the love with everybody about this recipe!
One of the most common phrases I’ve heard over the last couple weeks as you’ve requested this recipe is: I don’t know how they can be better than Gloria’s cinnamon rolls*, but I’m willing to try! (*Or these vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls or these Yukon gold cinnamon rolls.)
And trust me, I thought the same thing! The backstory is important here. So let me explain really quickly. At a church activity mid-December, I won an innocent-looking disposable square pan of cinnamon rolls as a Bunco prize. I’m wired to never turn down a pan of cinnamon rolls. When I found out Cheryl had made them, I was even more excited. I had no choice but to dig in right then and there even though the dice were still rolling.
I was stunned. How could a cinnamon roll be this light and fluffy? This amazing? I mean, I don’t want to brag, but I already make a ridiculously great cinnamon roll, but these were totally beyond deliciousness, and I began to doubt everything I thought I knew about cinnamon rolls.
I cornered Cheryl in the hallway to ask if she’d be willing to share the recipe after several of us women basically ate the whole pan and unanimously agreed: these cinnamon rolls = lifechanging. I had to whip my phone out faster than an old western gunslinger because Cheryl started rattling off the recipe by memory and I wanted to type in every detail. In my mind, I had already decided that if the ingredient lineup and method was basically the same as the other beloved cinnamon roll recipes on my site, I’d just chalk it up to the fact that Cheryl had a magic cinnamon roll touch. I’d be sad for a minute that I was missing this magical cinnamon roll making gene, but I probably wouldn’t need or use a recipe that was a similar variation to others I make all the time.
But. That wasn’t the case at all. As she gave me the recipe, I realized this was a cinnamon roll game changer and unlike any cinnamon roll recipe I’d made before. Because the amount of variation was so great, I knew I could (and needed to) post it to stand alongside the other great cinnamon roll recipes in my archives.
And because the ingredients and mixing method and dough texture are unlike other cinnamon roll doughs I’ve made, the resulting cinnamon rolls are lighter in texture and much fluffier. You don’t have to take just my word for it either. I’ve already said before that Brian is the resident cinnamon roll snob. He doesn’t like it when I mess with a good thing, and he already loved the cinnamon roll recipes I’ve posted before. But even he agrees 100% that these are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made.
I even dared make them for my Aunt Marilyn (who introduced me to Gloria’s recipe years ago!), Uncle Dan and cousin Lydia, who take “cinnamon roll snob” to a whole new level. Dan almost didn’t try them because he’s so loyal to Gloria’s recipe. After eating, analyzing, eating, and analyzing (that’s what I make you do if you come to my house), Lydia said they were “way better than any other recipe,” Marilyn admitted they were “absolutely incredible,” and Dan conceded that although he’d never say they were better than Gloria’s recipe, they were “definitely on the same level.” I’ve given so many of these cinnamon rolls away as I’ve tested the recipe; every single person has honestly raved over them (and I don’t think they are just saying that, because I’ve instructed all my friends that we can’t be friends unless they give me honest feedback on food I shove in their face.)
Phew! So there’s the background. I know some of you may not care about all that. But for those of you that have been loyal MKC readers and have fallen in love with any other cinnamon roll recipe on my site, you know that it is important to me to give you an explanation for why I’m posting yet another recipe for something I’ve already declared the best!
Here’s my ultimate disclaimer though:
If you have a cinnamon roll recipe that you love and have already deemed BEST EVER, stick with it! No need to change things now! I already know that this recipe may not be for everyone; the world was meant to be a cinnamon roll diverse place. However, if you love to try new recipes, have been looking for the cinnamon roll to end all cinnamon rolls, or you just want to expand your baking horizons, I think you are going to love this one.
Let’s get into the nitty gritty!
For this recipe, you can use a stand mixer or mix it by hand because it doesn’t require much kneading and the dough is not super stiff and hard to work with. I have recently been using this Danish dough hook aff. link (that one of you recommended!) for hand-mixed yeast doughs and it is a game changer.
I’ve made this cinnamon roll recipe in my Bosch Universal mixer {aff. link} and my KitchenAid stand mixer {aff. link} for testing purposes; I’ll always choose my Bosch for bread making because it’s superior at that kind of task, but a Kitchen Aid will do the job, too. Here’s a quick look at the comparison between these two stand mixers, if you are interested. This recipe doubles GREAT in the Bosch (haven’t tried a double batch in the KitchenAid).
Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil to the mixer and pour in the 2 cups scalded milk.
What is scalded milk? It’s basically milk that’s been heated to just below a boil – doing so changes the protein structure in the milk (none of which I really understand). But what I do know is that the reason many yeast dough recipes calls for scalded milk is because it makes the bread/rolls lighter and fluffier! So do it!
I take the easy way out and microwave the milk for this recipe in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup. Every microwave will vary, but I heat it for 2-minute increments until little bubbles start to form around the edges and it is steaming. You can do this on the stovetop, too. And yes, I’ve let it go too long and it actually boils, and no, I don’t start over, and yes, the rolls still turn out great (just be aware that boiling milk will foam and rise and most likely spill over so if it does, you’ll want to make sure you have a full 2 cups of hot milk to work with).
Let the milk/oil/sugar mixture rest for 15 minutes or so until the mixture is warm and not blistery hot. Add in the 4 cups all-purpose flour (I always use unbleached all-purpose) and then sprinkle the 1 tablespoon instant yeast on top of the flour. See the recipe below for how to substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast.
If you’ve been a tad bit impatient like me and maybe, possibly, perhaps didn’t let the milk mixture cool off for the full 15 minutes, make sure the yeast is added on top of the flour so it isn’t incorporated straight into the hot milk.
Start mixing! The dough will be much wetter than a normal cinnamon roll dough. Don’t panic. Things will come together, I promise.
Mix until no dry streaks remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
Now cover the bowl and let the wet dough (we’ll call it a sponge) rise until puffy and a little bubbly. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour in my kitchen. You can see a noticeable difference as the sponge has had time to rest and rise.
To the sponge, add 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Start mixing again. The dough doesn’t need to be kneaded, necessarily, but you definitely want to let it mix to fully incorporate all the dry ingredients. It will start out rough and shaggy looking but it will come together.
After about a minute of mixing, it should form a mass of dough that has smoothed out a bit (doesn’t look as rough and spiky). This dough is very soft! Resist the urge to add more flour. As long as it isn’t leaving lots of wet dough residue on the sides of the bowl, it should be ok.
If you are making the dough in a KitchenAid mixer, I suggest starting with the paddle attachment and moving to the dough hook after adding the last addition of flour, baking powder and baking soda. I find it’s harder to get clean sides of the bowl with this recipe when using the KitchenAid based on the shape of the dough hook and bowl, just try to avoid adding more flour unless it is just so sticky it is impossible to work with. Grease your hands with cooking spray and gather it into a smooth ball before deciding whether to add more flour.
The dough may leave some doughy bits of residue on your fingers or hands, but if you grab a small piece, you should be able to roll it into a somewhat sticky ball. Over flouring this dough will be the death of a great cinnamon roll, so persevere through a bit of stickiness if you can!
Pile the dough into a lightly greased bowl or container. You can see how soft and stretchy the dough is below.
Let the dough rise until doubled. The exact time will depend on the warmth of your kitchen, but it takes right about an hour to an hour and a half in my kitchen. I use these handy measured food storage containers for dough rising and about a million other things {aff. link}. If you live near a Standard Restaurant Supply store (or other restaurant supply store), you can pick them up in various sizes for less than the price on Amazon, FYI.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter (I use about 2-3 tablespoons flour) and roll out to about 12X18-inches. Pictured below is my favorite inexpensive and super awesome rolling pin – I have the 13 2/5-inch one {aff. link}. The size of the rectangle doesn’t have to be exact. I go for this size because it gives several spirals in the cinnamon roll, but if you like your cinnamon rolls puffier, roll the dough into a smaller rectangle so it is thicker. Spread the dough evenly with 8-12 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar (I use about 3/4 cup brown sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon – Cheryl recommends adding cardamom to the sugar, too, which is delicious).
Favorite cinnamon = Penzey’s signature cinnamon blend (totally unsponsored but the only cinnamon I use)
Start rolling these bad boys up! Roll tightly without lifting and stretching the dough up and over. If the dough is stretched while rolling, the rolls may have a tendency to shrink while baking. Once rolled, pinch the edge lightly to seal and pat the roll into an even thickness. My rolled up cinnamon roll log usually ends up being about 20 inches long.
As a quick sidenote, I get this question a lot:
Why do cinnamon rolls shrink and gap while baking?
That is a great question. And one that has kept me up many a night. In my intense cinnamon roll research, I’ve found it can be due to a variety of things. 1) Stretching and pulling on the dough while rolling into a log (like I mentioned above). When I’ve stretched too much during this part of the process, I’ve noticed that the cinnamon rolls can shrink and gap while baking. 2) Too much butter and/or cinnamon and sugar filling. While baking, the sugar and butter melt (into that glorious buttery/sugary gooeyness), and if the sugar filling is really thick, that leaves a lot more opportunity for gapping after the rolls bake and cool. 3) Rolling the dough too thin. While this may mean less cinnamony spirals, a thicker cinnamon roll rectangle is going to gap less while baking. 4) Letting the cinnamon rolls rise too long before baking. Doing this can cause the cinnamon rolls to deflate slightly in the oven and shrink as they cool. 5) Cramming too many cinnamon rolls into a pan that is too small. When I’ve done this, the rolls press together too much while rising and then fall back and shrink while baking/cooling.
Ok, moving on. Now it’s time to cut the log into rolls! I cut the log in half first. And then I cut each half in half again. And lastly, I cut each of those fourths into thirds. Confused? Haha. It’s easier than it sounds. This inexpensive serrated knife {aff. link} is my go-to for cutting cinnamon rolls because it doesn’t crush the dough while cutting, but you can use unflavored dental floss or thread.
My preference is to use a half sheet pan for these rolls (the recipe makes 12 large cinnamon rolls).
These rolls need room to rise and I’ve learned the hard way that putting them in too small of a pan means they won’t be nearly as fluffy and delicious. Below is a picture of this same recipe (all 12 rolls) baking in a 9X13-inch pan. You can see how close they are together before they’ve even risen. And on the right, after baking, they’ve gapped a lot in the middle and the sides are burned/middles are doughy.
So make sure you give the rolls at least an inch in between so they can breathe and have room to live. You can certainly roll the dough into a large rectangle and make 15-16 rolls out of the batch, instead of 12. If they are smaller, they’ll probably fit in a 9X13-inch pan + an 8X8-inch pan just fine.
If you are making these to give away, I’ve found rolling them per the recipe (and getting 12 rolls out of the batch) and putting four rolls into an 8X8-inch pan is about perfect for baking smaller batches. Just the right amount of space to bake up fluffy and perfect. Here’s an example of a cinnamon roll baked in a square pan with three other rolls. Get a load of that fluffiness! It’s the perfect size of cinnamon roll if you ask me.
Once the rolls are placed on the baking pan, let them rise until very puffy and touching lightly on most sides (they may not be double in size, but close).
Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes (add time if needed). If you have convection bake, using that setting will help the rolls bake through to the center more quickly, but standard bake is fine, too.
While the rolls bake, make the frosting. You can frost them warm, or let the rolls cool a bit. I like to hit middle ground and frost while they are still just slightly warm so some of the frosting melts down into all the nooks and crannies but still stays a bit solidly soft on top.
Speaking of frosting, I’ve made a lot of cinnamon roll frostings over the years, and the icing I posted with these Yukon gold cinnamon rolls is hands down my favorite. It is the cinnamon roll icing I’ve been searching for my whole life. The delicate, creamy flavor (without an overpowering cream cheese presence) is the best, best, best. You can use various extracts to flavor it – maple, if that’s your thing (yum) or vanilla.
Lately, with the price of pure vanilla sky high, I’ve been experimenting more with emulsions (scary word that in this case just means flavoring). And wow, this butter vanilla emulsion {aff. link} adds the most insane yumminess to the cinnamon roll frosting. Kind of gives it a buttery sugar cookie vibe. In.the.frosting. It’s crazy good. And it’s only six bucks a bottle.
Incidentally as a sidenote, my 14-year old made these super soft chocolate chip cookies for a youth activity last week and used that butter vanilla emulsion in place of the vanilla extract and people were apparently saying they’d never had a cookie that tasted so amazing and wanted to know the secret. Emulsions! Haha.
And since we’re talking random bits of knowledge here, rolling things out on a lightly floured counter is one of my least favorite things to do in the history of ever because of the gummy mess it can leave while wiping up. That is, until I figured out my handy dandy bench knife/scraper {aff. link} could eliminate the hassle. I use this scraper for so many things, but scraping up floury, cinnamon roll gunk off my counter is one of the reasons it has earned its way into favorite tool status.
So there you have it! Have we covered everything? I think so! If you’ve made it this far (without skimming), you deserve a major award.
If you have any additional questions, ask away in the comments and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. I am SO excited for you to get your hands on this recipe and let me know what you think! Enough talking, go make some cinnamon rolls!
How to make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time
This post on making cinnamon rolls ahead of time applies perfectly to any sweet roll!
One Year Ago: Healthy Yogurt Oat Blueberry {or Chocolate Chip!} Muffins
Two Years Ago: 7-Minute Spaghetti Squash {Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker}
Three Years Ago: Perfect Roasted Vegetables {5 Simple Tips}
Four Years Ago: White Chocolate Oatmeal Craisin Coconut Cookies
Five Years Ago: Light Lemon and Spinach Spaghetti
The Best Cinnamon Rolls {Cheryl’s Famous Recipe}
Ingredients
Sponge:
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil
- 2 cups milk, scalded (heat to just below a boil), I use 2% milk
- 4 cups (568 g) all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast, see note for active dry yeast
Dough:
- ¾ cup (107 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Filling:
- 8-12 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (159 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom, optional but delicious
Icing:
- 2 ounces (57 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, softened
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (200 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl to mix by hand), add the sugar and oil. Pour in the scalded milk and mix. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes or so until it is warm but not blazing hot.
- Add the 4 cups flour and sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour. Mix until no dry streaks remain and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. The dough will be loose and wet-looking. Cover the bowl and let the sponge rest until puffy and doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough looks smooth instead of rough and shaggy. It may not necessarily clean the sides of the bowl but it should for a pretty cohesive mass. Add additional flour only if it is too sticky to handle or a small piece of dough won’t form a ball in your hands (it’s ok if it leaves some doughy residue on your fingers).
- Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
- On a lightly floured counter (I use about 2-3 tablespoons flour), roll or pat the dough into about a 18X12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon (and cardamom, if using) in a bowl and sprinkle evenly across the top of the butter. Pat down very lightly.
- Starting with one long end, start rolling the rectangle into a log without pulling and stretching on the dough (but still rolling as tightly as possible). Roll the seam to the bottom and pat the log into an even thickness – it should be about 20 inches long or so at this point.
- Cut the log into 12 even pieces. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined half sheet pan, tucking the loose end of the roll underneath, if you want. The rolls should be about an inch apart so they have room to rise. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until noticeably puffy and almost doubled, about an hour.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden and baked through. Let cool until warm before frosting.
- For the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Whip with a handheld (or stand) mixer until creamy. Add the salt, milk or cream, and vanilla. Mix again. Add the powdered sugar and whip until light and creamy.
- Spread the slightly warm rolls evenly with the icing. Serve immediately or let cool completely and serve at room temperature (or warm lightly before serving).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from a recipe from my friend, Cheryl R (cut the recipe down to smaller size, changed up the mixing method just a little)
563 Comments on “The Best Cinnamon Rolls {Cheryl’s Famous Recipe} – with step-by-step tutorial and tons of tips”
Simply the best EVER!
So, these cinnamon rolls look amazing, but they also look a little time intensive. I have four little children who love to eat cinnamon rolls but have a short fuse when it comes to letting me make them. I am also pretty new at making cinnamon rolls, and working with yeast breads in general. I have had great success with some of your other roll recipes, thank you! Is there a delicious, fairly quick/easy cinnamon roll recipe you would recommend or should I just find a nice neighbor who would make this delicous recipe and share?
These biscuit cinnamon rolls might be the answer:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/buttermilk-biscuit-cinnamon-rolls/
I’ve made these cinnamon rolls numerous times and will never use another recipe again. They take a while to make but are well worth the effort. My family and friends ask for them frequently.
Hi Mel. Posting a second comment just to say that I made this for a new set of people yesterday and was told it was the best cinnamon roll they’d ever had. Thanks again for making this tutorial so easy to produce consistently great results.
This ARE the BEST cinnamon rolls I’ve made (and I’ve made plenty!). I’ve had great success with the step in your Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls recipe in which you put the shaped rolls (without letting them rise) in the freezer; then bringing them out the night before to thaw and rise for 9-11 hours before baking in the morning. Will this recipe work as well as the Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls do using this method? Thanks for your insight.
Yes, should work great!
Best Cinnamon Rolls EVER!!!!
I am attempting to learn how to “bake”, and decided the most delicious way to learn would be with cinnamon rolls. I love your recipes, and they always turn out as advertised. Yummy!!! I have a question about these cinnamon rolls, the bread tasted very salty/ yeasty to me. I only used the 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, but I only had active yeast ( not instant ). So I followed your notes on using active yeast. do you have any suggestions on why it would taste salty? I am going to make them again next week and use less salt.
Hi Jody – might just be a taste preference – you can definitely cut the salt down to 1 teaspoon.
I’ve used this recipe several times to make vegan cinnamon rolls. I use soy milk in the dough (no need to scald) and refined coconut oil in the filling. I only use 1/4 cup of coconut oil but that’s just my preference. I make them the night before and let them rise in the fridge, then bake them in the morning. I’ve tried lots of cinnamon roll recipes and these are far and away the best. Easy to roll out and they puff up huge and soft.
Great recipe! I thought I had my perfect cinnamon roll, but the past couple if times I made them they didn’t turn out great. Trusting that Mel knows her cinnamon rolls, I gave these a try. This is my new favorite!
First time ever making cinnamon rolls from scratch, for New Year’s day… I was nervous but these were so easy and came out incredible!!! I used the maple frosting from Gloria’s recipe but otherwise did not change a thing and they (like everything else on the site) really are a 10/10.
I’m a cinnamon rolls fanatic and always looking for a better recipe. My question: I really don’t like icing (crazy, right?). Will these be ok (fluffy and moist) without icing? I could glaze the top with a light brushing of butter or whatever, but the white stuff ruins it for me (I’m the same with cake frosting, salad dressing, etc.)
Yes, they are great without icing, too!
Oh my! This recipe was so much fun to make, I enjoy all bread making tho. Such a feeling of accomplishment! The rolls themselves are really good, my husband just said wow, these are very good. I don’t get that much from him unless I ask. Then he just says all the stuff you make is good, so for him to volunteer a compliment is high praise! Next time I’ll add a bit of orange oil to the frosting. I thought this dough was very easy to work with & quite an easy recipe. Do you think this dough recipe would work well with the caramel pecan rolls? Thanks for sharing a perfect cinnamon roll recipe!
Yes, you could definitely use this recipe for the caramel pecan rolls (likely will need to cut down the quantity of dough and/or increase the quantity of caramel and pecans).
Thanks for the reply, I have the 2nd batch of this recipe in the oven now, my family is going to love having these at Christmas. I’ll give the caramel ones a try too, no pecans cause the hubby isn’t a fan of nuts. Thanks again for all your work sharing your gift with us!! Merry Christmas to you & your lovely family!
There’s no eggs on this recipe right?
Correct, there are no eggs.
Is there no egg?
No, there are no eggs in this recipe.
Absolutely amazing recipe. My only question, because I have a hard time keeping the size consistent, what’s the appointment width when you cut each roll?
I slice them right around 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
I have made many, many recipes for cinnamon rolls over the years. This one definitely win for taste, texture and ease. They are a little more fluffy than I am used to, but they stayed so nice and tender and the size is really perfect. Follow Mel’s steps and it will turn out perfectly.
I have a cinnamon roll recipe that I have made for years and I love it. I didn’t need a new recipe, but I decided to try Cheryl’s recipe for fun. This is my new go to cinnamon roll recipe. These rolls are honestly incredible!
This was the best cinnamon roll recipe I have ever found it is truly AWESOME!!!!! I baked the at 350° for 20 minutes and they turned out FANTASTIC!!!
These were soooo good! My girls were not happy when I told them it was a new recipe but after one bite they were in heaven and said they were THE best cinnamon rolls ever! Thanks for all your yummy recipes!!!
Do you know if I could substitute Gluten-free flour for the AP flour?
Hi Wendi, usually yeast bread/doughs need more tweaking to make them GF…I haven’t made these with GF flour so I’m not sure if it will work. Sorry!
Just found this recipe. MKC is my go to when I need a recipe. These are definitely the BEST!! I really appreciated the tutorial…it helped because at one point I was going to add more flour but stuck it out and the results are amazing!! Thank you Mel!!
These are really good, BUT your Yukon Potato ones definitely beat them my opinion
In the process of making these… I think the grams for flour is wrong!
Hi Elsa, I test recipes using 142 grams of flour per cup.
Can this recipe be converted to a bread machine?
I don’t have a bread machine so I’m not sure – sorry! So much depends on the amount of dough that the bread machine can handle.
I am laughing so very hard as I finally checked out this recipe! I have known Cheryl and Jean for over 25 years. They were in my Ward here in Washington and we love them so much! They are awesome and we miss them! Loved the pictures. Cheryl also makes a killer Pakistani Chicken! Please tell them hello from Shelley and Monte!
Ho..lee..cow!!!! These aren’t just the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made… In all honesty, I think these are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever TRIED!! And I love cinnamon rolls! They are SO good.
And the pointers in the article were so helpful! Not too much filling, not too many layers.. that’s priceless information because in my mind.. if a little is good.. a lot is better, right? Apparently, not always.. 😉 Thank you for all of the pointers and tips! They were invaluable.
