I’ve tried a few different cinnamon roll recipes, and none of them have been quite perfect. They’ve always had an element that just wasn’t what I expect from a cinnamon roll. A friend had given me her recipe for the world’s perfect cinnamon rolls, and while her filling and frosting were perfect, the rolls themselves were hard and dry–and this was on my second attempt with them, halving the flour after the first batch was such a wreck that the dough wouldn’t even come together. I then ended up feeding these rock hard rolls to the members of my book club and I doubt they’ll be inviting me to host again any time soon. Since then, I’ve tweaked and tweaked and tweaked, and now I believe I finally possess the ultimate cinnamon roll recipe. Soft. Cinnamony. Delicious. But they’ll put you in your grave if you eat more than one.

Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls

Dough Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)

1/2 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

4 cups flour

6 tbsp melted butter

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting Ingredients:

12oz cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix together the yeast and water–make sure the water is at a happy yeast temperature. Too hot and it will kill the yeast, too cold and it won’t do squat. Take two tablespoons out of your measured sugar and add it to the yeast/water mix. Whisk together and then let stand for three minutes. Add 1 cup flour and stir. Add the rest of the flour, the sugar, the melted butter, the milk, and the salt. Process until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Take your bread baby and put it in a bowl coated in cooking spray and cover it with plastic, leaving it in a warm place until it’s doubled in size (about two hours). While the dough is rising, make your filling and your frosting by blending all of the respective ingredients together. When your dough is ready, roll it out on floured surface, slather it with about half of the filling, roll it up lengthwise, and cut into one-inch segments. Take the remainder of your filling and coat the bottom of the pan you’re using with it. Place your rolls on top, cover them with a towel, and allow them to rise for another 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Makes ~20 rolls.

The bottoms of the rolls will be coated in caramelized sugar, the rolls will be fluffy, and the filling will be oozy and perfect. The frosting keeps the cinnamon from being overpowering, and they’re like little bites of fluffy cinnamon heaven, which is where you’ll be if you eat the whole pan. I made a half-batch tonight and we STILL will not be polishing them off. They’re so worth it, though.