No Machine Cinnamon Rolls with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon rolls are probably the most quintessential breakfast items that almost every child remembers waking up to in the morning. That sweet, spicy smell of the cinnamon wafting through the house, trailing to your bedroom, waking you up from your sleep, and making you run to the kitchen to check what's in the oven. 

It is the perfect combination of warm,soft and chewy dough spiraled with the cinnamon sugar,  buttery goodness and then finally lathered on with the cream cheese frosting- in this case, a MAPLE cream cheese frosting. You didn't expect me to make normal cinnamon rolls now did you? I must warn you that these fist sized cinnamon dough balls are ADDICTIVE! Do not even think of making these if you are on a diet of any sort because one whiff of these and you've just gained 5 pounds. But no one reading this post or even making these at the moment isn't even thinking about a "diet" right? Okay good. ​

If I am being honest with you, I don't think I have ever made or had a cinnamon roll. I mean I've had baked goods very similar to sweet chewy cinnamon dough, but I don't think I have ever ordered a "cinnamon roll". When my cousin Nicole message me to collaborate on a video to make these cinnamon rolls, my eyes popped out of my head because no idea sounded better than that. It was quite funny to see the expression on her face when she saw the whole set up of my video process in the back on my kitchen. If you follow me on Instagram (@Rachels_Eats), you probably got to see some behind the scenes of the whole insane setup- i.e the juicer holding my tripod and white foam boards as my "lighting". Follow my social media to see more behind the scenes! 

The whole 6 hours of cooking, filming and photographing was all worth it in the end! Not only were these insanely easy (yes easy, believe me!) to make, but they tasted just like the ones you would order from any bakery, if anything- better! 

If you see the recipe down below, I give you a tip of freezing these ahead of time so you can have cinnamon rolls any time you want. What isn't better than a long week of work/ school and waking up Saturday morning to freshly baked cinnamon rolls that you didn't have you spend the previous morning/ night making? 

I promise you that this makes the best apology gift or will make your mom a little less mad about the sink full of dishes ;) 

Cinnamon Rolls with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting​   print 

Author: Rachel’s Eats 
Makes: appx 12 large rolls

Ingredients:
Dough:
1/2 cup warm water 
1 tsp sugar 
1 packet dry yeast packet 
1/2 cup warm milk 
1/2 cup melted butter
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 large eggs 

Sugar Filling:
1 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup white sugar 
1/2 cup + 1/2 cup more softened butter 
1 tbsp cinnamon 

Frosting:
8oz softened cream cheese (keep at room temperature 30 minutes before using) 
1/4 cup softened butter (keep at room temperature 30 minutes before using)
2 tbsp maple syrup 

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together your warm water, 1 tsp of sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-7 minutes until you see the mixture become foamy, bubbly and looks as though it is “growing”. See notes below if this does not happen.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the “dough” ingredients, including the yeast mixture, except for the flour. Mix thoroughly. Gradually add in your flour in 1/2 cup intervals mixing with a large mixing or wooden spoon. If it gets too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands. When you get to 4 cups (8 add-ins), check to see if the dough needs more flour. If you find the dough sticking to your hands or the bowl, or the dough is too “loose”, add in a tablespoon of flour at a time until your dough isn’t sticky anymore. I ended up using 4 1/4 cups of flour. After you added your flour, knead the dough with your hand for 3-5 more minutes until it is nice and smooth. See notes below about kneading the dough. Leave in the same large bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a dark, warm place for an hour (I kept it in my turned off oven). 
3. While your dough is rising, mix together your cinnamon sugar filling. Thoroughly combine your sugars and cinnamon. Set aside. 
4. Now move on to your frosting. In a medium sized bowl using a large mixing or wooden spoon, mix together your cream cheese and butter. They both need to be softened (not melted!) otherwise it will be too hard to mix your frosting will be lumpy. Once beaten, add the the remaining ingredients and mix together again. Set aside in the fridge and bring out 15 minutes before using so the frosting is room temperature and easy to spread onto the rolls. 
5. Once your dough has risen, prepare your work surface for rolling. Either on your counter top or on silicone mats (like I used), liberally sprinkle over some flour (about 1/3 of a cup) on it, your rolling pin and your hands. Smooth it all out. Place your dough in the middle of your work surface and begin rolling. Roll in one direction then turn halfway and keep doing the same (rolling and turning) until you reach an approximately 18 by 18 inch square, 1/2 centimeter thick. Scrape away any excess flour from your work surface and from the dough. 
6. Spread over 1/2 cup of softened butter onto the dough and make sure it covers every corner and edge. Sprinkle over your sugar mixture reserving half a cup to sprinkle on top of the rolls. Add on any nuts or raisins if using. Roll your dough slowly and tightly making sure everything is tucked in. When you get to the end, pinch the end of the dough together so everything is one tight log; you might need to use a bit of water when doing this. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut your dough in half and then cut each half into 6, 1.5 inch pieces. 
7. Using 2 large casserole dishes,  spread over half of the remaining softened butter on the bottom of each dish. The video may show me putting the sugar on the pan but disregard that and only put the butter. Lay your rolls in the pan (6 rolls in each pan) making sure not to pack them in but to leave some room between each. Sprinkle over your remaining sugar mixture (1/2 cup) and butter (1/4 cup) evenly onto each roll. Cover each pan with a tea towel and let rise one more time for another hour in a dark, warm place. At this point, you can freeze the rolls (just as they are in the pan) and use when ready. See notes below about freezing. 
8. ​With your oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, bake your rolls for 20-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown and you smell the cinnamon all over kitchen. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spread over your frosting onto the rolls and dig in! These rolls DO NOT keep well and get very hard and stale if kept for more than 12 hours on the countertop (I have not tried keeping them in the fridge) so eat, share and devour them immediately. See notes below about reheating 

Notes:
Yeast: To ensure that your yeast “bubbles”, you need to make sure of two things: your yeast is not expired and that your water is not too hot or cold. All yeast packets or jars should mention the expiration date so make sure your yeast has not expired. As for the water, you want your water to be warm- not hot but not cold. Turn your tap water onto the hottest setting and that should be fine. When you dip your finger in the water, it shouldn't burn you but you should still be able to feel the warmth. If it is too hot, the water will kill the yeast but if it is too cold, the yeast will not get activated. 

Kneading: To knead the dough, take the top half of the mixture and fold it into the middle using your knuckles to incorporate everything. Refer to the attached YouTube video on the blog post for a short tutorial. 

Freezing: If you are planning to freeze your rolls for later use, freeze them in the dish you are planning to bake them in making sure to wrap well with cling wrap first and then foil or seal with the container’s lid. You need to make your your pan is protected so that there is no chance of freezer burn. The night before you are going to bake them, remove the rolls from the freezer, unwrap and let thaw and rise overnight- at least 9 hours. Bake as instructed. Note that I have not tried this method and cannot guarantee the same results but I have researched this and tried this with other baked goods.

Reheating: If you want to reheat your cinnamon roll, pop one in the microwave for 20-25 seconds until warm and soft. 

Give this recipe a try and make sure to share this with your friends and family telling them how easy it is to make these amazing cinnamon rolls! Let me know if you added anything else like raisins or nuts and how you liked it in the comments- I would love to know.