Vanilla cinnamon rolls are perfect for holidays and special occasions! Fluffy and tender sweet dough swirled with cinnamon sugar filling and smothered in cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients for Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
Vanilla cardamom dough
- Milk: Warm milk between 105 and 110 degrees F. Heat it in the microwave in a heat-safe liquid measuring cup. You can check the temperature with a food thermometer.
- Active dry yeast: One package of active dry yeast is equal to 2 1/2 teaspoons.
- Granulated sugar: Feeds the yeast to create carbon dioxide to help the dough rise.
- Egg: Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar: Adds subtle sweetness to the dough.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract for great flavor.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer.
- Unsalted butter: Melted. You can also use salted, just omit additional salt in the recipe.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour.
- Cardamom: Cardamom is optional but highly recommended.
Cinnamon filling
- Unsalted butter: Softened, not melted.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds just a bit more vanilla flavor and helps the filling spread easily.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is the star of the show.
Cream cheese icing
- Unsalted butter: Softened butter at room temperature.
- Cream cheese: Room temperature for easy creaming.
- Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness and structure to the icing.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the icing.
- Vanilla extract: Obviously, right?
- Milk: Milk helps thin the consistency of the icing. Use what you have on hand.
Tools & Supplies for Making Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
How to Make the Components for the Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
Vanilla cardamom dough
To make the dough, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
- Combine warm milk, active dry yeast, and granulated sugar. Mix and set aside for the yeast to bloom.
- Whisk together egg, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and melted butter.
- Add in milk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add in all-purpose flour and cardamom.
- Mix with a dough hook on medium-speed for 8 full minutes. The dough will be sticky.
- Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover with a towel and allow to proof (rise) for 1 hour.
Cinnamon filling
- Combine softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
- Mix until smooth.
Cream cheese icing
For the cream cheese icing, you can use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Cream butter and cream cheese.
- Add in powdered sugar and mix on low.
- Add in vanilla extract and salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until combined and smooth.
- Add small amounts of milk to reach the desired consistency.
How to Assemble and Bake the Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
- Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. about 1/4 inch thick. The dimensions should be about 12 inches x 18 inches.
- Spread the cinnamon filling mixture over the dough using an offset spatula.
- Slowly roll the dough into a log, starting at the 12-inch side.
- Score the dough with the back of a knife into 12 – 1-inch pieces.
- Use dental floss to cut the dough log into individual cinnamon rolls. You can also use a sharp knife.
- Arrange the rolls into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Cover the pan with a towel and proof for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the rolls are rising.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Spread or pipe the cream cheese icing onto the warm rolls.
Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Tips
Dental floss!
An easy way to cut the cinnamon rolls without squishing them down is to use unflavored dental floss! Slide the dental floss underneath the dough log, pull up, cross the floss, and pull. This will cut the rolls easily and help maintain a round shape.
Proofing the dough
The best place to proof the dough is in a slightly warm place. Some ovens have a proofing feature. Cover the bowl or pan with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm area. The dough/cinnamon rolls will double in size.
Make the night before
You can prep the cinnamon rolls the night before! After you place the cinnamon rolls in the pan, cover the pan in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, proof the rolls for 1 hour. Then, bake the cinnamon rolls as indicated in the recipe! You can even make the icing the night before and keep it chilled. Bring it to room temperature in the morning before spreading onto the warm cinnamon rolls.
Leave space at the edge
When spreading on the cinnamon filling, leave a 1/2-inch space at one of the shorter edges of the dough. When you roll the dough to create a log, start on the side where the filling goes right to the edge. Having the space will allow the end of the dough to seal so the rolls stay together when baked.
Bake in the middle of the oven
Be sure that the oven rack is positioned in the center of the oven. If the pan is too close to the top of the oven, the top will brown too quickly, and the bottoms of the cinnamon rolls will remain doughy. Too close to the bottom and the bottoms will burn.
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Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
- 9×13 baking pan
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ¼ cup milk warm,105-110 degrees F
- 1 packet active dry yeast 2 ½ tsp
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- 4 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Filling
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp milk more or less to make desired consistency
Instructions
Dough
- Combine warm milk, active dry yeast, and 1 tbsp sugar in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Allow yeast to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, salt and milk mixture. Mix until fully incorporated with a whisk or fork.
- Add 4 cups of flour and cardamom. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed for 8 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Add remaining ¼ cup of flour in small increments if needed. Do not add too much flour or the dough will become tough and dry.
- Transfer dough to a large, oiled glass bowl. Cover with a towel and place the bowl in a warm area. Allow to proof for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Cinnamon Filling
- In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix well until fully combined and set aside.
Assembling the Cinnamon Rolls
- Punch the dough down to remove the air bubbles and turn out onto a floured surface.
- Shape the dough by hand into a rectangular shape. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the cinnamon filling over the dough, leaving a ½ inch space on one side.
- Slowly roll the dough over onto itself to create a log. Take your time to ensure the roll is even.
- Using a knife, mark the dough to portion the log into 12 cinnamon rolls. If the ends are uneven, first mark off a small amount of the log so they are even.
- Using dental floss, cut the cinnamon rolls into 12 rolls.
- Place cinnamon rolls on a greased 9×13 baking pan.
Bake Day-of Instructions
- Cover the pan of cinnamon rolls with a towel. Put the pan in a warm place to rise. Proof for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cinnamon rolls for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown on the top.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes before icing.
Bake Next Day Instructions
- Cover the pan of cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
- Remove pan of cinnamon rolls from the fridge. Put the pan in a warm place and allow cinnamon rolls to proof for approximately 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cinnamon rolls for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown on the top.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes before icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
- In a bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and butter. Mix to combine.
- Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Add milk in small increments and stir to combine. Add more milk for a thinner consistency. (Note: The icing will melt when spread on the warm cinnamon rolls).
- After the cinnamon rolls have cooled for 5-10 minutes, spread the cream cheese icing over the cinnamon rolls.
- Devour. Napkins are a must!
Notes
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