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
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)
Any one use bread flour versus all purpose? Which was better?
Now that I have found this recipe- I keep thinking of reasons to make another batch! Thanks for all the pointers- it made my cinnamon rolls into perfection!
Gluten Free? I make a gluten free bread flour blend that is out of this world. These are my families favorite cinnamon rolls, but I am not able to enjoy them. Has anyone tried making these gluten free? If so how much flour did you use? I would love to try them but don’t want to waste a lot of ingredients. Making the gf flour isn’t cheap. I would love to hear what anyone has to say to help.
My sister has attempted to adapt a lot of cinnamon roll recipes with little success until she found the recipe at thereislifeafterwheat. They are really good! Highly recommend. (Mel’s recipe here is my favorite gluten filled one!)
Going to try these today…I have 2 different birthdays to celebrate tomorrow morning so was going to do this recipe for both. Thinking about doubling in the KitchenAid since that’s what I have and time is limited.
Here’s the question: if I make today, do I frost today? Or do I frost in the morning? Warm up slightly before frosting? With the cream cheese in the frosting, I’m feeling like they can’t sit out overnight but refrigerating breads can dry them out and I don’t want to do that.
Thanks for your help!!
I would either make and frost today and then slightly warm in a 250 degree oven (frosting and all) in the morning OR make the rolls, assemble on pans, and refrigerate and then bake in the morning.
Of course this is delicious and I make them twice a year. But, I don’t eat a lot of sweets (but my family does!) so I actually make 3/4 of the dough rolled up with cinnamon and sugar and 1/4 rolled up with shredded ham and cheese (gruyere is delicious) and it’s amazing. My daughter started asking for one ham and cheese and one cinnamon (because we have no self control and can’t stop at one, but two cinnamon rolls makes her feel a little sick)
Do you ever use fresh ground wheat flour in your cinnamon rolls? Would 100% whole wheat make the rolls too heavy?
You can definitely experiment but when I’ve tried 100% whole wheat for cinnamon rolls, they haven’t been as light and fluffy. Using white whole wheat or a lighter wheat like kamut or einkhorn can help.
I’m hoping to make these for my sons baptism, they are my tried and true recipe-literally the best!
But have you ever made them into a “mini” version? Any tips on how to do that?
As much as I personally want a giant roll I thought littler ones might be just right for the occasion!
They work great as smaller rolls! I split the dough into smaller portions to roll out and then roll the dough slightly thinner (not too thin) and into a smaller width rectangle so you’re rolling them up smaller, if that makes sense.
This is just about the best recipe I have had the pleasure of making. These cinnamon rolls were fantastic! Thank you.
Hi! These were of course amazing, but they came out shorter/flatter than other cinnamon roll recipes I’ve tried. I’m wondering if you know why that may happen and how to make them a little “taller” next time? Thank you 🙂
Hi Erica, if you cut them into wider pieces and place them closer together on the pan, they’ll rise up instead of out. Should help!
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!
A method I’ve used that works so easily (if you don’t want to make and bake the same day) is to make the cinnamon rolls in advance. After filling, rolling, and cutting them, don’t let them rise again — freeze them. The night before you want them, set them on their baking pan in the oven (cold oven, turned off). They will rise overnight while you sleep. In the morning, bake at regular temperature and time.
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!