The frosting is 100% wonderful too. Light and fluffy.. not too sweet.. not too cream-cheesy. I used heavy cream – I recommend that option over the milk. In the filling, I didn’t use the carageenan, but a tiny bit (1/8 tsp-ish?) Of nutmeg.
These weren’t just BETTER than the other recipes.. theyre actually EASIER too. In case you can’t tell… I’m quite excited about these cinnamon rolls. Lol. Thank you Mel!
Excellent recipe. Ironically as I was checking out various recipes, the pioneer woman also has same recipe in larger volume.
So good! I have never been able to make good cinnamon rolls (the last ones were like hockey pucks). These are fluffy and decadent and Mel’s recipe and instructions are easy to follow. I can’t wait to make them again!
Fabulous! I intended to make 1 1/2 times the icing but forgot to add the extra half of heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Icing was a tad thicker and freakin’ delicious! 400% recommend!
This recipe reminds me of the Pioneer Woman’s recipe. She makes several small pans, but I make two half sheet pans or cut the recipe in half and it’s very similar to Cheryl’s. I like a big cinnamon roll. I put in about the same amount of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. They are my absolute favorite. The dough is delicate like no other cinnamon roll. I have made all of the cinnamon rolls on your site, but agree that this is hands down the BEST!! I have made countless others and while good they do not compare. Thanks for sharing. Also, now I want to try the butter emulsion.
Yes this is identical to the pioneer woman’s famous cinnamon rolls! Well, they’re amazing anyway!
I’m snowed in and making these cinnamon rolls. If the rolls are as good as the dough, I’ll be in heaven. I don’t have cream cheese. Do you think the sour cream frosting would be bad? I’ll let you know if these turn out. We are all fans and say, quite often, “I’m making Mel’s….gnocchi soup”, or whatever.
Hi Sally, I think you can leave the cream cheese out for more of a frosting/glaze. Hope they worked out!
Have you made these the night before and let them rise the final rise in the fridge? I know I could make these completely in advance and freeze them – I’ve done that the past few years. But I miss that cinnamon roll baking smell on Christmas morning!
Yes, I do that all the time! I let the rolls rise, shaped, on the baking pan over night and then I take them out a few hours before baking in the morning.
Thanks so much for responding!
Hi Mel
The recipe is amazing. Quick question.
Have you ever try it with the sponge & dough together for just one proofing and then proofing again once rolled and cut?
Thanks in advanced.
I haven’t tried that, sorry!
These have been my only recipe since I first tried them. They’re amazingly fluffy – just switch out the teaspoons of cinnamon for tablespoons and cut down the sugar a little and you’ll have a killer flavor too.
Can I just use butter instead of the neutral oil for the sponge? Thank you
Yes, you can use butter.
Mel, Bam! You did it again! We always love these perfect, decadent cinnamon rolls. We did a double batch and made the other half savory. For the filling, we used butter, garlic salt, fresh basil, and fresh parmesan. Yum!!! (The college kids couldn’t decide on their favorite and so voted to keep making both.)
We. Love. Mel.
I have to make my annual comment on these cinnamon rolls which really are the best ever. I made 2 double batches (so I guess a quadruple batch) and just wanted to give a little update to anyone wanting to make smaller rolls. I made pretty good sized cinnamon rolls (1-inch thick when cutting) and my quadruple batch made a little over 100 cinnamon rolls! (That’s about 25 rolls per batch). Just thought I’d give the update in case it’s helpful for anyone. Also, if you’re wondering should I try making these? The answer is yes, yes, yes! These cinnamon rolls can change your cinnamon roll life!
Could you do a video tutorial on this recipe? The part I’m struggling with is rolling the log. I haven’t had much experience baking doughs and so I am admittedly afraid of it. I made these last night and even though I floured the counter the dough stuck to the counter when I was was rolling it into the log… just waiting for them to rise so I can cook them now!
I’ll add this to my list of videos to make, Erin! If the dough is sticking, don’t be afraid to add a bit more flour to the counter.
Hi Mel! Long time fan here. In fact every time my family compliments me on a recipe of yours I shout “All hail Queen Mel!” ..You’re a big deal at our house! 🙂
Love this recipe and it has become a Christmas tradition. However, our family (and extended family) continues to grow- I used to pop a handful of frozen ones in the microwave on Christmas morning and it was sufficient. Last year it felt crazy microwaving almost a dozen rolls. Anyway, I should prob adjust my menu but these rolls are to die for. Any suggestions? I saw a similar comment about unthawing/heating in the oven but sounds like we’re risking them drying out… Would it be a better idea to let them unthaw in the fridge the night before and heat them for a shorter time in the oven? Or maybe I could leave them on the counter for a few hours to unthaw and come to room temp and then the oven for a few min? I would love it if you could shed some wisdom or ideas on this matter. ….Or tell me if I need to change the menu 🙂
Hey Alexa! Any chance you could make the cinnamon roll dough the night before, refrigerate and bake and frost the rolls the morning of? If not, I’d probably suggest unthawing and coming to room temp on the counter and then popping in the oven to warm for a few minutes. Good luck!
We are big on taste tests in my family. I made these and put them up against cook’s country ultimate cinnamon buns. It was a 50/50 split. These are definitely delicious and it makes more, so I think that makes them the winner.
I just made these today for friends. It was amazing! My friends all raved. One expressed that cinnamon rolls often end up being dry/hard/crumbly/chewy. These were incredibly soft. They weren’t tall, but they spread out during the proof after rolling. The dough was so soft, it had very little structure and was hard to shape. But everyone raved and I loved it too!! I paired it with the icing from the buttermilk cinnamon roll recipe at my sister’s recommendation. It was just lovely all around.
I had the same problem and would like Mel to comment
Hi Velinda, I’m not sure where you need help? Can you detail the problem you are having?
My son and I just made these together this afternoon and they were delicious! Thanks for sharing another amazing recipe with us! The cinnamon rolls were the perfect balance of sweet, light, and moist. I hate the word moist but I don’t know what other word to use to explain them. Thanks so much, Mel!
Wonderful , soft , delicious cinnamon rolls. Made them with my daughter and she is also “sold” on your fantastic recipe
I’m curious if anyone has tried using buttermilk instead of regular milk and the results?
Thanks
I made these yesterday by request from my husband. This recipe knocked his socks off. They were still lovely and tender the next day. The rolls reminded me of the cafeteria school rolls we got as kids that were as big as your (6 year old) face – but wayyy better! Thank you for always being an awesome, reliable, and a trusted baker we all can always count on.
I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count! We love to gift the other half of the recipe since we don’t need to eat more than one in our house and our neighbors and friends love it ask when I’ll make them again!
I just made these for General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. AMAZING!!! These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made! Will be saving this recipe to use for years to come.
For years I was on the hunt for the perfect cinnamon roll, I am talking years and lot and lots of different recipes. This recipe takes the cake, so soft and fluffy, not too sweet. Family favorite, so glad the search is over
What is neutral flavored oil?
Like canola or vegetable oil (a flavor without a strong flavor).
Hello! Can bread flour be used in place of the all purpose flour .?
Yes, but the rolls may not be as soft and tender (they might be kind of chewy)
These cinnamon buns are the best I’ve ever made, and I have made many recipes. Thank you.
Oh my… these were amazing!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mel! I was looking for a cinnamon roll recipe that my husband could take to work and let’s just say I’m glad I made some extra! Everyone loved them. You are my favorite food blogger (and dare I say person?) ever! Haha, thank you again!!
I’ve made them a couple times since and they have been just as good!! My MIL said they were the best she had ever had! Score! Thanks again, Mel!!
At 72 years of age, I am a very good cook but a mostly mediocre baker. I awoke early this morning and decided to try your cinnamon roll recipe… it worked beautifully! Tender, fluffy, and very tasty rolls, and the frosting is perfect, too. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
BTW, I was confident your recipe would turn out good because it uses scalded milk… that is the “secret” to the fail-proof white bread recipe that I’ve used since my late teens. If the milk isn’t scalded, the resulting bread is tenser and less appealing, and if scalded the bread is always excellent, soft, fragrant, and tasty.
Best cinnamon rolls I have ever made. Delicious. I dare say they are better the next day! Yum
Fantastic recipe and super impressed with how well they freeze, yet still taste fresh. I would not mix these with a hand mixer, as the dough gets pulled up very quickly up into the blades and into the mixer. I broke my mixer attempting this myself. Definitely stick with your stand mixer!
Also, on my first attempt I was baking the rolls, when I read that convection might be preferred. So I changed my oven to 325 degrees/convection with about 7 min of cook time left, and the rolls browned too much and were just slightly undercooked in the middle. I would just stick with a regular bake vs convection (although all ovens are different).
But the recipe is so good, that I’m in the middle of making another batch right now!
I always use convection when backing ☺️ and what I do with these cinnamon rolls is to turn the pan or tray halfway (180 degrees) through baking so the pan cooks the tops evenly.
I also shave off a minute or 2 from the total baking time as they do tend towards browning quickly.
As you say in your description of the recipe that this isn’t for everyone but I feel like a master baker after pulling these out of the oven today! This is going to be my “go to recipe”!
I made these today!! Which is a huge win for me as normally, yeast dough doesn’t rise for me. They smell soooo good.
Ended up a bit on the dark side however…with lots of cinnamon/butter syrupy stuff in between them – any suggestions on what I may have done wrong??
Try baking them for a few minutes less, Carrie! That should help
These were amazing. I let them rise for too long too many times (thanks to online schooling situations). The dough was still very forgiving. They were huge and glorious. Thanks for the great recipe!
The first few times i made these they were fluffy and had a delicious soft bun texture, they were really the best cinnamon buns ive ever had! but the last two times i’ve made them they’ve been dry, dense and crumbly. delicious if reheated but they don’t exactly draw me to them and they eventually sit on the counter to die. i’ve been very cautious to not over flour (if anything i’ve gone a tiny bit under and have had the sticky dough suggested) ive followed the blog to a T. Any suggestions?? Id love to remedy this problem as I know these are the best when they work out.
Hi Michelle, if you’ve made them with really good results and then all of a sudden they haven’t started working out…it’s really hard for me to know what’s happening without being right there in your kitchen. If they are turning out dry and crumbly, I would keep an eye on baking time. Over baking can make cinnamon rolls dry. Is the dough rising well?
Did you use a different brand of flour? That can make a difference.
I made these and used your make ahead instructions! My mom said they were the BEST cinnamon rolls she has ever had! Never going to be able to buy store bought again! LOL…I even had to use whipped cream cheese because when I opened the normal kind it was moldy. I was worried it wouldn’t work, but it was great! Thanks for always posting AMAZING recipes! You are my new go to girl for recipes!
Help! I’m an avid cinnamon roll maker and I followed this recipe exactly but the dough is so tough! I should’ve been more careful about how much flour I added on the last step because it was obviously too much! The dough is not rising at all! 🙁
When doubling this recipe what’s the amount of yeast that you use?
I double the yeast but you could probably get by with 1 1/2-ing the yeast.
Best. Cinnamon Rolls. Ever.
