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Cinnamon Rolls made completely from scratch, with tall bakery style swirls, a gooey brown sugar filling, and tangy cream cheese frosting, no stand mixer required, and I started making these on slow Saturday mornings when Maddie and Lizzie could smell the cinnamon all the way upstairs. When we are short on time we still love our crescent roll cinnamon rolls, but these are the real deal.
A zip top bag and a rolling pin laminate the butter right into the dough, so every bite bakes up flaky, fluffy, and full of swirls.
Cinnamon Rolls Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 40 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 buns
- ⚡ Calories: 578kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery cinnamon sugar with tangy cream cheese frosting
- ✋ Difficulty: Intermediate, the bag trick makes the dough easier than our buttermilk biscuits
Quick Answer
Roll frozen butter into a flour, yeast, and sugar mixture inside a zip top bag until it forms thin planks, then mix in sour cream, ice water, and an egg yolk to form the dough. Roll it out, fill it with brown sugar and cinnamon, roll it into a log, cut 12 pieces, let them rise, and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes then 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Finish with cream cheese frosting.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Frozen butter creates flaky layers. Rolling cold butter into planks inside the bag laminates the dough like a shortcut croissant, so the baked rolls pull apart in buttery ribbons.
- Sour cream keeps the crumb tender. Its acidity softens the gluten and its fat enriches the dough, which is why these stay moist for days.
- The long chill builds flavor. Resting the shaped buns 4 to 24 hours lets the yeast ferment slowly, developing that deep bakery flavor you cannot rush.
- A steamy oven rise works every time. Proofing the buns over a pan of boiled water in a cold oven gives the yeast the warm, humid environment it loves, even in a chilly kitchen.
- Foil liners save the swirls. All that brown sugar wants to weld itself to the pan, foil cupcake liners with cooking spray release every bun cleanly.
- The two temperature bake sets the shape. Five minutes at 425 degrees springs the rolls tall, then 325 degrees bakes them through without burning the sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No stand mixer, no dough hook, the dough comes together with a bag and a rolling pin.
- The make ahead chill means you can bake them fresh the morning you want them.
- They taste like the fancy bakery version of our easy cinnamon rolls, with real yeasted layers.
Key Ingredients
Everyday baking staples, the technique does the heavy lifting.
- Butter: A pound and a half sliced and frozen for the dough, plus softened butter for the frosting. Cold butter is the secret to the flaky layers.
- Active dry yeast: One packet gives the buns their tall, fluffy rise during the slow chill and steamy proof.
- Sour cream: The wet ingredient that makes this dough special, it adds richness and a subtle tang.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: The classic gooey filling, a full cup of sugar keeps every swirl sticky sweet.
- Cream cheese: Whipped with butter and powdered sugar into the tangy frosting that melts over the warm buns.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This dough is a great base for playing around.
- Add orange zest to the filling for a cinnamon orange roll.
- Scatter chopped pecans or walnuts over the filling before rolling up the log.
- Swap the cream cheese frosting for a simple vanilla glaze if you like a lighter finish.
- Short on time? Our crescent roll cinnamon rolls get you 80 percent of the flavor in a fraction of the time.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Toss the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar together in a gallon sized bag, add the frozen butter slices, and roll with a rolling pin until the butter flattens into long thin planks.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl, add the sour cream, ice water, and egg yolk, and mix until a crumbly dough forms, then knead on a floured surface until it comes together.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 12×20 inch rectangle and sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon filling evenly over the top, leaving a half inch border.
- Roll the dough into a log the long way and seal the edge, then trim the ends and cut it into 12 equal pieces.
- Place the pieces cut side up in a foil lined muffin tin, chill at least 4 hours, then rise in a cold oven over a pan of boiled water until doubled in size.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake 30 to 35 minutes more until golden, cool slightly, then frost.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Keep everything cold. If the butter softens while you work, pop the dough back in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Use foil cupcake liners and spray them. Paper liners stick to the caramelized sugar, foil releases the buns cleanly.
- Do not skip the 4 hour chill. It relaxes the dough, deepens the flavor, and makes the buns easier to handle.
- Boil fresh water for the rise. If the buns have not doubled after 30 minutes, reboil the water to bring the warmth back.
- Watch the color, not just the clock. Ovens vary, pull the buns when they are deep golden brown on top.
- Frost while slightly warm. The frosting melts into every crevice without sliding completely off.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These are the centerpiece of every holiday breakfast at our house, pour the coffee and serve them warm next to a breakfast casserole for the full spread.
For a bigger brunch, add a stack of buttermilk pancakes or a batch of homemade English muffins and let everyone graze all morning.
Come fall, we love one of these with a slice of pumpkin bread and a mug of hot cider on the porch.
Store leftover rolls covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5. Rewarm individual buns in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds so the frosting goes melty again. The unbaked, cut buns can also be frozen in the tin, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and rise as directed.
Cinnamon Rolls FAQs
Yes, this recipe is built for it. The shaped buns need at least 4 hours in the refrigerator and hold up to 24 hours, so cut them the night before and bake fresh in the morning. You can also freeze the cut, unbaked buns for up to a month.
