In short, these cinnamon rolls are pure perfection. There’s some kind of warm comforting feeling that I get once the smell of cinnamon rolls waft its way around the house. The perfect soft, fluffy, gooey cinnamon rolls are right at your fingertips.  These soft cinnamon rolls are an absolute no-fail easy homemade recipe that I promise you can do!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: including rising time 1 hour and 15 minutes

Serves: 24 depending on size

 

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 C. whole milk

1/2 C. vegetable oil

1/2 C. sugar

1 package active dry yeast or 2 ½ tsp. if you buy in bulk

4 C. flour plus 1/2 cup (to be used later, put this aside)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1, 1/8 tsp. baking soda

1 T. salt

 

FILLING: 

1 C. softened butter, plus more as needed

1/2 C. ground cinnamon

1/2 C. sugar, plus more as needed

1/2 C. brown sugar

 

FROSTING: 

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 T. vanilla extract

1/4 C. milk

1/8 C melted butter

Pinch of salt

 

 

DOUGH:

Mix milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a pan. Warm mixture until sugar to dissolved and it reaches lukewarm temperatures (120to 130 degrees), but NOT hot, sprinkle in package Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute to do its thing and then add 4 cups of flour. Stir mixture together, not too much, just to incorporate. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

While your dough is rising let’s get the other things together. In another small bowl cream the softened butter, cinnamon, sugar and brown, this will look like cinnamon butter when done, set that side.

Next when your hour is up, add 1/2 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. From here, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to rise out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls.

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangular shape (I rolled my dough to about a 15×20 rectangle). Spread the butter mixture evenly on top of the rolled dough.

Spray your baking vessel with your favorite cooking spray (The pan I used was aluminum 13×9). Starting with the wide end, roll the dough tightly towards you in a neat line. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. With a sharp knife, begin cutting the dough into 1 inch or so slices, and laying them in the pans. Let rest for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until golden.

 

FROSTING:

Mix together all ingredients, and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Don’t be afraid to add more powdered sugar or more milk to get the consistency right. Taste and adjust as needed. Let rolls sit for at least 15 minutes than generously drizzle over the warm rolls, you will thank me later.

 

 

Christina’s Notes:

If making ahead for special occasions:  Instead of popping them into the oven, just put them straight into the fridge and let them rise for the 2nd time in the fridge overnight (they’ll rise VERY slowly in the cold fridge). Then, in the morning let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then pop them in the oven as directed.