These Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls are a great classic! They are perfect for breakfast and even better for dessert. A soft doughy bread filled with brown sugar cinnamon goodness and topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. They are DEFINITELY worth all the work!
Who doesn’t love a good cinnamon roll, I mean c’mon right? Everybody has got their “these are the best cinnamon rolls” place. Whether it’s the Cinnabon cinnamon rolls or the made fresh every morning cinnamon rolls down at the local diner, but I’ll pick my Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls every damn time 😋 Yup. I’m that confident they’ll blow your socks off.
Now, honestly, they do take some of that precious time and work we sometimes don’t wanna do. BUT it’ll be so worth it. There’s 1 ½ hours total in rising time. While you’re waiting make sure to get some of that me time in! Read a book. Take a bubble bath. Play with your dog. Then gorge on fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls afterward 😜
These Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls are great for a late-night snack, to impress someone, and they make a sweet breakfast. (emoji) I definitely have my go-to recipes when I really want to make a good impression and these cinnamon rolls, along with my mac n cheese and Nutella Sugar Cookies, are at the top of the list. And they are great for feeding a crowd!
Kitchen tools you will need:
- Large mixing bowl – you will need one for the dough, the filling mixture, and the frosting.
- Rolling pin – a wine bottle works great too! (wink tongue emoji)
- Ruler – to make sure we get a nice 24×12 inch rectangle
- 9×13 casserole dish – for baking your beautiful cinnamon rolls
- Kitchen towel – to cover the dough while it’s rising
- Spatula – for spreading that tasty af frosting
- Your favorite alcoholic (or not) beverage – to drink while you’re waiting
Ingredients to make Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls
- Water
- Sugar
- Active-dry yeast
- Butter
- Vanilla
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Bread flour
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
How to make Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls
The very first thing you should do is take the cream cheese out. You want it to be quite softened by the time you are making the frosting so that you get a nice and smooth cream cheese frosting. I used to forget and then end up with a kind of chunky frosting so I recommend getting in the habit of giving it time to soften before using (same goes for butter).
Start by proofing the yeast, sugar, and water for 5 minutes. Next, add melted butter, sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and eggs and mix slightly. Then, add the bread flour, salt, cinnamon, and knead for 5 minutes. I prefer to finish kneading it by hand on the counter. I know 🤪 more work. Let rest, covered with a kitchen towel, for 1 hour.
While you’re waiting for the dough to rise, make the brown sugar filling. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl, stir real good, then set aside. It should harden up a little before you’re ready to spread. When the dough is done take it and roll it out to a 24×12 inch rectangle.
Add the brown sugar mixture on top and spread it to cover the whole thing. Then, start on the long side of the rectangle and roll dough into a 24-inch long log. Measure it again to make sure it’s exactly 24 inches long. Keep the ruler out and using a sharp knife make a mark every 2 inches, and then being careful not to smush them cut the cinnamon rolls. There should be 12.
Place the cinnamon rolls in the casserole dish, cover with a towel, and let rise again for 30 minutes. Next, make the cream cheese frosting. Add the softened cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat it real good for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add the butter and beat on medium speed until it’s smooth and glossy. Add the powdered sugar and start on low, increasing speed as the sugar mixes in. Add vanilla and beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-20 minutes until they are a light golden brown on top. Cool for 5 minutes before frosting, or just go crazy and add it whenever because you did it! Enjoy!
Helpful tips!
- Cream cheese – really try and take it out of the fridge as soon as possible! It’s much easier to work with and makes a smoother frosting when it is softened real good.
- Get a ruler – For real. Measure the dough to be a 24×12 rectangle so you have 12 cinnamon rolls that are roughly the same size so that they rise similarly and bake similarly. It makes things easier. I promise.
- Sharp, sharp knife – I 100% believe that a knife sharpener should be used more often, and why isn’t it? Who likes trying to chop up something with a dull ass blade? Nobody should. A really sharp knife will glide through your cinnamon rolls like butter baby, so make sure it’s good and sharp before using.
- When should I put the frosting on? – If you put the frosting on while the rolls are still warm, the frosting will melt and you’ll get some ooey gooey cinnamon rolls. If you put it on when they are cool, you will have a nice white fluffy pillow of cream cheese frosting on your cinnamon rolls. Do what you prefer.
More dessert recipes from my kitchen!
Like what you’ve been tasting? Try these tasty recipes too!
- Nutella Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp active-dry yeast
- 6 tbsp melted butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 4 – 4½ cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp melted butter
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Dough & Cinnamon Filling
- The very first thing I like to do is take out the butter and cream cheese so it is softened up real nice by the time I get to making the frosting.
- In a large bowl add the water, sugar, and yeast. Let proof for 5 minutes. Mix in the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and eggs. Next, add the dry ingredients and knead dough for 5 minutes. Cover with a towel and rest for 1 hour.
- While the dough is resting, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter to a bowl and stir until combined. As the dough is resting, the mixture will thicken up a little bit to make it easier to spread.
- When the dough’s hour is up, flip it out onto a well-floured surface and roll it out to a 24 by 12 inch rectangle. Use a ruler! Spread the cinnamon filling onto the dough rectangle using a rubber spatula.
- Next, starting with the long side of the rectangle, roll your dough and filling into a 24 inch log. With the ruler and a sharp knife, make a mark every two inches where you will cut the rolls. Marking it before cutting should help make sure each piece is the same size and using a sharp knife should keep the cinnamon rolls from squishing when you cut the log. Cut each roll and place them in a 9×13 casserole dish, cover with a towel and let rest again for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F and when the rolls are done resting, bake them for 17-20 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden brown.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the softened cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter and mix again until everything is smooth and glossy, no chunks!
- Next, with the mixer on low speed slowly start adding the powdered sugar and when it’s fully incorporated, add the vanilla and increase the speed and beat for another minute or two.
- Spread that frosting on your slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and watch the frosting melt into all those nooks and cranny’s. So satisfying and so delicious. Enjoy!