We’re having a lot of fun hanging out at home during our vacation right now. No work, no school, no obligations. Sometimes it’s nice to just do nothing but be lazy!
One way we enjoy our do-nothing days is by just having yummy food around to snack on all day. And at the top of that yummy food list is cinnamon rolls with frosting! Honestly, during vacation breaks, we love them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
You really can’t go wrong with cinnamon rolls and I’ve had fun trying out many different versions such as Cereal Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls, Fairy Cinnamon Rolls, and Monkey Bread King Cake Cinnamon Rolls, but sometimes there’s nothing better than the original.
So I’m going to give you my favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls with frosting, the easiest one I’ve made and the one I grew up on. They can be made same-day or the night before and they’re delicious straight out of the oven but also warm up perfectly days later too!
Cinnamon Roll Dough
First, start by making the dough. In a large bowl blend together 2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 pkg. active dry yeast.
Second, in a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk, and 1/2 cup of butter until melted and very warm.
Third, add the warm liquid and 1 egg to the flour mixture. I like to turn the mixer on low and very slowly pour the liquid in while it’s blending.
Fourth, mix at low speed until blended, then mix at medium speed for another three minutes.
Then, stir in an additional 3 cups of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Next, lightly flour your counter and knead in 1-2 cups of flour until the dough is smooth and elastic-like.
Place the dough in a greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and/or a cloth dish towel. Let it rise until double in size, about 60 minutes.
After the first rise, punch the dough down several times to remove all the air bubbles.
At this point, you can choose to continue making the cinnamons rolls or save the dough for the next day. If you want to make the rolls the next day, simply cover the dough after punching it down and refrigerate it overnight. Remove in the morning and follow with the rest of the recipe as normal. Otherwise after punching down just continue with the recipe.
So from here, I divide the dough I’ve made in half. I use one half for cinnamon rolls and the other half for some other goodie, like Orange Rolls (recipe coming soon!)
Take your divided dough and on a lightly floured counter roll out the dough to roughly 18×12 inches.
Then, spread 1/2 cup of butter – room temperature! – onto the dough.
This may look like a lot of butter, but trust me, it’s worth it! It makes the cinnamon rolls so much better than just putting the cinnamon mixture directly onto the dough.
Helpful hint: Do not melt the butter to put on the dough. It will get incredibly messy when you try and roll them up. Room temperature is the way to go.
In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon then sprinkle over the buttered dough.
Then, starting with the longer end, roll the dough up tightly.
Press the edges together to seal.
Cut into 16 slices, place into a greased 13×9 inch pan.
Helpful hint: In order to get the slices as equal as possible I cut the long roll in half, then cut those two halves in half, then cut those four in half, and continue on until I get 16 pieces.
Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover dough, bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Frosting
In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of milk and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.
Helpful hint: Try using a different flavoring, like almond extract, instead of vanilla to give the cinnamon rolls with frosting a little kick.
Drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls.
Finally, remove from pan and serve warm.
Cinnamon Rolls with Frosting
Cinnamon Roll
- 6-7 cups flour
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 pkg. active dry yeast
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of butter (divided in half)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar (divided in half)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Frosting
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.
Cinnamon Roll
- In a large bowl blend together 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
- In a small saucepan, heat water, milk, and 1/2 cup of butter until melted and very warm.
- Add the warm liquid and egg to the flour mixture while mixing slowly.
- Mix at low speed until blended, then mix at medium speed for another three minutes.
- Stir in an additional 3 cups of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly flour counter and knead in 1-2 cups of flour until the dough is smooth and elastic-like.
- Place dough in a greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and/or a cloth dish towel.
- Let rise until double in size, about 60 minutes.
- Punch the dough down several times to remove all the air bubbles.
- Divide the dough in half. Use only one half for cinnamon rolls and the other half for something else or use both for cinnamon rolls (be sure to double cinnamon mixture and frosting mixture if you do).
- Take divided dough and on a lightly floured counter roll out the dough to roughly 18×12 inches.
- Spread softened butter onto the dough.
- In a small bowl combine sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle over the buttered dough.
- Then, starting with the longer end, roll the dough up tightly.
- Press the edges together to seal.
- Cut into 16 slices, place into a greased 13×9 inch pan.
- Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Uncover dough, bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Frosting
- In a small bowl mix butter, vanilla, milk and powdered sugar.
- Drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls.
- Finally, remove from pan and serve warm.
I hope you enjoy these cinnamon rolls with frosting as much as we do!
Let me know in the comments when your favorite time to eat them is: morning, noon or night?
~Kimberly
You forgot the raisins and nuts.
What a harsh comment! Apparently she didn’t want raisins and nuts!