I just made them and couldn’t stop myself from eating two!
Hi Mel. We made these (again) this morning. They are great…the recipe is perfect. The only change I made was I made 30 instead of 12 rolls. I was aiming for 24, but my cuts were just a little off. Anyway, it still filled the pan perfectly and gave us some large and small options. Such a great dough and the frosting was just right. Our neighbors are VERY happy right now. Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I love, love, love these cinnamon rolls! As I think I commented before, I wanted to try a merger of this cinnamon roll dough with the orange rolls (I used to make half orange rolls/half cinnamon rolls). I did this dough with the orange filling/icing (only I did half white/half brown sugar) and added 1/4 teaspoon cardamom and a pinch of cloves in with the sugar/zest mixture. They were so good! Highly recommend. I just love this dough. It feels so much less heavy (which might be a dangerous thing!) I also attempted a cranberry filling with the orange icing. They tasted good – but something weird happened to the dough where it turned green/gray in spots. I read that it could happen with certain baking soda interactions – so they tasted good – but I wasn’t sure about giving them to people. Also I do cut the cinnamon rolls a little smaller and tend to get 16-18 a batch. I like to put 5-6 in 9 inch round foil pans to give to people.
Sorry, I do have to add that I also make and store my own yeast/sour dough starter which was used in this recipe.
I have been making cinnamon rolls every holiday for years, trying several different recipes. None compare to this one, absolutely none. I have tried recipes with ricotta, sour cream, and warm milk which do not compare to this dough. I have enough dough left over from this recipe even after making two pie dishes. The left over dough will be in the freezer for another day and maybe for Zeppole rolled in cinnamon and sugar.
Sorry, I do have to add that I also make and store my own yeast/sour dough starter which was used in this recipe.
Thanks Mel! This is a good recipe, easy enough for someone who hasn’t made cinnamon tools for years. I doubled the frosting recipe, may not have been needed but it didn’t stop my family from gobbling these babies down!
I’ve made cinnamon rolls a handful of times, each with a new recipe because I’ve never been sold on it being the best recipe. This recipe is it. It’s the one. I’ll never try another recipe. The rolls were soft, tender and fluffy. The filling was perfectly cinnamony with a great ratio of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. The frosting/icing was perfect in every way. My whole family raved about them this way. My diet is ruined, my kitchen’s a mess, and it was all worth it. 🙂
The other problem I usually have is having the center raise way higher than the sides of the roll. Any idea what causes that?
My oven has a convection setting. But if I hit convection bake and then put in 350 the oven will automatically set it to 325. It sets it 25 degrees lower. So I never know what to do. Do I leave it as is? Or do I set it 25 degrees higher than the recipe calls for? Anyone know?
Hey Emily, when I use convection bake, I take the bake time in the recipe and set it 25 degrees lower. So a recipe that normally bakes on 350 will bake at 325 convection. That’s pretty normal. Also, a lot of times the centers of the cinnamon rolls will rise up higher if they are rolled too tight.
Do you ever just roll these out smaller to make more cinnamon rolls just smaller size but still on a sheet pan? I’ll be honest I always follow your cinnamon rolls recipes to a T (like use a ruler to get my dough rolled close to the inches you say and everything.) Before finding your blog my cinnamon rolls were just alright so I’m nervous to change it myself, ha! But I’ve been wondering how you would roll it out and how many to make still on a sheet pan if you were wanting to make them smaller to share with a large group. Your small batch cinnamon rolls say 14 x 10 in. So maybe that-ish?? Maybe get 20-24 on a pan? So 4 x 5 or 4 x 6?? Just wondering if you’ve ever rolled them out smaller and what it looks like for you if you don’t mind sharing your thoughts, thanks!
Yes! You can definitely make them smaller. I haven’t measured the rectangle when I do that but usually I just make the rectangle longer and less wide (so it rolls up less thick). I know that’s not very helpful, sorry! Depending on how small they are, you could probably get about 20 on a pan.
I just made these for my first day of teaching seminary. Bribery works! Thanks for the yummiest cinnamon rolls I have ever made!!
Excited to try this recipe. Can I use bread flour instead of AP? Does it yield the same result? At the moment I only have bread flour, and if so, how many cups?
I haven’t tried with bread flour – it might change the texture of the rolls (maybe a bit more chewy?). If you use it, you’ll probably use the same amount as called for in the recipe.
We absolutely LOVE these cinnamon rolls and have made them many times to enjoy ourselves and also share with friends. I’m wondering about taking a batch to my kids’ school for their teachers, but I would need closer to 30 rolls. Instead of making two batches, do you think it would work to make smaller rolls? I usually get 16-18 rolls in one batch from a 20×16 rectangle. If I made two 20×8 rectangles, I could get twice as many smaller rolls. Thoughts? Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!
Yes, you could definitely make them a bit smaller!
Shrinking was a problem for me at times. It was so frustrating with no answers even though Purdue extension weighed in. Finally one day I decided I was not going to watch it happen so threw a dish towel over them as they came out of the oven.
Behold no more shrinkage. Don’t know why but it works!
SAVORY ROCKS!!
These are the puffiest, fluffiest, most delectable cinnamon rolls ever, and well, we love Cheryl!!
For a variation, we made the same rolls but held the cinnamon and sugar and used savory flavors. The whole extended family loves them. Roll out the dough as directed. spread butter on the rectangle but … sprinkle with garlic salt, oregano, fresh basil from the garden ( or Italian seasoning); about 8 oz of grated parmesan and another handful of grated gouda. (or do shredded ham and cheddar). Bake as directed.
Wowza! They are amazing!
I looked to see if anyone else had asked this—— what kind of oil do you use? I only keep olive oil on hand (or avocado oil). I’ve made these with olive oil and they were fabulous! I’m wondering, though, would coconut oil be better?
Good grief. My milk just boiled over as I was asking this question ☹️
I haven’t made them with coconut oil, but I have made them with avocado oil (works great). I’ve found I prefer the taste of a neutral flavored oil.
These were delicious. Light, almost fluffy. The one thing I would change is that I think the cream cheese taste is too pronounced in the frosting. I added lemon zest and a couple of tbsps of orange juice. I have always looked for a frosting for cinnamon rolls that does not have cream cheese and not found one. Citrus helps. These even developed a very slight crunch on the bottom of the roll which we all loved as a complement to the soft texture of the middle of the roll. Moreover, they were easier than I anticipated. Absolutely delightful and disappearing at an alarming rate!
I like adding canned pumpkin to my dough this time of year. Can I do that with this recipe? If so, should I just sub it in for a bit of the milk and oil?
I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I have a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls here:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/
This is a very good recipe, it’s actually the pioneer woman’s recipe for her cinnamon roll dough.
I have attempted to make these twice now followed the recipe to a T, I have made another cinnamon scroll recipe that has worked out fine every time I have made it, twice they have not worked out, maybe the dough is to wet but added more flour not sure what is going on very confused.
Hi Mel,
I’ve made these twice now and both times my family have loved them! In my daughter’s voice “Shut the front door” I’m not a baker by any means but your recipes are easy to follow. Wood
How long do you knead the dough?
You don’t knead very long, if at all – the instructions cover all the mixing details! 🙂
Trulllllly Delicious!!! Couldn’t find the recipe and used another that I though was this one, no comparison, so glad I ended up finding it again Thank you!
OMG those were the best Cinnamon Buns I have ever had. Thank you for the recipe. My waist may not say thank you but I loved them only ate half at a time and we shared with the neighbours and our kids.
These cinnamon rolls were ah-mazing!!!!!! There were no left overs to try the freeze trick… I would like to try it though. Maybe when we aren’t at a cinnamon roll deficit in our lives.
Where did you get your rolling pin from?
Amazon!
Is it extremly necessary to rise The Dough twice before rolling it out?
I’ve tried several of your recipes and loved them ❤️
Can I just say I’ve been loving reading through all your cinnamon roll recipes as a fellow fiend I think this is the one I will try next for sure! Five stars before making simply because I have trust in them from what they look like I have read through your how to bake ahead post, but I have a question. If I want to give these away and do 4 in the 8×8 as recommended, at what point can I stick a lid on them and give them off? And what instructions should I give to my recipients? Your help is soooooo appreciated!
Are you wanting your recipients to bake them themselves? Or will you gift them already baked? 🙂
I would like my recipients to bake themselves if possible (possible meaning: if the integrity of the rolls will be the same) and if not, I’ll bake before hand and hand them off. I’m just trying to wrap my head around what would be best method to keep them in 8×8 metal pans (the throw away kinds) and what instructions I should give!
If unbaked is not the way to go: if I bake them, wait till slightly cooked and then ice them, recipients could just pop in microwave for 20-30 seconds and they would be “like fresh”? Or is there another of your cinnamon roll recipes that would work better for sending off?
This one should work great for that!
Is it extremly necessary to rise The Dough twice before rolling it out?
I’ve tried several of your recipes and loved them ❤️
It definitely helps the end result be super fluffy and soft.
These were amazing! My sister sent me the recipe because she couldn’t handle it, LOL. Thank you for sharing. I have a quick question if you have time…
Have you ever started the rolls the night before and then finished in the morning? If so, did you let the rolls sit or the dough? Thanks so much! I will definitely be making these again
Hi Amy! Yes, this recipe works great as an overnight recipe. I’ve made the recipe to the point the rolls are shaped and on the pan and then refrigerated them overnight (took them out to rise in the morning and bake) and I’ve also refrigerated the dough overnight before shaping into rolls. Both work great!
I have never left a comment, but I must share my thoughts on these cinnamon rolls. THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE EVER! I have made them multiple times in the last few weeks. It has been perfect to drop off on friend’s doorsteps to let them know I care about them. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
My husband got a craving for cinnamon rolls this afternoon, so we made a batch of these! We just shared one and I had to tell you that my husband cried REAL tears of joy after the first bite, which then made both of us belly laugh for a good five minutes straight. It was such a good moment in the midst of all of this quarantine craziness, so THANK YOU! And even better, after having such a good laugh we still have an entire of pan of these amazing cinnamon rolls to look forward to!
Best. Cinnamon Rolls. Ever.
Life changing.
My children will make these for my grandchildren some day.
These were GREAT! I made them this morning and followed the recipe exactly (which is something I don’t usually do– EVER when baking) and they came out perfectly! I rolled them a little too loosely, but otherwise perfect texture and flavor, and made from staple ingredients! I will DEFINITELY be making these again as this batch may not last the day!
Oh my. This was my first attempt at cinnamon rolls and they were divine! Will make them every Easter from now on – the whole family loved them!!
I stayed up til 12:30 last night (forgot how long the rises would take!) making these rolls so we could eat them today, Easter morning. Got up early to let them rise (out of fridge). Was so excited anticipating these babies! Checked the oven a few times, as I’m at my MIL’s house with an old oven that overcooks things quickly. Even had the temp 25 degrees lower. Every time, they looked not done, not done, and then boom! Overdone! I almost cried. One pan of four was too done to eat, the others are salvageable. Mel, the recipe is wonderful, I’m just so sad I took my eyes off them for three minutes (and well before the time recommendation). Just needed someone to sympathize with me crying over my hard work and letting a few extra minutes ruin my masterpieces I’ll try again, in my own oven at my house that I can better predict.
