How to Make The Best Cinnamon Rolls EVER!

Just in time for the holidays, I’m sharing my how-to recipe for the BEST cinnamon rolls ever (trust me…one bite and you’ll get it!). I’ve been making these rolls since I was a little girl, when my mom and I would bake pans and pans of them to deliver to friends and family every Christmas. They’re gooey, buttery, sweet, absolutely legendary…and totally DOABLE! 💪

In this video, I’ll walk you through the whole cinnamon roll process step-by-step so you can make these rolls part of your own holiday traditions. From the foolproof dough to the luscious maple icing to serving them up—you’ll be 100% ready to knock them out! 🧑‍🍳

Printable recipe here! 👉 https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11914/cinammon-rolls/

🎄 Make a batch, share them with the people you love, and let the Christmas magic begin.
❤️ Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more recipes and fun times to come on my new YouTube channel!

#ChristmasBaking #CinnamonRolls #ThePioneerWoman #HolidayRecipes #BakingTraditions #HomemadeGoodness #Yum

Welcome to cinnamon roll paradise. I’ve been making cinnamon rolls today and I’m just going to package them up so I can deliver them to friends and family. I used to do the same thing with my mom when I was a child and it is hands down my favorite Christmas tradition. So, I’m going to walk you through the whole cinnamon roll process from the dough to the filling to the icing to, of course, the eating. That’s the most important part. These are quite literally the best cinnamon rolls on earth. I think you’re going to agree. Well, are you ready? Let’s do this thing. The cinnamon rolls start with the dough, of course. So, into a Dutch oven, pour four cups of whole milk. Add a cup of sugar and a cup of vegetable oil. Turn the heat to about medium. Stir it to combine. And then you want to heat this up until it’s just under a simmer. You want it to get pretty hot, but not to boil. So, turn the heat off. And then you need to let this cool a bit. And it’s a good time to measure eight cups of all-purpose flour just so it’s easy to add when the time comes. So probably 15 20 minutes later, give it another stir. And with a thermometer, check the temp. You want it to be between 105 and 115. And then you can add the yeast. So just snip open two packets of active dry yeast. And you can sprinkle the flour right in. Not exactly sprinkle, that’s more of a flour dump. And stir everything. It’s going to be super sticky at this stage, and that’s exactly what you want. And then put the lid on the pot and just let it rise for about an hour. Go live your life. And then after an hour, this is what it should look like. Nice and risen and puffy. So, you can add an additional cup of all-purpose flour, a heaping teaspoon of baking powder, and a scant teaspoon of baking soda along with a tablespoon of just regular salt. Stir and fold this together. Be gentle. And when it all comes together, the dough is ready to use. So, you can either put the lid on the pot and stick it in the fridge for a day or two, or you can make the rolls right away, which is what I’m going to do. So, when you’re ready, just put a little saucepan on the stove and melt a whole bunch of butter. You’re going to need it every step of the way. When the butter is melted, turn it off and let it cool. And get the countertop ready. Just sprinkle on some allpurpose flour. And you can do this in two batches if countertop space is an issue. I’m gonna try to get it all done in one. So, form the dough into a really long log. You can use flour to make it a little less sticky. And then just roll it out. If you’re doing all the dough at once, you want to roll it into a rectangle that’s about 50 in by about probably 10 to 12 in. The point is to make the rectangle super thin. And so just keep rolling, getting out to the edges. You don’t want the rolls to be too thick. So that’s why it’s important for it to be thin. Grab the butter. Drizzle that melted butter all over the surface of the dough. About cup and 3/4 to two cups. Use your fingers to cover every every little bit of the dough. And then sprinkle on about cup and a half to two cups of sugar. You just want to get it evenly over the butter and use your fingers to kind of knock down any piles. And ground cinnamon just gets sprinkled right on. Be generous with the cinnamon. It kind of cuts through all the sweetness. Then I use what I call the old typewriter maneuver. You just use your fingers to go back and forth down the length of the roll. Roll it really tight. Make sure all of that filling is enclosed in the roll. And if you do it right, you’ll see some ooze out at the end. That’s when you know you’ve done it right. So bring the end closest to you and fold it over the top. And then go back down the length of the roll and pinch them closed. Turn the log over so that the seam side is down. And now it’s time to get the pans ready. I don’t know what I’m doing here. Sorry. To deliver, I use these little foil pans. They’re perfect. And each pan gets a tablespoon of melted butter. The butter is literally everywhere. Use your fingers to kind of smear it onto the surface of the pans. I like to start cutting right in the center so you get those perfect rolls. And each pan gets seven. So, one in the center and six around the center one. Now, this is important. You want to cover the pans with dish towels cuz they need to rise before they bake. So, use that opportunity to clean up your mess. And then this is what they look like an hour later. Nice and risen and puffy. And they’re ready for the oven. I put them into a preheated 375° oven. And you want to be prepared to rotate the pans halfway through baking so they don’t get any edges that are too brown. While the rolls are baking, it’s time to make the icing. The icing is one of the best parts of these rolls, and you want it to be ready before they come out of the oven. So, a bunch of sifted powdered sugar, whole milk, maple extract, and really strongly brewed coffee, and a splash of melted butter along with some kosher salt. It’s a very sweet icing. And then stir it. Taste it. And if you want a little bit more of that coffee flavor, add more of that or more maple or more salt, whatever it needs. The icing should be pourable, but still really thick and luscious. All right, so the rolls are ready to come out of the oven. They’re perfectly browned. And the reason you want to have the icing ready before they come out of the oven is that the second they come out, you want to start putting that icing on top. Get it all around the edges of the pan. Basically, you don’t want any exposed naked cinnamon roll. You want them to be completely covered and swimming in the icing because as they sit, you’ll see that they sort of drink up that beautiful icing. So, you should use every last bit of the icing. Look at that. Oh my gosh, they’re amazing. Now, you just need to let them sit before you package them up for delivery. Or you can just serve a pan to your family. And this is about how long a pan of cinnamon rolls last in my house. All that goo is so good. Now, if you want to, you can bake the rolls in ceramic pie dishes or casserole pans. bake them and ice them just like you would the other ones, but I want to show you how absolutely divine these rolls are. They’re so moist. They are so gooey. The dough is just kind of there as a vessel for all the gooey stuff. I hear all the time that they are literally the best cinnamon rolls on the planet. Oh my gosh. Now, I’m often asked about how to freeze the rolls, and I’m going to give you two options. After you make the rolls and before they rise, before they’re baked, you can freeze them in that state. And then anytime you want a pan of cinnamon rolls, you can pull them out. It does take several hours for them to thaw and rise on the countertop, but that’s a nice option if you don’t want to go through the whole dough process. The way I usually freeze my rolls is just to freeze a finished iced pan. As soon as they’re cool, pop them into a zipper bag, freeze them, and you can reheat them in the oven at about 300° until they’re ready. All right, friends. Go forth and make cinnamon rolls.