Fluffy outside with that hallmark gooey inside and mounds of cream cheese frosting, this Cinnabon copycat recipe is the best. Perfectly paired with coffee or tea on a lazy Sunday morning with your loved ones.
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Remember malls? Quarantine has made me miss the oddest things. Some of my best memories as a child were at Knott’s Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America, holding a 12-inch rainbow twisty lollipop, screaming down the last waterfall drop on Paul Bunyan’s log chute. In fact, I believe my sister and I went just a couple years ago (adults only) to relive our nostalgic escapades. Isn’t that called Nickelodeon Universe these days, you might ask? No, sir, you are mistaken. It will always be “Camp Snoopy” to me. For those of you less fortunate to not have had the experience before it was closed down in 2006, it was a 7-acre amusement park in the centre of MOA in Bloomington, MN, themed around Charles M. Shultz’ infamous Peanuts comic strip characters. It was cute, woodsy, and smelled of chlorine. A 10-year-olds dream!
One of our family’s favourite routines was stopping to share a Cinnabon at the mall. Honestly, who doesn’t love a Cinnabon cinnamon roll? Massive doughy buns with a gooey middle and mounds of fluffy frosting- yum! The good news is I cracked the code to making the best homemade cinnamon rolls that are definitely just like the real thing. This copycat recipe has a secret ingredient that makes these rolls different form the rest. I came across a cinnamon roll recipe from the blog Tastes of Lizzy T, and she suggested a special ingredient to make the rolls rich and gooey: pour heavy cream over the dough rolls before baking. Let me tell you, this additional step is what makes these cinnamon rolls extra. This will be your go-to cinnamon roll recipe for lounging around on Sunday mornings with the fam, or to bring to the next friendly gathering.
Let’s get down to business:
After whisking the dry ingredients for the dough, combine milk and butter in a heat proof bowl and microwave until the butter is melted, to about 105-110°F. Make sure to use a thermometer (I use this one) to check the temperature. If it’s too hot, you will kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise to make a puffy cinnamon roll. My mixture is usually a little too hot, so I stick it in the refrigerator to cool down for a bit before adding it to the dry ingredients. You could also slowly melt the butter mixture on the stovetop, and monitor the temperature that way.
Combine the wet to dry ingredients using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to mix and knead the dough, adding the egg just after the flour is saturated with liquid. I knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-5 minutes, or until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Lightly grease a medium bowl with butter or cooking spray and cover tightly (I use this reusable plastic wrap alternative). Allow the dough to rise to double the size in a warm spot of your kitchen.
I use this trick I learned from Alexandra’s Kitchen: Turn the oven on to it’s lowest temperature for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the dough to rise. I then stick the bowl in the oven and tell *everyone in the house* to not turn the oven on because I’m using it as a proving drawer. Because honestly, who has a proving drawer? #dreamhouse
Rolling and cutting your dough:
After the dough has risen, roughly create a rectangular disc with your hand, then roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured pastry mat. Create a large rectangle of even thickness, about 24×14 inches. Once you spread the filling, roll the dough up from the long side. Cut the rolled up dough into 12 equal pieces and place into your baking dish for the second rise. To get rolls of equal size, I like to first trim the ugly ends off the dough log. Then, I cut the log into 3rds, then I half each of those pieces. Half all the rolls a second time, and you have 12! My little dentist trick is instead of cutting the dough with a knife, I tie floss around the rolled up dough at the place I want to cut, and tighten it to cut in half. You end up with a perfectly cut, round cinnamon roll. Also, remember to floss your teeth every night.
Let the covered unbaked cinnamon rolls rise a second time until doubled, about 2 hours on the counter. Once they are ready to be baked, preheat the oven and slightly warm heavy cream in the microwave to about 85°F. This is again to control the yeast activity. Pour the cream over the dough right before you stick them in the oven.
After baking, make sure to allow the baking dish to cool for about 10-20 minutes on a cooling rack before frosting them, otherwise the frosting will melt and make a big mess.
I hope you enjoy these Cinnabon copycat cinnamon rolls as much as we do!
Homemade Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Pastry mat
- Thermometer
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 g (3.5 cups) bread flour
- 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 76 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
- 172 g (3/4 cup ) whole milk
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream for pouring over dough
Filling
- 150 g (2/3 cup) dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
Frosting
- 168 g (6 oz) full-fat cream cheese
- 76 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 270 g (2 cups) confectioners sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: Wisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a stand mixer or large bowl.
- Combine the milk and butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stovetop to heat the butter gently until melted, between 105-110°F. If the mixture is too warm, put in the fridge until cooled to the appropriate temperature.
- Pour melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in stand mixer with dough hook on low until the flour has absorbed the liquid. Add the egg. Mix dough with dough hook for 5 minutes on medium speed, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface until a soft dough ball is formed.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with butter or cooking spray, and cover tightly. Let the dough rise in a warm spot in your kitchen for 1 hour, or until doubled.
- Lightly dust a pastry mat and rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a 24×14 inch rectangle of uniform thickness.
- Spread the softened butter on top with a rubber spatula. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the mixture on top of the dough evenly.
- Roll up the dough tightly, starting on the long side. Cut into 12 even slices and arrange on a 9×13 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Cover tightly and allow to rise for 2 hours on the counter, or doubled in size. You may also allow them to rise in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours to bake the next morning. (If you refrigerate the dough rolls, leave the rolls on the counter in a warm spot and allow to come to room temperature prior to baking. This will take about 1 hour.)
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Warm the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stove to about 85°F. Pour heavy cream over the rolls. Bake for 22 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. There will be liquid bubbling around the rolls- this is normal. While cooling, prepare the frosting.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, mix the cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled rolls. Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
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