These gooey cinnamon rolls are homemade rolls that are as soft as a pillow. The dough is so soft, the outside of the roll is just as gooey as the middle! They are filled with a cinnamon filling and topped with cream cheese glaze.
These gooey cinnamon rolls remind me of a homemade version of Cinnabon. They are that gooey! The rolls taste even better made from scratch.
If you are looking for more cinnamon roll recipes, try chocolate cookie cinnamon rolls, blueberry cinnamon rolls, and walnut cinnamon rolls.
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Why You Will Love This
- Gooey rolls inside and out- The dough is so pillowy soft because of butter that gets cut into the dry ingredients. The result is a very soft cinnamon roll.
- Cinnamon roll filling- The filling has extra cinnamon for a stronger cinnamon roll flavor.
- Cream cheese glaze- No cinnamon roll is complete without a cream cheese glaze.
Ingredient Notes
- Warm milk- I recommend using whole milk or 2% milk.
- Yeast- You can use active or fast rise yeast. Using 2 produces a greater rise.
- Eggs- Pull these out 2 hours before baking.
- Butter- Pull these out 2 hours before baking.
- Brown sugar- I used light brown sugar.
- Salt- The salt in the filling helps to balance the flavors.
- Cream cheese- Use full fat cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar- Use a sifter to prevent a lumpy glaze.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make and bake these cinnamon rolls.
STEP 1: Warm the milk. Warm the milk to 110F. Then, pour in the yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes for yeast to activate.
STEP 2: Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. The butter should be the size of a pea.
STEP 3: Knead the dough. Mix the dough until a dough forms. Then, knead the dough for 5 minutes.
STEP 4: Rise for 1 hour. Cover the dough and place in a warm oven. Next, let the dough rise for 1 hour. It will double in size.
STEP 5: Roll the dough. Roll the dough until ¼th inch thick. Spread the filling on top of the dough using an offset spatula. Then, roll the dough like a log.
STEP 6: Cut the rolls. Tip: Use a measuring tape to get perfectly even rolls. Use a serrated knife to gently saw through to get round rolls.
STEP 7: Rise for 35 minutes. Cover and let the rolls rise at room temperature before baking.
STEP 8: Bake the rolls. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden on top. You don't want to under bake these rolls.
STEP 9: Top with a glaze. Next, top the rolls with the glaze while they are warm to melt the glaze.
Video How To Cut Cinnamon Rolls
Baking tips
You can make these by hand! First, mix the dough using a rubber spatula. Then, knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. The dough should be very soft and slightly tacky.
In order for the yeast to activate, the milk needs to be warmed to 110F. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If the milk is too cold, then the yeast won't activate. So, use a kitchen thermometer.
If you want more "Cinnabon" type of roll, pour the glaze on top of the warm rolls. This lets the glaze sink into the crevasses of the roll.
FAQ
The rolls rise best in a warm area. If your oven is busy, they can rise at room temperature as long as you don't have a cold house.
Yes you can. Let the dough rise overnight in the fridge for 1st rise. For the second rise, you need to let it come to room temperature before baking.
Yes you can! Follow the instructions, but bake for only 10 minutes and chill. Then, you can bake the rest of the way (10-18 minutes) in the morning until hot.
Storing and Freezing
Store these gooey cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. Store up to 5 days. They are best when heated in the microwave until warm.
Freezing
These cinnamon rolls can be frozen in 2 ways.
- Freeze the rolled rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Let them thaw before baking. They won't rise as much, but will still work.
- Freeze the already baked rolls. Freeze these up to 30 days. Thaw for 1 hour before eating.
Other Recipes To Try
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📖 Recipe
Gooey Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 cup Warm milk Warmed to 110°F
- 2 packets Active rise yeast
- 2 Large eggs room temperature slightly beaten
- 4 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup White granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoon Unsalted butter room temperature
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ½ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup Packed brown sugar light or dark
- 2 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk until 110°F. It needs to be warm but not hot for the heat. Pour in both packets of yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes to activate. The yeast will be foamy.1 cup Warm milk, 2 packets Active rise yeast
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour. Mix in sugar and salt. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of a pea.4 ½ cups All-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, ¼ cup White granulated sugar, 10 tablespoon Unsalted butter
- Pour in the milk and beaten eggs.1 cup Warm milk, 2 Large eggs
- Mixer using a dough hook: Mix on low until a dough forms. Turn to medium and knead for 5 minutes.By hand: Use a rubber spatula and mix until a dough starts to form. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes until a soft dough ball forms.
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Spray a large mixing bowl with non-stick spray. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Place bowl in the oven, crack open the door and turn off the oven. Rise for 1 hour. *Overnight instructions see notes.
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- Using a hand mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on low until a paste-like filling forms.½ cup Unsalted butter, ¾ cup Packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoon Ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- The dough should be double in size. Punch down using your fist. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll until ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the filling over the dough. Roll the dough from the bottom tightly. Roll from the bottom to get more swirls inside the roll.
- Cut the uneven ends off with a knife. Use unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife to cut 12 cinnamon rolls.
- Place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with baking non-stick spray. Cover with the towel and rise at room temperature for 35 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes. The rolls should be lightly golden on top.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on high for 1 minute. Add in sifted powdered sugar. Mix on low until creamy. Add in vanilla and milk.4 oz Cream cheese, 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter, 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon Milk
- Let the hot cinnamon rolls rest for 10 minutes before icing them. They should be warm when you apply the icing.
Steven says
These are my favorite special breakfast for my family. They have a perfect warm and gooey texture. My son loves them! Definitely deserve the title of "best"!
Aichonette says
Do you think these would work making them the night before and doing that second rise in the fridge over night? Also, thoughts on using whole milk instead heavy cream to pour over the buns?
Thank you!
Stephanie Rutherford says
Hello!
I would recommend that you do the first rise of the dough and cover the dough. Let it chill. Then, in the morning and roll the dough into cinnamon rolls and let it rise for 1-2 hours. Room temperature rolls will get a better rise in the oven.
Also, I prefer heavy cream because the fat content is necessary to bake into the dough and cause a softer roll.
Jennifer K says
can I freeze these? bake them ahead and freeze them or freeze them unbaked?
Stephanie Rutherford says
Yes you can. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely and freeze. Thaw completely and bake for another 10-15 minutes. I am working currently on reworking this recipe and I will include these notes!
Nur Faiza says
May I know the 2 packet of yeast is equal to how many grams? Here in my place a packet of yeast is 11gm. Is it the same?
Stephanie Rutherford says
One packet of yeast here is 7 grams. So, I used 14 grams. If you have 11 grams, I still think that would be fine.
T|L says
These were yummy! Definitely will
make again. Nice and soft.
Maryssa says
I made these last night and Oh my!!!! They are amazing. My family couldn’t stop eating them. The directions are super clear and I love that when your making the recipe the ingredients are included during the step so you don’t have to keep scrolling up and down. Very clever Stephanie. This was my first recipe that I made from you but it won’t be the last. Loved your helpful tips ( take eggs and butter out 2 hours before, etc)