These soft cinnamon rolls are ooey gooey, not-too-sweet, and a family favorite! Once you try them, you’ll never go back to store-bought ones.
Interested in a matcha version? Try my delicious strawberry matcha rolls or brown sugar matcha boba buns!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These easy cinnamon rolls are incredibly soft! To achieve this, I made an enriched brioche dough made with butter and eggs to yield flavorful, pillowy buns. And before baking, a brown sugar heavy cream mixture is poured on top. This makes them even more tender with a sticky, rich sauce on the bottom.
- It’s a family favorite. I’ve been making this recipe for over 10 years. Everyone who’s tried them said it’s even better than Cinnabon! 🤫
- It’s not too sweet. Coming from a not-too-sweet household, I made sure to make these cinnamon buns very palatable. The cream cheese frosting is on the tarter side, but you can always add more powdered sugar if you prefer.
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try out my soft chocolate sugar cookies or cookie butter bars!
Ingredients
To make brioche cinnamon rolls with heavy cream, you’ll need the following ingredients:
For the brioche dough:
- Adding cornstarch with the all-purpose flour will help yield soft, cakier cinnamon rolls!
- The active dry yeast will be mixed with sugar and warm whole milk before incorporating it into the recipe. If using instant dry yeast, you can skip the dissolving step and add it straight into your dry ingredients.
- Eggs and unsalted butter will enrich the fluffy cinnamon roll dough, making it very tender and flavorful.
For the filling and heavy cream mixture:
- For the cinnamon roll filling, you’ll mix cinnamon, brown sugar (light or dark), and unsalted butter until light and fluffy.
- Right before baking, you’ll pour a mixture heavy cream, brown sugar (light or dark), and cinnamon on top of the rolls. This will make them richer in flavor and add a sticky syrup that will coat the bottom of the pan.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- This is a basic cream cheese frosting comprising of full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla paste (1:1) in this recipe.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡 Baking Tip
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
How to Make Soft Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together warmed milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture is foamy.
Step 2: In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, add flour, cornstarch, salt, yeast mixture, and eggs. Mix on medium low speed until dough forms, then add a tablespoon of softened butter every 30 seconds.
Step 3: Keep mixing for about 8-10 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test: take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent and you can see light passing through. Lightly cover dough and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!).
Step 4: Make the filling by whipping butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Roll dough out into a 18″x12″ rectangle. Evenly spread cinnamon filling and tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log.
Step 6: Slice log into 12 even pieces (about 1.5-inch rolls), and place in a lined 9″x13″ baking pan. Lightly cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours.
Step 7: Mix heavy cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over rolls and bake at 375°F/190°C for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown and no longer doughy in the middle. During the last few minutes of baking, make the frosting: whip cream cheese until smooth, then mix in powdered sugar, and vanilla.
Step 8: Let cinnamon rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then lather on frosting. Enjoy!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
“Duuuuuuuuude. WHAT? These are way better than Cinnabon!” – taste tester
Homemade Cinnamon Roll FAQs
No, you can omit it if you don’t have it. However, I found that it makes the rolls very soft and tender.
For this recipe, I cut 12 equal pieces and arranged them 4×3 in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. I’ve also used the same recipe to cut 9 equal pieces and arranged them 3×3 in a 9-inch square pan!
This recipe uses an enriched brioche dough, which means there is a substantial amount of butter (aka fat) in the dough. This makes rising time longer, but it is SO worth it because brioche is very flavorful, soft, and buttery!
Yes, but I highly recommend using a stand mixer. This is because kneading brioche may take longer and can be trickier for beginner bakers, especially when it comes to incorporating the softened butter.
If kneading by hand, the dough will be pretty sticky. You must be patient and keep kneading without adding too much flour; the dough will eventually come together!
This idea came from the viral TikTok cinnamon rolls from 2023-2024! Adding heavy cream hydrates the rolls and makes them softer. For this recipe, I added in a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon for extra flavor.
They can last in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Storage
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled cinnamon buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled cinnamon buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
😋 More Cozy Recipes
Did you try this recipe?
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Thank you so much! -Bianca ❤️
📖 Recipe & Video
Cinnamon Rolls
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Equipment
- small bowl for heavy cream mixture
- medium bowl for yeast mixture
- large bowl for proofing dough
- Stand mixer hook attachment for dough, paddle attachment for filling and frosting
- whisk
- plastic wrap or kitchen towel
- 9"x13" baking pan see notes
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 1 cup (244 g) whole milk warmed
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 ¼ cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons (32 g) cornstarch
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) fine sea salt or table salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling:
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) ground cinnamon
Heavy Cream Mixture:
- ⅓ cup (79.33 g) heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese softened
- ½-1 cup (60 g) powdered sugar adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
For the enriched dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup whole milk (warmed), ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until yeast is activated and mixture is frothy.
- In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, add 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt, yeast mixture, and 2 eggs. Mix on medium low speed until dough forms.
- While mixing on medium low speed, add ½ cup unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time, every 30 seconds. Continue mixing for 8-10 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test.To do the windowpane test, take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent enough to see light passing through.
- Transfer dough to a large bowl, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!).
For assembly:
- In your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add softened ⅓ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 18"x-12" rectangle. Evenly spread cinnamon filling, then tightly roll into an 18" log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 equal pieces, about 1.5 inches each.
- Place cinnamon rolls in a lined 9"x13" baking pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours. In the last 5-10 minutes, preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
Bake cinnamon rolls:
- In a small bowl, mix ⅓ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon until combined. Pour all over cinnamon rolls.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown and no longer doughy in the middle. In the last few minutes of baking, make the frosting: in your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip softened 8 ounces cream cheese until smooth and lump-free, about 5 minutes. Mix in ½-1 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste), and 1 tablespoon vanilla until fully combined.
- Let cinnamon rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then spread on cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, I cut 12 equal pieces and arranged them 3×4 in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. I’ve also used the same recipe to cut 9 equal pieces and arranged them 3×3 in a 9-inch square pan!
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled cinnamon buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled cinnamon buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
(I am the author of this recipe)
This recipe never fails and is sooo delicious! There’s a reason why my family says it’s better than Cinnabon. Not-too-sweet, ooey gooey, and so fluffy!