Oh man, Lynn, I AM SO SORRY!! I can definitely sympathize with you – there’s nothing like that awful feeling of going to so much work only to have them over bake to the point of no return. Such a bummer!
Thanks Mel. The icing is so good, and the rolls that weren’t too cooked are still good, especially with a few seconds in the microwave. Looking forward to another batch sometime.
I made these Cinnamon Rolls today….I haven’t made cinnamon rolls for over 10 years because I haven’t been happy with the end result. This recipe is definitely a keeper and was thrilled with the end result!!! My family kept saying how yummy they are and kept coming back for more. This recipe has everything that will give you an excellent tasting and texture cinnamon roll needs. I was concerned it didn’t call for eggs in the dough and wondered how the dough would turn out….and they turned out perfectly. I love using Cardamom in my cookies and adding this spice is a yummy addition to the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture. Thank you Mel for the excellent step by step visual illustrations!. And all the time you put into what you do soo well to help us be successful feeding our family’s yummy treats and healthy meals!
These are the “BEST” cinnamon rolls….so happy my searching for a good recipe has now come to an end!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
My husband said, “They taste like a bite of heaven. Seriously. Was this recipe from Mel’s?” 🙂 Loved it! Thank you!!!
This is the best cinnamon roll recipe I have ever made (and I have made a lot!) It cracks me up that you predicted that people the world over would be making cinnamon rolls the first weekend of April. I definitely am!
Whew Mel, I was sitting there thinking, “Please President Nelson, don’t cancel the cinnamon rolls tomorrow! I already started them!” Crisis averted.
I was thinking the same thing! He seemed so close to announcing a fast beginning tonight, and I was beginning to lament having put forth the effort to make my cinnamon rolls that would have to be baked tomorrow morning regardless of whether or not we’re fasting.
These turned out so well!! They are the best recipe of cinnamon rolls I have ever made. Fluffy, moist, and so delicious! I have to say I was a little sceptical using oil (canola for me), but I needn’t have been. Will make again and again! Thanks, Mel.
SO GOOD. I’m awful at making cinammon rolls and these were a HUGE hit! Thank you!!!
By far the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had and I don’t take cinnamon rolls lightly as they are the highlight of two weekends a year in the LDS church. This recipe. It wins.
These are amazing! We are hooked, the frosting is a game changer!!!! If I want to refrigerate over night after I have cut them and placed in pan what do you recommend for rise time from fridge? Does refrigerating them before hand have a down side?
Does this post help? https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-make-cinnamon-rolls-ahead-of-time/
My goodness! I have been baking bread since I was 6 years old and these are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made! I love the lightness of the bread, lots of flavor without the heaviness of other rolls I have made before.
This was my first at making cinnamon rolls. Thank you for the tips, illustrations, and recipe. My rolls were not perfect looking, but they were delicious. I will definitely make these again. Practice makes perfect!
Thanks for sharing,
Teri
Can I halve this recipe?
Yes
Okay this question sounds dumb as I’m typing it haha but if I want to use this exact recipe but get double the amount of cinnamon rolls, just smaller in size, would you recommend dividing the dough and rolling into two separate logs and baking 24 on one cookie sheet?? Or what would be the best way to go about making them smaller?
Yes, that’s exactly what I would do!
Hi Mel! Thanks for sharing all of your DIVINE recipes and expert tips with us! You’re simply the best! For the filling in this recipe, how do you determine how much butter to add? Between 8 and 12 tablespoons is quite the range. Thank you so much!
It honestly depends on my mood – haha – or just how buttery I want them. Mostly, though, I stick with the 8 tablespoons.
Not that these need another 5 star review but these are amazing! They were fun to make and the taste is just so good. I bake and cook every night after my three toddlers go to sleep, and these were a fun project to tackle while listening to a podcast (wow – this would have been the Saturday night of my nightmares a few years ago hahahah). Thank you for a great recipe!
I also had two snow days that kept the kids home, and figured some cinnamon rolls would refuel them after hours of play. I am a devoted baker and certainly have my go-to recipe imprinted by memory, and never stray since I’ve felt it was already perfect. But the snow made me curious to see if I could learn something new and discover something better, and I came upon your recipe. I have never had such success with both a yeast and chemical raising of dough.. I was skeptical at the outcome, but was I ever amazed!
These certainly were the MOST amazing (and I made them vegan) I have ever made and my family was RAVING about them. So fluffy, texture so perfect, baking time perfect, cardamom touch sublime! These will be my go to from now on! Now have to do it a few times to commit it to memory. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I was wondering if you could share what substitutions you made to make this recipe vegan? I would love to try it!
We had a snow day from school (way to soon after Christmas break in my opinion :)!) which included sledding with friends which of course had to end with cinnamon rolls! And oh my goodness, these were SOOOOO good! I’ve been a devote hard Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Roll maker for years, but I think I’m converted to these from here on out. AMAZING!!!
This recipe is exactly half of pioneer woman’s recipe. nobody noticed that?
I was thinking the same exact thing as I was looking at this recipe. I’ve been making Pioneer Woman’s recipe for years. It is the best, but this is the same exact recipe and method she uses.
So good!
I made these for a second time today. They are so good! I doubled the batch, increased the cinnamon and now plan to freeze them. Thank you again for another fantastic recipe:)
Happy New Year!
I was a little hesitant to make these after the debacle that was the Yukon Gold Cinnamon rolls (still not sure how I managed to mess those cinnamon rolls up not once but twice.) I typically make close to Gloria’s recipe (and sometimes do half orange rolls/half cinnamon). But I thought I’d try these – and that was a very good choice! I think I’ve found my cinnamon roll recipe for life. While the others are very good, they would often feel a little bit like a rock in my stomach afterwards. These are so light and fluffy! I may or may not have eaten one warm and un-iced out of the pan. Then I told my husband we were giving them away so he couldn’t eat them – then I might have given in and eaten one – iced but room temperature and it was still delicious! The others I’d always warm up – but these are delicious (and super soft!) – even in a cool state. I had made some of your 10 minute caramel earlier this week (for the chocolate chip caramel cookie bars – also a big hit!) and I put a little bit in my frosting. Yum! So good.
Hi Mel, Could you please tell me when the best time to freeze the dough is? Would you say it’s before the third rise? How much time to let them thaw and rise? Basically, could you provide some notes (fridge and freezer) for how to make these ahead so Moms aren’t spending 4 hours on Christmas Eve making them? We have bikes to put together!
Here’s a post I did that talks about making cinnamon rolls ahead of time:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-make-cinnamon-rolls-ahead-of-time/
Hey Mel,
I love this recipe as well as Gloria’s recipe. I always make a batch for Christmas morning. I preferred this recipe just a touch, but I am wondering if you think that I could substitute the oil for ghee or melted butter in this recipe. I never have neutral flavored oil on hand. Thanks!
I use butter in place of the oil in this recipe and it’s great!
Thank you so much for your reply. I am going to make them with melted butter today! We love cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning!
Can I use Whole Buttermilk for the scalded Milk? Would I need to add or delete anything? Could I maybe use half buttermilk and half scalded milk? I love breads and cakes with buttermilk and wondered if it would work in your recipe.
You can definitely try! I have another cinnamon roll recipe with buttermilk and it’s great, so it may work here
I made these this morning with cranberry-orange filling for an event. They were a huge hit. I didn’t love the oil flavor (even though it was canola) and wondered if it would work with butter instead as I do for my usual cinnamon rolls. I loved the fluffier texture of these compared to what I usually make.
I have to tell you my cousin and I were on a quest to find the best cinnamon roll recipe so we planned it all out, then baked all day today. We tried 6 different recipes, all with different methods and ingredients. We used Rhodes cinnamon rolls with doctored up frosting, kind of as a joke. Sadly, they ranked pretty high, Or maybe not sadly if you’re in a time crunch. But this recipe was hands down everyone’s favorite. So light and fluffy, perfect texture and taste. These cinnamon rolls are perfection and my search for the perfect recipe is over! Thanks for sharing this gem and for all the helpful detailed instructions.
This is awesome, Catherine! What a fun experiment to do and I actually laughed out loud at the rhodes result! Hey, that’s kind of awesome, I guess! Glad this recipe ended up faring well, too. So fun!
Sadly I let your post scare me into under-flouring my dough again it was a little too light and it was impossible to make clean slices (they stuck together again as soon as I used my thread on them). It also stuck to my counter quite a lot, though otherwise it was easy enough to work with.
Also, I am open to a tutorial on spreading softened butter on dough. I had very soft butter that almost melted in my hands, and breaking it into little clumps and sort of massaging it on the top worked okay, but there’s got to be a better way!
Judging from day two, I might have let it rise too much at some point, though I don’t recall leaving it alone a very long time (it was a little hectic when I was making it). Or maybe I watch the great British baking show too much? Hehe
I was a little nervous to make these. I typically make more or less Gloria’s cinnamon rolls – and last time I tried something new for Christmas (RIP Yukon gold cinnamon rolls), they were a bust – so I decided to make them this weekend. They are amazing. While I like my other cinnamon rolls sometimes they feel like a rock in my belly – but that is definitely not the case with these! This is my new cinnamon roll recipe. Also I’d made your 10 minute caramel earlier this week and put some in the icing! Delicious!
I have made A LOT of cinnamon rolls in my lifetime. One of my sons has been bugging me to make cinnamon rolls all week so today I caved. This new recipe is the best I’ve made. The dough is so nice to work with. I kept wanting to add more flour but I resisted and the result was fabulous. The final rolls were HUGE. The bread was so soft and fluffy and the filling tasted wonderful. I added maple along with the vanilla in the frosting and it was divine. Thank you so much!
P.S. I have to apologize because before I made the recipe I was wanting to read the reviews and clicked on the starts beside the recipe, thinking it would take me to read the reviews but I think I accidentally gave you about a 3 star rating. If there is a way to fix that, please let me know.
Thanks, Kim! And no worries on the star rating. If you had clicked on the three stars it would have prompted you to leave a review; if it didn’t do that then it means the rating didn’t actually get clicked. 🙂
Have you ever refrigerated the rolls and bake the next day?
Yes. The longest I’ve refrigerated the rolls is about 12 hours.
How long did you let them sit out of the fridge before you put them in the oven to bake? Thinking nah rad to Christmas 🙂
*thinking ahead!
A lot depends on how much they rise in the refrigerator, but I try to give them 1 1/2 hours out of the fridge to come to room temp before baking.
Hi Mel! I have noticed that my cinnamon roll filling likes to melt out of my roll while rising before baking. What are your suggestions for this? Can I let them rise in my fridge? If so, how long?
Hey Michelle – are they rising in an overly warm spot? Or is the filling leaking out even at room temperature?
I haven’t done this recipe yet, but I have a question. I have active dry yeast, so you said in notes that I can use the “same amount of yeast in a couple tablespoons of warm water and a pinch of sugar”. So I use water instead of milk or I can use milk aswell?
