Cream Cheese Iced Cinnamon Rolls
Breakfast · Serves 12 · Prep 45 min · Cook 28 min · Total 1 hr 13 min
Soft, fluffy rolls with a buttery brown-sugar swirl and a tangy cream cheese icing that melts into every layer. You can shape them the night before and bake straight from the fridge in the morning. Weekend-morning and holiday-breakfast food.
Ingredients
The Dough
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
- 2 1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 to 4 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
The Filling
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
The Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp milk
Steps
The Dough
- Stir the warm milk, yeast and a pinch of the sugar in a large bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the rest of the sugar, the eggs, melted butter and salt.
- Add 4 cups flour and stir into a shaggy dough. Knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth, soft and slightly tacky, 6 to 8 minutes, adding flour a tablespoon at a time only if it sticks badly.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
The Filling
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Roll the dough on a lightly floured counter into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Spread with the soft butter, leaving a 1/2-inch strip bare along one long edge. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Roll up tightly from the long side covered in filling and pinch the seam closed. Cut into 12 even slices with a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss and arrange cut side up in the pan.
- Cover and let rise until puffy and touching, 45 to 60 minutes. (Or refrigerate overnight; in the morning let them sit at room temperature 1 hour before baking.)
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake until golden brown and the center roll reads 190°F, 25 to 30 minutes.
The Icing
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make it spreadable. Spread over the rolls while they are still warm.