Usually the yeast never got a warm enough environment. Use the boiled water trick, place a dish of just boiled water on the lowest oven rack with the buns above it in a cold oven. If nothing happens after 30 minutes, reboil the water and try again. Also check that your yeast is not expired.
The butter is rolled into the flour in frozen planks, similar to laminating croissant dough, instead of being melted or softened into the dough. That creates distinct flaky layers inside each bun, so they eat like a cross between a cinnamon roll and a pastry.
You can, place the 12 pieces in a greased 9×13 dish, let them rise the same way, and add about 5 minutes to the bake time. The muffin tin version gives each bun its own crisp edge, while the dish version bakes up softer and pull apart style.
Do not overbake them, then store them tightly covered so the air cannot dry them out. A 15 second zap in the microwave brings day old rolls right back to just baked softness. The sour cream in this dough also keeps the crumb tender longer than a standard recipe.
Yes, swap it one for one. Instant yeast ferments a little faster, so the rise may finish closer to the 30 minute mark. The long refrigerator rest still matters for flavor, so do not skip it even with the faster yeast.
Made these homemade Cinnamon Rolls? Leave a comment and a star rating below, I would love to hear how they turned out!
For an easier fall bake, our crumble topped apple bread recipe needs no yeast at all.
Once you master these, our flaky bakery style cruffins are the next level up.
For a faster breakfast treat, our cake mix baked donuts are done in 25 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons ice water
- 1 large egg yolk
For the filling:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cut the butter into slices, about 1/2 inch thick, and place them in the freezer while getting the dry ingredients ready.
- Add the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and toss to mix together.
- Add the sliced butter to the bag. Close the bag and toss so the butter cubes are coated in flour.
- With a rolling pin, roll out the flour mixture and butter while still in the bag. You are looking to make the butter into long thin planks of butter. This doesn’t have to be perfect but do the best you can.
- Pour the mix into a large bowl. Add in the sour cream, ice water, and egg yolk. Mix this with a spatula until it starts to form a very crumbly dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured clean work surface.
- Work the dough with your hands, kneading until a more solid dough forms. This will take a while since the ingredients are so cold, be patient!
- Roll out the dough until it is roughly a 12×20-inch rectangle. Roll the dough over itself into a log the long way.
- Flatten this out using your hands and rolling pin if needed until 4 inches wide. Place on a baking sheet covered in plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is in the freezer mix the filling of granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl and set aside.
- After 15 minutes take the dough out of the freezer and roll it out again into a 12×20-inch rectangle.
- Sprinkle evenly with the sugar/cinnamon mixture leaving a 1/2-inch border around the outside.
- Once again, roll this into a log the long way. Sealing the edge together, you may need to use a tiny bit of water on your fingertips to help securely seal the edge.
- Using FOIL cupcake liners, line a cupcake tin and spray with cooking spray, this part is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Otherwise, all the sugars in the bun will stick to your pan and will leave a huge mess and the buns won’t come out of the pan.
- Trim the ends of the dough 1/2 inch off each end. Cut into 12 equal pieces.
- Put the pieces cut side up into each cupcake wrapper and cover with plastic wrap. Place this in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Now you are going to let the buns rise. Boil three cups of water, place this into a baking dish, and place on the lowest rack in a cold oven. Place the rolls on the rack above the water and close the door. Let the rolls sit in the oven with the water until they double in size. This will take 30 minutes to an hour. If after 30 minutes the buns don’t seem to have risen much, boil the water again and place it back in the oven.
- Bake buns at 425°F for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325°F degrees, leaving the buns in the oven. Cook for 30-35 more minutes until golden brown.
- When the buns are done cooking, let them sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then take them out. Take off the foil wrappers and place them on a wire rack to cool.
- While the buns are cooling, make the frosting. Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, and whip until smooth. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar to the bowl a little at a time until fully mixed in. Turn the mixer on to medium-high speed and whip for 2 minutes.
- Frost the cinnamon roll buns with the frosting and enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled, you will need 2 muffin pans.
- These need to rise for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Other spices can be used, see above for some of my suggestions.
- You need to make sure to use liners for this recipe otherwise the filling will seep out into your pan and they can get stuck.
- The frosting is optional, you can also use a powdered sugar sprinkle or a simple powdered sugar glaze drizzled over the top.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Nothing makes me happier in the morning than cinnamon rolls! And these little guys you made are adorable. Great pictures 🙂
Hi Dana. So glad to have found your blog. These look amazing! I have a weakness for anything cinnamon — especially muffins or rolls. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’m a sucker for cinnamon rolls! I can’t wait to try these. Thank you so much for sharing.
Dana, these look absolutely phenomenal! I’m a sucker for anything that is cinnamon and I love how these are in muffin form. The perfect breakfast (or anytime) treat!
Yum!!! Cinnamon rolls are on my to-dos for the week, love the idea of putting them in muffin tins. Thanks for sharing 🙂
These look fantastic, I am going to give them a try, I love anything and everything with cinnamon. thanks
These look like heaven! What a great breakfast treat.
These look yummy. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for linking it up to Snickerdoodle Sunday.
This looks so good gilr!!!! I’m hungry just by seeing it!!!
XOXO
Mmm … these look so delicious! I will have to surprise my husband soon:)