Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls With Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

In a small microwave-proof bowl, add your milk. Microwave until lukewarm. If you want to be precise, warm the milk until it’s between 98-104°F (37-40°C). This is the optimal temperature for the yeast. I usually microwave for 30 seconds, give the milk a stir and then another 15 seconds. Now add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Give a quick stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar. Then add this, plus the egg and oil, to the bowl of the stand mixer. With the dough hook, mix for 5-7 minutes on low speed. Now add the butter cubes one by one while the mixer is running. This should only take about 1 minute. When all butter cubes are added, mix for 5-7 more minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a few times during mixing to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. The dough is very sticky, this is normal.

Once your dough is done, form it into a ball and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic. I personally like to place this dough in the fridge and let it rise overnight, which will make it way easier to handle, but this is optional. If you want same-day cinnamon rolls, let the dough rise until doubled in size, for about 1 to 2 hours.

Now make the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients for the filling. Make sure the butter is very softened, so it will spread out easily on the dough. Mix well with a silicone spatula and put aside.

Before you start rolling out your dough, make sure to lightly grease your workspace, your hands and tools (I use a rolling pin and a bench scraper). Tip the dough out onto your work surface and gently press it down. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough into a 22x16 inch (55x40 cm) rectangle.

Add your cinnamon filling and spread out evenly, using an offset spatula works great. Using a knife or pizza cutter, now cut your dough vertically into 12 strips. Make sure to gently stretch the corners of the dough back out if you see them spring back and round out. Roll up each strip of dough, starting with the edge farthest from you, to form delicious cinnamon rolls! Tuck the edge of each roll underneath before placing them in your oven dish.

Cover the oven dish with plastic or a towel and let rise for 1.5-2 hours. In the meantime, make your cream cheese frosting by adding the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer with the flat beater attachment. With the stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix until smooth, for about 1-2 minutes. Now add the powdered sugar (I use 200g if I want it less sweet but you can adjust the amount you use depending on your own preference), the vanilla paste and salt. Mix again until smooth. If you find the frosting too thick, add one tbsp of milk at a time and mix again until you reach the consistency you prefer. With 20 minutes of rising time left, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

After the second rise, your buns should look puffed up. If you want your buns to be extra rich and caramelized at the bottoms, add heavy cream to a microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 15 seconds at a time, until it’s lukewarm. Carefully pour some heavy cream over each bun and place in the oven. Bake for 30-32 minutes. It’s okay if the buns aren’t deeply golden brown when you take them out of the oven. You want them to be just baked through. If you’re unsure they’re done, take your thermometer and stick it into a bun, make sure it’s not in the filling part. The internal temperature of the dough should read at least 187°F (86°C).

Let the buns cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting and enjoy! If you don’t eat them all at once, keep them in the fridge and warm them for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before eating, so they get super soft and fluffy again.