Description

These homemade cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and bursting with a warm cinnamon-sugar filling. Topped with a luscious maple cream cheese frosting, they make the perfect indulgent breakfast or dessert treat. The recipe involves a simple yeast dough, a rich cinnamon filling, and a sweet, tangy frosting enhanced with high-quality maple extract for extra depth of flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

2 cups whole milk (2% milk also works)
½ cup salted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ Tablespoon instant yeast
2 large eggs (beaten)
6 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

½ cup salted butter (softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
½ cup salted butter (softened)
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon high-quality maple extract
3 cups powdered sugar
Milk (as needed)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat Milk: In a saucepan, heat the milk until scalded—just before boiling, with small bubbles around the edges and steam rising.
Mix Dough Base: Pour the scalded milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until combined. Let cool until the mixture is warm (around 105°F) to avoid killing the yeast.
Add Yeast and Eggs: Stir in the instant yeast and beaten eggs. Gradually add the all-purpose flour, mixing until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl sides. The dough should be soft but slightly sticky. Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
First Rise: Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise until doubled in size.
Prepare Dough for Filling: Punch down the risen dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out into an 18×12-inch rectangle.
Spread Filling: Evenly spread the softened butter over the rolled dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle this evenly on top of the butter layer.
Roll and Cut: Starting from the longer side, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the log into 12 equal portions.
Second Rise: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rolls on it in a 3×4 arrangement. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat Oven: While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake Rolls: Bake the risen cinnamon rolls for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Cool Down: Carefully remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Prepare Frosting: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, softened butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, maple extract, and powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, adding milk as needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
Frost and Serve: Spread the maple cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled cinnamon rolls. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Scalding the milk helps to improve the dough texture and flavor but be sure to let it cool to 105°F before adding yeast to avoid killing it.
Kneading dough for 5 minutes by mixer is sufficient for gluten development to achieve a soft texture.
Rolling the dough tightly ensures the cinnamon filling stays inside and produces nice spiral rolls.
Allowing the rolls to rise twice ensures they are light, fluffy, and perfectly risen.
Letting the rolls cool before frosting prevents the cream cheese frosting from melting too much.
Adjust the consistency of the frosting with milk if it’s too thick for spreading.
Use high-quality maple extract for the best flavor in the frosting.
These cinnamon rolls can be stored covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.