I would suggest proofing the yeast in warm water instead of milk.
I always use active dry yeast and for this recipe took 1/3 cup of the scalded milk/sugar/oil mixture (after it had cooled a bit) then mixed in the yeast and it proofed beautifully 🙂
It always makes me hesitate to add extra liquid (like the 3-4 Tb called for in this recipe to proof active dry yeast) to a bread/roll recipe, so I just take the proofing liquid out of what is already called for with the recipe…if that makes sense.
Thank you Mel for this wonderful recipe!
I made these for the staff meeting when we went back to school this fall and they were a HUGE hit! There were extras (which I chose not to leave in the staff lounge…!) so I froze them in individual baggies like you suggested. I just took one out and microwaved it until it was warm and gooey. It tastes exactly like it came out of the oven. Thanks for that tip and this delicious recipe.
The best even got better! My friend insists that Canadian flour is so much better for bread. So, I did an experiment with these cinnamon rolls. The initial results are in (my husband), the Canadian flour makes the best even better. Today, will be the real test when our friend does a blind test of American flour vs Canadian flour. Regardless of the flour, these get gobbled up!
P.S. for the filling, I neglected to reread the directions and combined the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Then, spread the mixture on the dough. Worked great.
P.P.S. The rising time with the Canadian flour was longer but that might have been the temperature of our house.
I really liked these rolls. I was debating which recipe to make: this one or Gloria’s, but decided on this one because of the lightness of the dough, that you and everyone else was talking about. And they are light! I love cinnamon rolls, but usually feel very heavy after eating them. Not this time! My dough was super sticky after I added all the flour, but I though I would stick to the recipe and only add more if it will be impossible to roll after the last rise. It was the right decision, no additional flour was needed. Also I just used my hands to stretch it out, no rolling, it was that soft and easy to work with. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I have been searching, and testing Cinnamon Roll recipes for as long as I can remember, searching for that one recipe to knock it out of the park. This is a winner hands down! Thank you so much for sharing.
These are amazing!!! I was worried I didn’t add enough flour because I left the dough stickier than I typically would but once it had time to rise it was perfect!! This was the treat my daughter wanted for her 8th birthday/baptism and she kept saying they were so soft and melted in her mouth. We love Gloria’s recipe too, I agree with the comment that her recipe is amazing and the roll dough really shines and gives good flavor and is a bit heartier- and these rolls are lighter and let the cinnamon filling really stand out.
Love them both but this recipe probably wins as my go to. Thanks Mel!!
I have made Gloria’s amazing version a few times and they were my tried and true. Then I tried making these and they are truly incredible. In my opinion, this is the difference:
Gloria’s rolls are more substantial. The dough is it’s own star of the show. You have two separate components when you eat it. The amazingly tender dough and the cinnamon filling.
This recipe: the dough is SO light that it kind of melts away leaving the cinnamon to really be THE star. It’s kind of a backdrop to the cinnamon aspect of the bun and not a co star.
I hope that didn’t sound too poetic for cinnamon rolls:) both versions are amazing! I would say this one is “lighter” and more melt in your mouth while Gloria’s has more “bite” to it.
Hope this was helpful! I HIGHLY recommend both versions!
I have roamed the earth looking for the best cinnamon roll and I found it! Honestly, they were amazing! Would the rolls rise too much if I put them in the fridge overnight for the second rise? Thank you!
Should work pretty well!
Hello mel im trying your cinnaon rolls at this moment. Just wondering approximately how many minutes should i mix the sponge using my paddle attachment? Thank you.
Hi Kris – just mix until it is combined, maybe 1-2 minutes.
Best Cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. Would give it 100 stars if I could.
For Mother’s Day I asked my husband for the gift of a quiet kitchen so I could make these cinnamon rolls while he played with our one year old. I made these today for a brunch with our families and everyone raved about them! My husband especially wants you to know that these are the best cinnamon rolls he’s ever had. Thank you for another gem of a recipe! And thank you for the reassurance that they would turn out soft and tender, even if the dough seems a bit wet. These are our go-to cinnamon roll recipe from now on!
These have ruined all other cinnamon rolls for me. I love how easy and fool proof the recipe is and they turn out perfect and yummy every time! We freeze our leftovers and they warm up perfectly! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made these since I found this recipe. <3
Hi. What are the dimensions of the half sheet pan you use for this recipe?
About 11X17 inches.
Thanks!! I am finally make these today, they are proofing now for the second time. If you bake at 350 conventional, would you put it on 325 for convection? Thank you!
Also, when adding the flour and mixing for the second time, what is an approximate mixing time? I know it would be different for each case, but maybe just an idea to get a good starting point. Also, mix on low, or med speed?
Thank you!
If the recipe says bake at 350 degrees and I use convection, yes, I drop the temp to 325. Low or medium speed should be fine, and it should just take a few minutes of mixing time.
Well. These were DELICIOUS!!!!!
I made these for Easter brunch this year. So wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.
These are by far the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had! I’ve been trying different cinnamon roll recipes for years and they always end up like bread rolls with frosting on them. After making these I realized I’ve probably been putting too much flour in my dough. Thanks for being so encouraging about sticking to the recipe. I followed it exactly and these were so tender and delicious. I can stop my search for the perfect cinnamon rolls 🙂
I rarely write recipe reviews but these cinnamon rolls turned out SO perfect I felt obligated to do so. These are hands down the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. I accidentally started up my mixer before adding the yeast so I ended up adding the yeast to the wet ingredients but it still turned out amazingly. I’ll be sticking to this recipe for good. Thank you!
These are amazing. Best frosting, and the dough is so tender and soft. Will definitely make these again.
These were fantastic! I love how tender these were and the frosting was just perfect. My favorite thing is that you give an exact measurement for everything including the flour (instead of a range). I just weighed the dry ingredients and these turned out exactly as promised. Our new favorite cinnamon roll recipe!!
These cinnamon rolls checked every box. Gigantic, Soft, tender buttery cinnamon filling, with a frosting that ties it all together. Wow! I have been on the search for a Cinnabon clone recipe- but this is 10 times better than Cinnabon. My favorite part was the bottom of the rolls- some of the cardamom cinnamon butter mixture seeped down to the bottom and created a light caramel coating. It was amazing! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been wanting to make these since you posted them. Finally did it this weekend and, WOW is all I can say. I love Gloria’s recipe that you posted before and these are as good or better! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! Your recipes never disappoint!
Have you ever tripled these in your bosch? I am wanting a lot of cinnamon rolls, but don’t want to make 2 separate batches :). I can’t wait to make them!
Yes this recipe works great in the Bosch!
Did you already make these? I have to make 9 dozen and am wondering how yours turned out tripling them
Yep! I made a triple batch. It filled Betsy the Bosch to the top. But it worked great! These are so light and yummy! Thanks Mel!
Betsy the Bosch. Haha. 🙂
My double recipe went almost to the very top. I don’t know how I’d get a triple batch in there!
Hi, I know you said you’ve freezed them after baking and frosting but have you ever frozen them before frosting them? I need to make a few dozen and then wanted to frost them all at the same time.
Yes, you can definitely freeze them before frosting.
I absolutely love these!! I’m just wondering if anyone else has the issue I have …after they come out the oven they seem to be sitting in a puddle of butter…they still are delicious but not sure if that’s normal!
Hi Mel.. Slicing a cinnamon always scare the hell out of me. Lol. So i made the dough last night and allowed the 3rd rise in the fridge. I baked it this morning, and yes… so fluffy and soft. I try to control myself from eating the 3rd piece in one sitting. Thank you for the yummy recipes.
MEL! These are SO good! O. M. G. The first warm bite I put into my mouth was simply delicious. The texture is soft, best cinnamon rolls I’ve made to date. Everyone loves them. I even bought the emulsion you mentioned and added that to the frosting. The frosting was the perfect amount for the 12 cinnamon rolls. I can’t wait to make these again!
Mel, these are the BEST EVER! One of my early morning seminary students requested cinnamon rolls for his birthday tomorrow. It’s going to be a short night of sleep because I am still up taste testing them and thinking of all of the adjectives that describe these rolls. Divine! Heavenly! Amazing! Thanks for adding one more cinnamon roll recipe to your blog.
Has no one added raisins to this recipe? I read every comment hoping someone would mention they had added raisins but they didn’t, is there some reason? Would that be a problem?
I think you could definitely add raisins!
Hi Mike! Did you ever end up making these with raisins? If so, did they turn out okay? I’d be so grateful to hear back! Thank you!
These are delicious. Exactly as described, so soft and fluffy. My whole fam agreed the best yet!! A perfect treat on a snowy shoveling no school day!!
I even used almond milk and coconut sugar and they were awesome. Thank you.
Thank you for commenting about almond milk! I’m always a little worried about subbing it when the recipe uses a fattier milk.
Loved these! They are the softest cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, or made. Would definitely make them again.
Oh my goodness. First bite of these and I was without words. They are heavenly. They are so light and fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness and buttery goodness. I like that they aren’t overly cinnamony and the cardamom was very subtle. The 3 rises makes it hard to make for breakfast but maybe lunchtime cinnamon rolls are better anyway. Thank you for posting perfect instructions and thank you to Cheryl for sharing the love.
I was skeptical when I made these cinnamon rolls, already had an excellent recipe. But the dough is so light and tender that you won me over. Second time making them I added another tablespoon of cinnamon to the filling. Love that it makes a small batch, just right for sharing. Thank you!
Thanks, Annie!
Hi Mel! Made these yesterday – the dough was lovely and easy to work with – the rolls were light and fluffy and absolutely delicious – since we are big fans of cinnamon, next time I will had a bit more. The cardamom nicely complimented the cinnamon. The frosting was spot on – not too sweet so the tang of the cream cheese came through.
Thanks for the step by step instructions – I used my kitchen aid mixer. We ate 4, gave 2 to our neighbors and froze the rest. Can’t wait to make them again!
Okay. To start. I’m not even a huge cinnamon roll fan. So I’d been roaming the earth for almost 30 years eating cinnamon rolls, trying to figure out what all the hype was about, until I had one of your vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls a few years ago, and realized ‘oohhh!! So THAT’S what a cinnamon roll SHOULD taste like.’ Well, then you posted these. And Mel, I trust you, but honestly, I was still VERY reluctant to try these bad boys, because why waste time and ingredients on just okay cinnamon rolls? So at the risk of questioning which is REALLY better. I decided to go big and did a side by side taste test. And for our family, and friends, and parents (and anyone else we could find to help us eat these dozens of cinnamon rolls) it was unanimous that THIS recipe is ACTUALLY what cinnamon rolls should taste like!! THEY’RE SO FREAKING AMAZINGLY GOOD!!!!! Just indescribably good!! Thanks SO much for sharing!!
Wow, Stacey! This is awesome! The side by side comparisons are where it’s at and I’m so happy you loved these!!
Terrific! I’ve made them 4 times, both as raspberry rolls and as cinnamon rolls. Superb recipe!!
Raspberry rolls!! Yum!!
Yes I would LOVE to know what you used to make this raspberry.. ❤️
What did you use for the raspberry rolls?
