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Easy Cinnamon Rolls

These Easy Soft & Gooey Cinnamon Rolls are everything you want in a homemade cinnamon roll—soft, fluffy, buttery, and filled with plenty of cinnamon-brown sugar goodness. A little heavy cream poured over the rolls before baking helps make the centers extra moist and gooey, while a creamy cream cheese frosting makes them even more delicious. The recipe uses simple ingredients and an easy roll-and-slice method, making these cinnamon rolls perfect for Christmas morning, weekend breakfast, brunch, or whenever you’re craving a warm homemade treat.

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I’d rewrite it like this for the blog. I’m keeping the recipe itself essentially the same, but making the directions clearer and fixing the yeast/sugar step so readers know exactly what to do.

Easy Soft & Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream

These Easy Soft & Gooey Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, buttery, and loaded with a delicious brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Before baking, heavy whipping cream is poured over the risen rolls to help keep them wonderfully moist, tender, and gooey. Finish them with homemade cream cheese frosting for an irresistible breakfast or brunch treat that’s perfect for weekends, holidays, or Christmas morning.

Makes: 12 cinnamon rolls
Pan: 9 × 13-inch baking dish
Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

Cinnamon Roll Dough

1⅓ cups whole milk, warmed to about 100–110°F
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup granulated sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup unsalted butter, very soft

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt

For the Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

½ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make Easy Cinnamon Rolls

1. Activate the yeast.
Warm the milk to approximately 100–110°F. It should feel warm but not hot. Pour the warm milk into a large mixing bowl and stir in the yeast. Let it sit for approximately 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture looks foamy.

2. Make the cinnamon roll dough.
Add the granulated sugar, eggs, softened butter, salt, and flour to the yeast mixture. Stir everything together until a shaggy dough begins to form.

3. Knead the dough.
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for approximately 10–15 minutes, until it becomes soft, smooth, and stretchy.

You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead for approximately 7–10 minutes.

The dough may feel slightly tacky, and that’s okay. Try not to add extra flour unless the dough is extremely sticky. Too much flour can make your cinnamon rolls dry instead of soft and fluffy.

4. Let the dough rise.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place it in a warm spot and allow it to rise for approximately 60–90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

5. Make the cinnamon filling.
While the dough rises, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until you have a soft, spreadable cinnamon-sugar mixture.

6. Roll out and fill the dough.
Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it down. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it into approximately a 12 × 18-inch rectangle.

Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, leaving just a small border around the edges.

7. Roll and cut the cinnamon rolls.
Starting along one of the 18-inch sides, tightly roll the dough into a long log.

Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 evenly sized cinnamon rolls. Arrange the rolls in a lightly greased or parchment-lined 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

8. Let the rolls rise again.
Cover the baking dish and let the cinnamon rolls rise in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes, or until they look soft and puffy.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F.

9. Pour heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls.
Just before putting the cinnamon rolls in the oven, slowly pour ½ cup room-temperature heavy whipping cream evenly over the rolls.

The cream will soak into the cinnamon rolls as they bake, helping create those wonderfully soft, rich, and gooey centers.

10. Bake the cinnamon rolls.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 23–25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and the centers are baked through.

Try not to overbake them. Removing the rolls when they’re just lightly golden helps keep them soft and tender.

11. Make the cream cheese frosting.
While the cinnamon rolls cool, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream until smooth and creamy.

If you’d like a thinner frosting, add additional heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for approximately 10 minutes, then generously spread the cream cheese frosting over the warm rolls.

Tips for Soft and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

For the best cinnamon rolls, make sure the milk isn’t too hot when you add the yeast. You also want to avoid adding too much flour—the dough should be soft and can be slightly tacky.

Give the dough enough time to rise both before and after shaping the rolls. Finally, don’t skip the ½ cup of heavy whipping cream before baking. It helps keep the cinnamon rolls moist and gives them that extra-soft, gooey texture everyone loves.

Serving the Cinnamon Rolls

These homemade cinnamon rolls are especially delicious served slightly warm while the cream cheese frosting is soft and creamy. Pair them with coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk for an easy breakfast or brunch.

They’re also perfect for Christmas morning, Easter brunch, Mother’s Day, family gatherings, or a cozy weekend breakfast. If you have leftovers, warm an individual cinnamon roll briefly before serving to bring back that fresh-from-the-oven softness.