Soft Cinnamon Roll Recipe * Cinnabon Dupe

Comfort food – Yes please. This homemade cinnamon roll recipe is a keeper. The cream cheese frosting is everything.

It was a damp, cool morning and I had a craving for a cinnamon roll so I figured why not give it a go – especially since I won’t be venturing out to find one anytime soon. We’ve been social distancing for an entire month now and I don’t think I’ve ever baked and cooked more in my life. Baking has been therapeutic and enjoyable. And of course DELICIOUS!

This is a Cinnabon copy cat recipe from Topsecretrecipes.com This recipe is pretty easy to follow… Just a word of advice be very careful with the yeast, you don’t want to destroy it if your liquids are too hot.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast (or 1 packet)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
4 cups flour
2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Filling:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup cream cheese softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar

Instructions

Dough:

Warm milk and butter until luke warm. Add Sugar. Stir. Touch to make sure it isn’t too warm. If your liquid is too warm it can kill the yeast. Stir in the yeast and let it foam for approximately 10 minutes.

I used my kitchenAid mixer with the bread hook attachment. This made the process SO easy! Add eggs, salt and 4 cups of flour. Turn mixer on low for approximately 10 minutes. Then cover the top and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for around 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, I continued to let the dough rise while I made the cinnamon filling.

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

Mix the brown sugar, softened butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth.
Place dough onto a floured surface. Fold into thirds, press to flatten, then fold into thirds again. Roll into a large rectangle, approximately 16×20 inches.
Spread cinnamon filling over the dough. Careful to not rip holes in the dough. If you leave the filling at room temperature it is a little more difficult to spread – but it is easier to roll up and prevents leakage;) Roll the dough to create a long log and roll it tight.
Place a sheet of parchment paper in a 9×13 dish. Cut the log into 12 pieces. Or cut the pieces slightly smaller – I did 18 pieces and also used a 9×9 dish. Place the rolls in your pan, tucking the end under the roll. Place , 3 in a row. They will bake together into deliciousness.
Preheat over to 350 degrees and let the rolls to continue to rise (for an additional 30 min) while the oven heats up.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden grown brown.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and icing sugar together until completely smooth.
Once the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, spread some icing over the top of the rolls so it melts into the cinnamon swirls. Add more icing when you are ready to eat.