Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Few people know this, but I actually went to culinary school to be a pastry chef. Of course after going through baking and advanced baking classes I realized, while at the age of 18 of course, that I had zero patience on waiting for stuff to bake. So, the dreams of becoming a pastry chef clearly didn’t last long, but at the time, it was for the best. Nowadays I’m a bit older, and after chasing a 3-year old around all day, what’s waiting 45 minutes for something to bake? Timing is right and I couldn’t be happier. Now, onto the cinnamon rolls!

One of the coolest things I like about cinnamon rolls is just how much you can change them. For instance, you can completely change the filling to whatever you’d like. Whether that be dry or fresh fruit, nuts, sweeteners... it’s completely up to you! You can also enhance the icing on top by adding in some citrus, fruit purees or whatever your heart desires.

You start by making the dough, so mix together some warm milk (115°), sugar and yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It will begin to look foamy and somewhat gross, but at that point, you’re good to go. Now it’s time to add in the dry ingredients, eggs and butter and use a stand mixer with the hook attachment to knead it on high speed for 5 minutes.

The next phase is incredibly important, so put your patience on and let it rise for 1 hour in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. The dough will literally double in size, which means it’s time to roll it out! Dust a clean surface with flour and roll it out until it’s about 18” x 24”, or you can roll it even thinner if you are trying to get more cinnamon rolls.

Now is the fun part! Stuffing the cinnamon rolls up with all the goodness. I used chunks of butter, chopped pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Simple but ridiculously delicious. Roll this sucker out, slice ’em up and place them in a 13” x 9” dish, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes. You’ll notice that the rolls will literally fill the pan after they’ve risen, which means it’s finally baking time.

While the cinnamon rolls are in the oven is the perfect time to make the icing. My recipe is incredibly easy but ridiculously delicious. Be sure to whip the butter and cream cheese until it is light and fluffy before adding the powdered sugar. Don’t forget to turn the stand mixer on low speed or turn it off before adding the powdered sugar or else your kitchen is going to look like it got snowed in. Seriously.

The key to delicious cinnamon rolls is pouring on the icing just as soon as the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven. They are still so nice and hot, they evenly melt the icing to cover every square centimeter to make for amazing cinnamon rolls, so do it that way. If you are looking to indulge while enjoying a quiet morning, then take the time to make these. You won’t regret it!