Since I bake using a lot of other people’s recipes, I wanted to find a good way to share my experience with these recipes while still crediting the recipe creator— so, introducing ✨ recipe reviews ✨. Today I’m baking A Cozy Kitchen’s Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, which, spoiler alert, are my new go-to cinny rolls. And, because I’m an overachiever, I baked them in one day, and vlogged while doing so!
These cinnamon rolls are the epitome of what you think when someone mentions “cinnamon rolls” — they are so soft, fluffy, and delicious! Plus, the cream cheese icing is a must. Follow along in the video below to watch me make this recipe, or, just use the recipe below to make these yourself! If you want something that’s more of a showstopper— check out my Giant Cinnamon Roll recipe from last year!
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Dough
- 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cubed, room temperature)
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch kosher salt
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)
For Dough
In the bowl of your stand-up mixer, add lukewarm milk (~100℉). Mix in active dry yeast and allow to activate 8-10 minutes, until foamy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. To the bowl with the milk & yeast mixture, add the beaten eggs and vanilla. Then, add all of the flour mixture at once.
Attach the dough hook to your mixer and mix on low until dough becomes cohesive. Add cubes of butter slowly with mixer still on low.
Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the dough is completely cohesive, smooth, and not sticky. The dough will start unsticking from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the hook and the bowl and form it into a ball.
Transfer the ball of dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and transfer to the fridge to rise for at least 2 hours or overnight.
For Filling:
Mix and mash butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth. You can use the mixer with a paddle attachment, or by hand using a spatula like I did.
To Assemble Rolls
After two hours or the next day, remove the dough from the fridge. Dump dough out ibti a floured surface and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle that measures 15“ x 22.
Add the filling to the dough and spread into a thin layer, using an offset spatula. Spread the filling pretty close to the edges. Starting from the edge away from you, roll the dough towards you, horizontally, into a firm log.
Slice the dough into two and carefully transfer to a cutting board or sheet pan. Place them in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Slicing cold dough is way easier!
Remove from the freezer and slice the rolls into 12 1 1/2-inch rolls.
Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in center rack for 18 to 20 minutes.
For Cream Cheese Icing
Using your stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugars, vanilla paste, salt and heavy cream/milk. Beat until smooth.
To Serve
When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls and smother them with icing and enjoy!
I’d consider myself a decent home baker, so I made this recipe in one day instead of letting the dough rise overnight. You could either rise the full dough before forming the rolls overnight, or cut your rolls and let them do the 2nd rise in the fridge overnight. Splitting up the work definitely would make this recipe easier if you consider yourself a baking novice.
Some of the main tips I’d have for this recipe is to make sure your milk is heated correctly, around 100℉, so you activate the yeast without killing it with too high of heat. If you don’t have a thermometer, test by dipping your finger in, and if you can barely feel any heat you’re there, since our bodies are 98.6℉ usually!
The rolls are pretty forgiving— I accidentally cut a few too small and they all baked up fine. Just make sure you let them double in size during the second rise! Overall the recipe is amazing— I love how the filling is super cinnamon heavy— it really tastes just like you’d get at a bakery. Just check out those layers! You guys need to try this recipe out, I’d give it an A for sure. It’d make a delicious breakfast treat for your family this holiday season! 🎄
