Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

If you're still looking for the best gooey cinnamon rolls recipe, this is it! They are literally to die for as they are extra soft fluffy and gooey! Filled with a cinnamon buttery brown sugar mixture and a generous vanilla cream cheese frosting!

Cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns whatever you call them, they are a bit of a joy! And it's not for nothing that they are so popular and appreciated all over the world!

Cinnamon roll recipes are a generous bun that brings all the family together on the weekend but are also perfect for your own pleasure.

I share everything you need to know to make this recipe that I made as simple and easy as possible. And my tips on how to make the cinnamon rolls overnight and how to keep them in the freezer for a very long time.

Homemade cinnamon roll recipe are traditional American and Canadian recipe. Very popular in the Fall and Winter seasons, it is a very "comfort food" dessert perfect for fighting the cold 🥶.

This is a delicious brioche filled with a sweet butter mixture flavored with cinnamon. It is often topped with a creamy frosting, the famous cream cheese icing, which is a mixture of cream cheese and sugar, the same as used to make New York cheesecake or in the recipe for carrot cake.

These small rolled buns are very trendy and look a lot like the Swedish buns that you can buy in Ikea stores, known as kanelbullar Swedish cinnamon buns.

They are very easy to make at home and just as good as the ones at Starbucks coffee. And you can even change the toppings, like in my chocolate sweet rolls recipe, with some pecan nuts or try the Chocolate cinnamon rolls version.

Ingredients and substitutions

Cinnamon roll dough

• Milk: Use dairy milk (2% or whole milk) or almond milk lightly heated in a microwave or in a saucepan, you can touch it with your finger, the temperature it should not be too hot at the risk of killing the yeast.
• Yeast: An instant yeast packet that needs to be reactivated in a warm mixture. If you prefer to use fresh baker's yeast then put it directly into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
• Flour: For the preparation of the homemade brioche, use bread flour that has a high gluten content and that is perfect for this kind of recipe (or even all purpose flour).
• Sugar: For the brioche dough use white granulated sugar and preferably not flavored like brown sugar.
• Salt: A common table salt essential in the composition of the brioche.

Cinnamon sugar filling

• Butter: unsalted butter and very soft, take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes beforehand.
• Sugar: Dark brown sugar, a light brown sugar or another sugar like cane sugar.
• Cinnamon: ground cinnamon you need about 2 teaspoons to smell it well but if you don't like cinnamon too much you can remove it or reduce to 1 teaspoon.

Cream cheese icing

• Cream cheese: Take it out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before
• Butter: unsalted and softened butter, if necessary warm it up in the microwave for a few moments so that it mixes well and obtains a smooth icing.
• Confectioner's sugar: sifted beforehand, you can also use a very fine powdered sugar.
• Vanilla: pure liquid vanilla extract that brings a delicious vanilla flavor to the icing.

You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

1 - Brioche dough

1. Mix together warm milk and active dry yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Place the dry ingredients, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
3. Add the yeast mixture while running the mixer at medium speed.
4. Add the egg and softened butter cut into pieces and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until you have a soft dough.
5. Cover with a cloth and let the dough rise for 1h30 to 2 hours at room temperature in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

Tip: Make your brioche the day before and let it grow overnight in the fridge, it will be better and easier to roll.

2 - Shape the buns

1. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface or on a sheet of parchment paper into a large rectangle.
2. Spread a layer of melted butter over the entire surface of the dough.
3. Pour the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top and spread with your hands.
4. Roll the dough on itself to form a long sausage.
5. Cut into 9-10 pieces with a sharp knife.
6. Place each piece in a square prepared pan covered with parchment paper, making sure not to stick them too close to each other.
7. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Tip: Use dental floss to perfectly cut your rolls.

3 - Vanilla cream cheese icing

1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl, cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and pure liquid vanilla extract.
2. Mix with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Tip: For a perfectly smooth, lump-free cream cheese icing, use softened butter.

4 - Baking

1. Preheat oven to 356°F / 180°C and bake the cinnamon rolls for about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown but still soft.
2. Let them cool completely or serve warm with the vanilla cream cheese glaze.

Tip: For sticky, gooey buns, reduce the baking time by a few minutes.

Storage and Freeze instructions

Room temperature: Cinnamon rolls can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 4 days covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. You can also keep them in the refrigerator.

Warm rolls a bit in the microwave to make them soft again.

In the freezer: You can freeze unbaked rolls or when they are baked and completely cooled, placed in a storage bag or box and stored until 3 months. Let them thaw overnight at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

More cinnamon recipes

• Kanelbullar Suedish cinnamon buns
• Cinnamon pie
• Cinnamon sugar pretzel
• Snickerdoodle cinnamon cookies

More brioche recipes

• Chocolate babka recipe
• Buchteln sweet yeast rolls 
• Chocolate star bread
• French brioche toast
• Homemade soft pretzels
• Cinnamon sugar pretzels
• Sesame bagels

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