You probably started thinking about your favorite part of the cinnamon roll which is OF COURSE, the center. The gooey, soft, pull-apart, cinnamon-slathered, sweet, perfectly glazed bite. The bite you waited for the whole time or, if you’re like some of us, the only bite you took and then discarded the rest because why botherrrrr?! Well, what if the whole cinnamon roll was like the center? What if every single bite was light and soft and buttery and sweet? What if the entire thing was draped in a silky smooth cream cheese frosting that seeped and sneaked into every single available warm cinnamony pocket? Yes. Yes. Goodbye dry, hard frosting-less outer bready bits! We’re here for brioche and we’re never turning back. Your holiday brunches, your quiet mornings with a hot cup of coffee before everyone wakes up, your treat plate on the counter where you sneak bites in between all the stirs and mashes and temp checks of holiday meal prep…all of this just got so much more delicious.
eggs flour yeast honey white, brown, and powdered sugars cinnamon vanilla cream cheese butter (butter lovers, this is your moment to shine!)
About that butter. The absolute key to this perfect cinnamon roll, in our humble opinion (but also not humble…hiiii this is the best cinnamon roll!), is the brioche dough. It’s soft and sweet and airy. It is absolutely made to be soaked in cinnamon and sugar and warm drippy frosting.
The Best Dough For Cinnamon Rolls
Trust – it’s easier than you think. This brioche dough that we’re using is ultra-pillowy, soft, and luscious. Also: stupidly easy. I have zero time for fussy bread recipes, so you know this is doable. You will be big-time rewarded with fluffy dough and amazing bread smells for all your (slightly) hard work. And hard work = 30 seconds of stirring. Here’s all you have to do: You can do it!
What Else To Make With This Brioche Dough
If you love the texture of these rolls, which you will, this same dough recipe can be used in multiple ways! It’s a go to around here for lots of pillowy, plush, super tender baked yummies. Here are my favorite ways to use that leftover dough:
Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread (a brunch necessity!) Christmas Tea Ring with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling (a family favorite perfect for Christmas morning) Ricotta Berry French Toast Casserole (french toast for a crowd!)
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
You’re already going to be peeking in that warm oven and absolutely high-fiving yourself left and right as you watch them pillow up over the top of the pan, but there is still more glory to come! That’s right, it’s a fluffy, light, thin but not too thin, covers and drips over everything cream cheese frosting. Icing? Glaze? Reason for living? Whatever you call it, this one is just about perfect. So there are some tips and tricks here because sometimes a frosting wants to lump, and we’re not having that. So you’ll want to make sure you use an electric mixer to whip it really smooth – the longer you mix it, and the higher the speed, the fluffier your frosting will be (but it then kinda melts down in the most wonderful way once it goes on the rolls).
Flavor Variations on The Cream Cheese Frosting
You can also have some fun here with these cream cheese frosting cinnamon rolls if you’re feeling it.
A little maple syrup in that frosting perhaps? A swizzle of honey to bring out the honey in the brioche? Zest some orange in that filling or how about a splash of orange juice in your frosting for a sweet citrusy twist?
Play around, make them your own, make them again and again and again. We really do not know how you could possibly go wrong! Even if you do get some lumps. Can fully attest that the whole team ate a full batch of these cinnamon rolls with RECKLESS ABANDON and zero regrets.
How To Make Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
There are some steps here. There is a little bit of time and planning and love that goes in, but what are the holidays if not time and planning and love. And we promise, absolutely all your efforts will be rewarded. BIG TIME. In a way, making these perfectly soft, pillowy, sweet cream cheese frosting cinnamon rolls is a lot like gathering friends and family for the holidays. It takes a little time and patience and planning. But once everyone is all tucked in and ready to go, there’s nothing more warm, more cozy, more joy-giving than having them at the table.
Source Notes: To get to light, pillowy, aggressively frosted cinnamon roll nirvana, I am using the method from the amazing cinnamon roll recipe in Bread in 5’s Holiday and Celebration cookbook (affiliate link). This is one of the best baking books I own for easy, do-able baking! Highly recommend and owe all credit for much of what I’ve learned about making brioche to them and this book!
More Holiday Brunch Recipes We Love
Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread (this caramel is not messing around – it’s so good!) Christmas Tea Ring with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling (family favorite!) Carrot Cake Coffee Cake (perfect sweet addition to the holiday table) Biscuits and Gravy Egg Bake (the ultimate brunch recipe mash-up!) Egg and Croissant Brunch Bake (a classic brunch crowd-pleaser!) Breakfast Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce (a little something different that will blow. your. mind.)
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1/2 cup lukewarm water (not hot water) 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 eggs 3 tablespoons honey 2 1/2 cups flour + extra for dusting
Cinnamon Roll Filling:
3 tablespoons butter, melted 5 tablespoons white sugar 5 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk (more as needed) 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract small pinch of salt
Sample Timing – for less work in the morning: Make the dough the morning before; let it rise from 8-10am. Put it in the fridge. Roll out the rolls in the afternoon or evening, cover, and put back in the fridge. Take the rolls out first thing the next morning, rise from 7-8am, bake and be ready to eat by 8:30am. Sample Timing – for last-minute people: Make the dough the night before; let it rise from 8-10pm. Put it in the fridge. Roll out the rolls the next morning from 7:30-8, let them rise from 8-9am, bake and be ready to eat by 9:30am. Fridge Time: This particular dough can hang out in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t like to leave the pre-rolled rolls in the fridge longer than overnight because I feel like the filling starts to seep out. But the dough ball itself can hang out for 5 days. Freezing: Currently freezing isn’t a part of my routine for these because I find that the dough is so rich and buttery that it’s hard to get a good second rise. I prefer to just work within that 5 day timeframe and store them in the fridge during that time! If your dough is not rising: This happens to me every once in a while (due to variances in temperature of the room or temperature of ingredients). I find that it’s almost always because the dough is not warm enough yet. Assuming that your yeast was alive and you are smelling that sweet, yeasty smell from the dough, it just needs a bit more time, warmth, and moisture. Covering it with a damp towel and placing it near a warm oven for an extra 30-60 minutes should get it going. You can also try any of the tricks in this post– in particular I like the boiling water / oven method.
