These delicious cinnamon rolls always seem to steal the show wherever they go. The perfectly soft dough consistency is great with or without the sugar frosting. I think these are the best homemade cinnamon rolls.

I received the biggest compliment when I first made these cinnamon rolls: Doug’s grandfather reaching for seconds. He calls them “snails” and every time we see him, he asks if I’ve made any for him.

We also used this recipe to try out Lisa Nguyen’s suggestion of chili on cinnamon rolls. We had a few friends taste them during a Friendsgiving event and it was overall very positive reactions!

Whatever the occasion, whether a family gathering or simply a self pampering, these gooey cinnamon buns will bring happiness to all.

How to make Cinnamon Rolls gooey

I discovered the secret to a rich and gooey cinnamon roll in Julie Clark’s Cinnabon Copycat recipe:

Pouring cream over the cinnamon rolls right before putting them in the oven.

This keeps the dough soft throughout the bake and results in gooey deliciousness just like the Cinnabon rolls. Julie’s recipe calls for heavy cream but I used coconut cream instead. This is my adapted recipe.

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup salted butter
• 2.5 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 1/3 cup salted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon maple extract or vanilla extract

How to make cinnamon rolls

If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment

Creating the dough

1. Add eggs, butter, sugar, warm milk and instant dry yeast to a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer). Combine.
2. Add salt and flour. Continue mixing.
3. Once combined, knead (increase speed of stand mixer) for 5-7 minutes. The resulting dough should be sticky. Feel free to add up to 1/2 cup (68 grams) of flour to dry out the dough.
4. Cover the dough and set aside to rise and double in size (proof). This should take at least 30 minutes. Create the filling while dough is proofing.

Mixing the filling

1. Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon

Creating the rolls

1. Flour a large work surface and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle. 24” x 16” is sufficient.

2. Spread all the filling into an even layer on top of your dough.

3. Tightly roll the dough into a jelly roll style

4. Cut the roll into slices and place on a greased pan.

5. Cover and allow rolls to proof for 20 minutes

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

7. When rolls are done proofing, pour the warm coconut cream over the rolls so they are soaked.

8. Bake for 20 minutes. As usual, baking time may vary depending on the pan, the placement of the rolls, or the thickness of the rolls. You may wish to cook longer to brown to your satisfaction.

Make the frosting

1. Combine the softened cream cheese, butter, maple extract, and powdered sugar

Frost the rolls

1. When finished baking and properly cooled, spread or pour the frosting over the rolls
2. Enjoy!

Tips

• You can substitute coconut cream with whole cream, half and half, etc.
• Softening the butter will make mixing much easier.
• Use a stand mixer for the dough
• Use a hand mixer for the filling and frosting
• Use a round cake pan for baking. It will help the rolls soak up the cream
• You can substitute the maple extract with any flavored extract to your own taste preference.

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjkY3RKe6eo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L5DYtHrWpQ

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