Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are where it's at
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls: have sweeter words ever been said? I really do not think so.
IMHO, nothing quite beats a warm, homemade cinnamon roll on a lazy weekend morning. The only thing that makes that experience better is not having to wake up hours in advance. Because don't forget that you need to let the dough rise, make the rolls, let them rise again, bake them... And then eat them.
This recipe allows you to do a lot of the prep work the night before, saving you valuable time the next morning. You can sleep in, luxuriate with a cup of coffee, and still have your cinnamon rolls in a reasonable amount of time.
This method is a real game changer!
The night before, you'll need to make the dough and assemble the rolls. Cover them tightly with plastic wrap and tuck them into the fridge until the next morning. Once you wake up, remove them from the fridge and let them sit on the counter for about half an hour. This ought to give you enough time to preheat the oven, make a cup of coffee, and scroll through your Twitter feed.
Next, pop the cinnamon rolls into the oven, let them bake up golden-brown, and slather them with cream cheese icing. And there you have it: homemade, make-ahead cinnamon rolls in a fraction of the time.
These cinnamon rolls are great when it's just you and your fam AND when you have company
I really like to make these in anticipation of a work-from-home snow day for just my husband and myself. However, these are also really great for when you have company. Doing the heavy lifting the night before allows you to spend time with your guests after everyone wakes up, rather than being stuck in the kitchen.
A group of friends are coming to stay with us over Memorial Day Weekend, and I know that I'll be making these for them.
The basic recipe for these cinnamon rolls comes from Jo Cooks. I modified the baking instructions so that they can be made in advance--up to the night before you want to bake them!
✨ Recipe
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 tbs cinnamon
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
For the icing
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cream cheese room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
To make the dough
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast should start to froth and bubble a bit.
- Add the sugar, butter, kosher salt, eggs, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour the milk and yeast mixture over the flour mixture. Using the dough hook, mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray (or lightly coat it in vegetable oil). Place the dough into the bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
To make the filling
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the room temperature butter and mash everything into a paste. Set aside.
To make the rolls
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 16 inches long and 12 inches wide. The dough will be approximately ¼-inch thick.
- Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
- Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
- Cut the dough into 1 ½-inch slices, and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap. Pop the rolls into the fridge overnight.
To bake the cinnamon rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and let them rise for about 30 minutes
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they golden brown.
To make the icing
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, with an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and kosher salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Slather the hot cinnamon rolls with icing.
Notes
- Once you have placed the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking pan, cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise for about 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Make the icing and ice the cinnamon rolls as directed above.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Looking for more breakfasty goodness?
- Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats AND Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats
- Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans
- Crab Cakes Eggs Florentine (sous vide!)
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- King Cake Cinnamon Rolls
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