This was my first time making my own cinnamon rolls and WOW they were delicious and just perfect! My husband said I have to start making them for every holiday and family event. They took a bit of time but were super simple for this novice baker. Also the frosting…it is so good that I doubled it so that I could have leftovers and take a spoonful anytime I like. This was amazing. Thank you Mel!!
I am set to make these for supper but am out of milk. Do you think I could use canned evaporated milk?
I can’t remember exactly…but I think someone tried that and it didn’t work out quite as well (the rolls weren’t as fluffy as with normal milk)??
I did use the canned milk, and they turned out just as good, in my opinion.
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast are our Valentine’s Day tradition. I usually don’t make them myself because of time constraints. I usually buy frozen ones or from the local bakery. The ones from the bakery are pretty darn good…but there is just something about fresh-from-your-own-oven rolls that are exceptional. You convinced me to buckle down and make them, mostly out of curiosity. They took most of the day to make but they turned out so well! They were so so fluffy! Like the fluffiest cinnamon rolls of all time. My husband, also a cinnamon roll snob, remarked that they were the best he has ever eaten.
Oh and I always appreciate your step by step picture tutorials. Some people might be put off by all the extra information, but not me! Give me all the info you possibly can for a successful experience. It’s truly the best!
@Amber
Yes, thank you Mel! All those pictures and instructions help me greatly also 🙂
Wow! High praise from your husband (I love it!). Thanks for letting me know, Amber!
Could I halve this recipe
Yes you can!
Hi Mel!
I made these today! My first ever cinnamon rolls! They turned out beautifully with your recommended frosting recipe including the butter vanilla emulsion. All 3 of my boys are super impressed with my “masterpiece.” Ha ha!
Thank you for the step by step instructions and photos. I just love your recipes and blog!
Way to go, Brooke!
So many people commented comparing this recipe to Gloria’s. So I did a side by side, same day comparison. I liked Gloria’s for the ease/quickness of the recipe. I feel likes it’s foil proof as long as you don’t add too much flour. However, I liked Cheryl’s for the day after taste, unique ingredients, challenge. Cheryl’s tasted a bit more bread loaf like to me. But it was incredibly light and fluffy. Both are winners! And it was a fun day in the kitchen doing the recipe challenge!! Thanks for all the tips Mel.
Jessica! You win some kind of award for doing a same day side by side comparison! Love the feedback and insight. Each of those recipes are different (and wonderful) for their own reasons and it’s great to see the details in one place. Thank you!
On a whim I decided to make these. I don’t like cinnamon rolls so I don’t make cinnamon rolls. But oh my goodness, these are amazing. I’m sold. They have the perfect amount of sweetness in both the filling and the icing, soft and chewy, and an easy process to follow. I can easily see these becoming a staple at Christmas and Easter! Thanks Mel for making my cooking world that much more delicious!
Thank YOU, Alyssa!
These were delicious! I made them exactly as the recipe says – even weighted my flour (which I never do). It made the most gorgeous dough. After I cut them into rolls, I put plastic wrap on them and stuck them in the fridge overnight. Took them out in the morning (the brown sugar does run, but that happens to all rolls like this). It took more like an hour and a half for them to come to room temp and rise (I probably should have done 2 hours but I was short on time). My kitchen was cold, so I think it took a little long. I baked them for 18 minutes and they were perfect! It was my daughters 10th birthday and she felt so special! Took them into work and my co-workers loved them too. They were GONE! Next time I’m doubling the recipe. Ha!
Thanks, Trena! Happy birthday to your daughter!
It’s become a tradition in our house to have heart shaped cinnamon rolls (roll from both ends and meat in the middle, then pinch the bottom down to make the bottom point of the heart) for Valentine’s Day, so I made these last night so they’d be ready for breakfast this morning (it was really hard to make myself hold out this long to make these, by the way), they are so yummy!! There were harder to make into the heart shape than Gloria’s recipe just due to them being softer. My softened butter was just digging into the soft dough, so I had to microwave it for 10 seconds to make it soft enough to spread without ripping the dough. I’m excited to make them again not in the heart shape! I think I will stick to Gloria’s for Valentine’s Day but this one for other times! Ha! Thanks for sharing these!
What a cute idea, Misty! I guess it’s good to have several cinnamon roll recipes waiting for just the right occasion!
Mel, these were ama. Like mouth-dropping delicious for sure!!! I feel like I’ll never need another cinnamon roll recipe…this is what cinnamon rolls are supposed to be. Thanks for all your hard work!
I’ve never had success with yeast recipes so I ‘ve never tried to make cinnamon rolls until today. I figured if I was going to try, I might as well use the “Best” recipe right?? Well they turned out amazing! Seriously so delicious! Thanks for your step-by-step instructions. For a beginner like me it made all the difference 🙂
This recipe is amazing and my new ‘go-to’ cinnamon roll recipe. Actually made them twice in the last 48 hours. The first time I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half unbleached white. They turned out great. Second time I followed recipe exactly how you have it and also, pure perfection. Thank you for giving me and my family a new addiction!
I can’t believe there are no eggs in this recipe! I am making them right now!!! Very excited to try them!
We had a snow day here in Utah on Wednesday so I decided to give these a try. Oh man, they did NOT disappoint! So big, so fluffy, we all scarfed them down after shoveling snow for 5 hours. They take some extra time but they are totally worth it!
So perfect for a snow day!
Hi Mel. I made them. I actually made them the next day… because that is how we roll around here. They were delicious. Easy too. The hardest part was spreading softened butter everywhere lol. That was quite the experience. 🙂 I was so excited to roll out my dough and have it the perfect length. We froze some unfrosted, warmed them in the oven and then frosted them. Those were delicious too. I decided I needed butter emulsions since reading and bought it. It should come shortly. I can’t wait to use it in the Swig cookies. Thanks SO much Mel!
PS I am at 6,000 ft elevation and probably added a little more flour, because I always have to, but not more than a half of a cup. I tried to keep it sticky, and after the first rise- the texture was great. I followed the rest of the recipe perfectly and they were awesome. My son’s new favorite cinnamon roll recipe!
Yay! Thanks for the details, Katie!
I made this today, following the recipe to a T and they are fantastic! Oh, I did use a different frosting as I didn’t have any cream cheese on hand but they were so good, I would have loved them unfrosted even.
One thing though, I only had the Instant Dry Yeast, so followed your directions and I bloomed beautifully. But it doubled in size in only 50 minutes and after rolling them out and putting on a sheet pan, they were still so huge that I just baked them right away. I am wondering if maybe I should use less ADY? Oh, but my house was so cold that the butter that had sat out all night had to be shipped to make it spreadable, so it didn’t rise fast due to a warm house.
Hi Mel! I’m serving these for a brunch. What steps (if any) can be done the day before?
Have you seen this post, Kelli? It addresses a lot of those questions! https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-make-cinnamon-rolls-ahead-of-time/
I have not but thank you so much for attaching it!
Made this during a snow day today and now my family thinks I am the coolest mom ever! Seriously, Mel I don’t know how much you earn doing your blog, but it isn’t enough. You consistently help me up my cooking game and help me bring my family together over food!
Haha, you are too cute, Emily. Thank you! You ARE the coolest mom ever! 🙂
Amen and Amen! I agree with Emily, and have often wished you had a PayPal button or something on your website by which folks could make a donation. Your recipes are seriously delicious, though I appreciate the thoroughness of them the most! This website has taught me more about baking in 1 year than the 26 years I have been cooking/baking. Thank you 🙂
Thank you so much, Kari! Comments like this mean WAY more than any donation I could ever get. Seriously.
Oh, my word, Mel. I’ve made Gloria’s recipe a few times and I was really skeptical even as I chose to make these today. It’s been a while since I last made Gloria’s cinnamon rolls, but I think you might be right; these are the best! So fluffy and soft! We are having a snow day here in SLC and they were perfection. Thank you for another amazing recipe. I should know better than to doubt you.
I think they should keep in the freezer for a month or so (especially if they are in a sealed container or bag).
My family loved these cinnamon rolls!
I’d like to make a batch for my husband to take into work. Could I use this recipe to make ‘mini’ cinnamon rolls? What would be the best way to go about doing that?
Yes, I think that would work! I would split the dough into 2-3 sections instead of one long roll and roll them smaller. Probably adjust the baking time and start checking around 12-13 minutes?
Thank you for your suggestions! I split the dough into 3 sections and adjusted the baking time to about 11 minutes or so. I was able to get 45 cinnamon rolls this way. They’re just a little bit smaller than the ‘can cinnamon rolls.’ Thank you, again for another winner!
Yay! I’m so glad it worked!
Oh my goodness. I tried this recipe yesterday and seriously, they need to invent an orgasm emoji for these! Lol! Anyway, I never have made cinnamon buns before, so thank-you for your very in-depth instructions. Just had one now after my lunch and day-after is just as good, maybe even better!
Thanks, Maxine – so happy you loved these and great job making them your first time!
I have always had mixed success with cinnamon rolls, and decided to try this recipe – it truly was a game changer! I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Everyone who had one couldn’t stop telling me how amazing they were, and I agree. 🙂
So happy to hear this, Alison. Way to go!
My daughter wants a giant cinnamon roll for her birthday cake. I’m assuming I could use this recipe but the technique of your giant roll???
Yes, I bet so!
Oh. My. Heavenly. Goodness. These are so light & fluffy & delicious– kind of like a yeast doughnut and a cinnamon roll had a baby. It does take a good portion of time altogether but it’s worth it!
And they are terrific the day after, too. They’re the best day-old cinnamon roll I think I’ve ever had.
I didn’t have cardamom so I instead added a dash of nutmeg– yum!
I cut the dough in half and made 2 logs instead of one large (baked them bake to bake on a jelly roll cookie sheet and they came out perfectly cooked throughout 325° convection for 19 minutes).
I also added a splash maple extract since I loved that concept from Gloria’s recipe. I frosted my first batch about 6 minutes after taking them out of the oven and for the second batch I was running out of time so I frosted about 2 minutes after pulling them out and they looked a lot prettier and less shaggy than the first batch, so I recommend doing an early frosting.
And if you like the sides of the roll frosted, too, do 1.5 batch of frosting (doubling was a bit too much).
Thanks so much for sharing!!
*baked them back to back
(never try and write a review while trying to concurrently answer a four year old’s constant questions!)
Thanks for all the details, Chelsea! The doughnut + cinnamon roll baby is an accurate description I think. Ha!
And revelation! I made the recipe into orange rolls today and they are out of this world AMAZING. I added a little bit (about a tablespoon) of OJ concentrate to the scalded milk, a couple teaspoons mixed with the butter sugar filling (eliminated the cinnamon but added a dash of nutmeg like your baked doughnut recipe has) and then 2 tablespoons of concentrate to the frosting, plus some dried orange zest.
It’s a MUST TRY variation! Love your guts, Mel 🙂
Oh my goodness. I will be making these within the next 48 hours.
I have a convection oven, should I bake them at 350° or at the lower 325° for convection?
