I had never made homemade cinnamon rolls before, but I had leftover cream cheese frosting that was destined for some homemade cinnamon rolls. So, I searched for an easy recipe and found this one from Sally at Sally’s Baking Addiction.  I made it and let me tell you. These rolls were AMAZING.  Cinnamon rolls from a can can be good (I’ll admit), but these are another level.  Combined with the cinnamon cream these frosting, they’re unreal. A lot of people like cinnamon rolls around the holidays, so I highly suggest you keep this recipe handy for when that time comes. Your family, friends, and neighbors will love you forever. Let’s do this!

Begin by making the dough for the cinnamon rolls by mixing 2 1/4 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast until evenly combined.

In a small saucepan, heat the water, milk, and butter until butter is melted.  Once you see the butter begin to melt, the liquid is usually hot enough that you can turn off the flame and keep stirring until the butter is completely melted.  Mix this mixture into the flour mixture, then add the egg.  If the dough is too sticky and does not gently pull away from the side of the bowl, add a little more flour.  I would add a couple tablespoons at a time until the dough is the proper consistency.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 4 minutes, then place the dough in a lightly greased bowl for 10 minutes.  During that time, leave the dough at room temperature. While the dough sits, make the filling by mixing all of the filling ingredients. Roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread the filling onto the dough.  Tightly roll the dough, then cut it into even sized pieces. I was able to make 11 rolls. You may make 10 or 12.  You just want them to be uniform so they bake evenly. Place the dough in a lightly greased baking dish (I use a 9 inch round cake pan) and cover it with foil for 60-90 minutes so it can rise.

Pro tip from Sally: if you don’t want to wait forever for the dough to rise, heat the oven to a low temperature and turn it off when it gets hot.  Put the dough in the oven for an hour or hour and a half (the dough should double in size).

Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. While the rolls bake, make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  I already mentioned that I thought the cinnamon cream cheese frosting would be perfect for these and oh is it ever. Not too sweet and just the right amount of cinnamon. Frost the cinnamon rolls hot so the frosting melts and gets really friendly with the nooks and crannies of the rolls.