325° convection. The middles cook more uniform that way 🙂
I bake them on 325 degrees F if using convection
I wish I would have seen this before I made them. Mine cooked way too fast at 350 and are a little on the brown side taken out at 16 minutes. It might be useful to put that in the recipe notes for other bakers! I’m sure they’ll still taste great though!
I already have what I thought was THE recipe for cinnamon rolls. I even won a contest with them once. But Mel posted this recipe and curiosity got the best of me. So worth it! I was really nervous about how soft the dough was and I thought I over-baked them just a bit but they were totally perfect! I served them to company and almost said no when they asked if they could take the extras home. LOL
Thanks for being willing to give these a try, Ashley! Laughed out loud at your wanting to declare a loud NO to the guests, but I don’t blame you! Haha.
These were really good, and I agree with another commenter that they were better the next day. I have to admit, though, that I am still loyal to Gloria’s Perfect Cinnamon Rolls. They are still our favorite! They have the perfect texture, perfect frosting, and perfect filling ratio. Why mess with perfection!? It’s in the title, after all. 🙂
I love hearing all of those still loyal to Gloria’s. Makes my heart happy (Gloria’s recipe holds a special place there!).
I made them today with my ten-year-old daughter on our “Cold Weather” day (too cold for school). They were so much fun to make. Yeast doughs are like magic to me. They were also delicious! I’m dairy-free, and almond milk, vegan butter, and tofu cream cheese all worked perfectly. So fluffy and enormous! Next time we’ll make smaller ones, but the huge ones sure are impressive!! Thanks for the awesome recipe; it made for a great day with my girl!
That’s awesome that a dairy free version worked out so well! Yay!
I just came here to see if anyone had tried a DF version! Yum! I can’t wait to try it!
Wow these are AMAZING!!! I absolutely love your Yukon gold ones but these even beat those! I think I need to get these out of my house, I couldn’t stop after just 1;) also love how easy they were to make!
Haha, I hear you, Esther! I have to get these out of my house when I make them too! Glad you liked them!
When I first ate these out of the oven they were amazing but I didn’t think they were any better than your Yukon gold recipe that I love. Then we had them for breakfast the next day. I usually only like cinnamon rolls when they are fresh but two days later these were still soft and good. Thanks for posting another great cinnamon roll recipe!
Thanks for the feedback! Lots of people are reporting that these cinnamon rolls taste good the next day or even two days later! Love that!
I wanted to make these for Sunday, but I am unable to see a list of ingredients and instructions.
It was just a temporary error – my website was down for a bit this evening due to some technical issues but everything should be displaying ok now. Let me know if you continue to have issues accessing the recipe!
For me, these missed the mark. Maybe it’s that my ideal cinnamon roll is Cinnabon, or that I needed better cinnamon for this recipe. Not totally sure, but I will definitely ramp up the brown sugar & cinnamon filling next time. I will also decrease the amount of cream cheese in the icing. I thought it was yummy, but my family can’t handle the tangy flavor. Those are my honest opinions. However, they were incredibly soft & tender!! Thanks, Mel, for teaching me the scalding milk technique!
Love the honest opinions – thanks for checking in to let me know!
Made these today on our no-school-because-of-cold day. This is definitely my new bun recipe. LOVED the light fluffy dough. Definitely worth the bit of extra time.
Thanks, Amanda! PERFECT baking activity for a “snow” day (good luck surviving that insane cold spell!).
Cinnamon rolls are my husband’s favorite dessert. I have attempted them several times in our marriage without success. These rolls came out perfect on my first try bc of your amazing, very specific directions. My husband loves them and now I finally feel like a successful baker thanks to you!
I’m so happy to hear that, Kristen! Yay!! Way to go!
I had my very own parable of the cheeseball experience with these cinnamon rolls. I made them with the idea to take them to three different new families in our ward. It was a Monday night and we started out a little later than I had hoped. I couldn’t find the address of one of the families and after texting everyone we thought might know, we came up empty handed. Then my husband suggested a different family that I didn’t know of and so we ran over there before all three of our kids melted down, as it was now way past bedtime. Turns out the mom has a brain tumor and was having problems with her denture. (She’s in her 40’s, but the medication she’s on has done a number on her teeth.) She said that she’s been praying for some relief- she can only eat soft food and for various reasons hasn’t been able to see her dentist. When we showed up with these gloriously soft cinnamon rolls, she was beside herself. To top it off, my husband is a dentist and was able to offer her some advice and set up a time for her to come see him. I feel like I had very little to do with this small miracle, but am so glad that her prayers could be answered and she could feel God’s love for her. Thanks a million times over for posting these!
Oh my gosh, and now I’m crying, Courtney. Seriously, this experience really touched my heart and was just the reminder I needed that life and all of its experiences are so much bigger than I realize sometimes. My heart aches for that sweet mom dealing with a brain tumor, a hurting mouth/teeth, and who had a heart full of prayers that you were able to answer (unknowingly). What a tender mercy for her and for your family. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so sad!!! These totally did not work for me. I think I “resisted the urge” to add more flour and in doing so my cinnamon rolls did not hold their shape at all and baked into one big, flat “cinnamon roll pancake”. The dough rose beautifully but spread out while baking. The flavor is really, really good and my kids will be thrilled with them (I haven’t made cinnamon rolls in forever) but I think I will stick to Gloria’s recipe in the future. Thank you so much for passing this recipe along….they are delicious and I do appreciate everything you do and all of your recipes!!! I’m sure the reason this one didn’t work out is all on my end!!! Thanks again!!!!
Oh darn it, Hilary! I’m so sorry!
Argh, I’m in the middle of making these and sooo afraid this is going to happen to me… I think I answered 5 questions from my 3-year-old while measuring the 4 cups of flour and maybe I only added 3 cups? I did add extra flour but the dough still seems awfully sticky and soft and I didn’t dare add more!! As long as they taste good I’ll try not to be too disappointed in myself 😉
These really are amazing! A friend made them for me and I can’t wait to try them!
Question: Why do my cinnamon rolls ooze out the cinnamon/sugar and butter into the bottom of the pan sometimes? Does that mean you are putting too much?
Good question, Melissa – it’s probably due to a lot of factors but in my experience it’s either because I used melted butter in the filling and/or the rolls rose in too warm of a location causing the butter to melt before hitting the oven. It also could be because of too much butter, but I haven’t had that happen using about a stick of butter per rectangle.
Just made these!! Oh my goodness!! These
are the lightest, best tasting cinnamon rolls I have ever made. Pretty labor intensive, but all cinnamon roll recipes are. But this one is worth the work and the wait!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Tara! Glad they worked out for you!
These were absolutely fantastic! While our family of 6 all loved them, we unanimously agreed that our cinnamon roll love still belongs to Gloria! 🙂
Glad to hear the side-by-side review, Julianne!!
I’m wondering if this could be made with buttermilk?. Then it would be the best of both worlds- a cross between these and your buttermilk recipe, which, up until I made these yesterday, was my favorite. it sounds like a fun experiment. What do you think?
i tried it with buttermilk- didn’t seem to work. looked kinda curdly and over-inflated. I’m just going to stick to the original directions.
Thanks for the update about using buttermilk, Barb!
These are the best cinnamon rolls! I’ve been making them for years. It’s the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, but your frosting recipe is different. I’m excited to try them with the vanilla emulsion.
The vanilla emulsion is super yummy!
It’s actually not the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, Heidi. Well, I guess i should say just because a similar recipe is on PW’s site doesn’t mean she’s the originator of all cinnamon roll recipes that look the same. My grandma has a cinnamon roll recipe she’s used for years that has nearly identical ingredients to this one Mel just posted…and she definitely didn’t get it from the Pioneer Woman. Haha. I just think it’s funny that just because PW has a recipe on her site, everyone thinks it’s the original one…and comment in this thread that this is the Pioneer Woman’s recipe! I don’t think there’s such thing as an original recipe anymore because of the way recipes have been shared over and over. Anyway, Mel, I made these today and they were fantastic! I knew they would be because like I said, my grandma has a similar recipe (it makes a larger batch and the filing and icing is a little different), but your recipe will be my go to from now on. Thanks!
I really, really don’t know how they can be better than the Yukon Gold rolls, but I am very excited to find out! Thank you for your diligent testing, so we can all be fatter and happier! Thanks to Cheryl, in advance! xox
Of all my other cinnamon roll recipes, they are most similar to the Yukon gold ones so I think you’ll like them!
This is VERY similar to my favorite cinnamon roll recipe but I might have to give it a try, who knows might become my new favorite! I like that it makes only 12-15 rolls. Thanks for the tips on handling/rolling out the rolls, I sometimes get in a hurry…those are the batches that don’t look as pretty! Thanks for sharing, love your blog!
Thanks, Michelle!
My family jokes about being cinnamon roll snobs because my mom makes a mean cinnamon roll so I’ve actually never attempted making them for fear of failure. I got brave yesterday and tried these and they turned out awesome and I loved them and I won’t tell my mom ha and I will make them again!
Two days later I had to try Gloria’s to compare. While good, I think Cheryl’s win! YUM.
Haha! It’ll be your little secret. I’m SO happy you loved these and I LOVE that you made Gloria’s recipe to compare!
I made these today during a snowstorm. They are the best I’ve ever made!.. until now the buttermilk recipe is the one I used. The only thing I would change is to make them a little smaller. I finally solved the problem of gap-osis: I used a smaller amount of butter spread on the dough rectangle, and for the filling, I added a small amount of flour, which I think you mentioned, and I added a few tsp. of vanilla which made it like wet sand, and a little more sticky. These baked up without gaps, and without the “dome”. They are better than the rolls we used to buy in Indiana at the amish restaurant.
Thanks, Barb – and thanks for including your insight into “gap-osis!”
Mel,
When I first saw this post, I seriously thought it was a re-post of one of your other “best”, “favorite” cinnamon rolls ! I have seen “the best” cinnamon rolls, then “my favorite cinnamon rolls” and then
“my all-time favorite” cinnamon rolls rolls, and I thought you must be fooling with us As I read on, I realized this was no joke! It took me a few days before I believed you
I made these rolls last weekend and they were AMAZING! Although my husband and I could easily have a half sheet of cinnamon rolls, especially THESE cinnamon rolls, I thought maybe I should drop some off at a friends house. Here was her response:
PS THOSE CINNAMON ROLLS! Amazing. They were devoured the minute we walked in the door from church—still warm!!—so let Al know they didn’t go to waste!!
AND this was the response from her son who is allergic to dairy:
Joe took one bite and said, “those are SO good. I don’t even care if they make me sick, it’s worth it!”
ME:Did he get sick ?
No! Somehow he was totally fine! He was so happy!
ME: That’s crazy! Good for him. I guess that means I need to keep this recipe if someone’s willing to get sick over it
I guess this recipe for Cinnmaon Rolls IS the BEST!
But seriously, if feel you post another “favorite” cinnmaon roll recipe, I WILL NOT try it,!
You’re the best for including that back and forth text exchange, Linda! Sorry to make you doubt me for a second when I posted YET ANOTHER cinnamon roll recipe, but I’m so happy you made them to such rave reviews!