Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

These soft and gooey cinnamon rolls will be the BEST cinnamon rolls you have EVER tried! This recipe yields 15 delicious rolls.

The Inspiration:

On a cold cloudy Thursday morning the rain tapped softly against the window. The rain brought her back to an old childhood memory of mom baking cinnamon rolls in the kitchen – an old family tradition.

The kitchen was warm and inviting, the perfect setting for baking soft and gooey cinnamon rolls.

With the help of her little girl, they gathered the ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, yeast.

As she was preparing the dough, she recalled baking with her mother on similar rainy mornings, creating a bridge between generations.

While the dough was rising, she glanced at her daughter whose eyes sparkled. They both looked at the window as the rain made tiny rivers on the glass, the soothing sound made her feel at peace as she grabbed her daughter in close, both mom and daughter smiling at each other.

After rolling out the dough and sprinkling out the cinnamon and sugar mixture, together they carefully shaped the rolls then placed them into the oven. Her daughter watched through the oven door,  excited to see the cinnamon rolls turn brown.

When the timer went off, she pulled the tray of cinnamon rolls out from the oven and together they drizzled the warm rolls with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

They sat at the kitchen table enjoying the soft and gooey cinnamon rolls. She stared at her daughter and smiled, her heart filled with joy.

Baking had become more than just a fun activity, it was a cherished tradition, creating lasting memories like her mother did when she was a child. This was a moment they would both cherish forever.

Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

These delicious homemade Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls will be the best cinnamon rolls you have ever tried!

You will get the most perfect pillowy soft cinnamon rolls with the perfect combination of cinnamon and sugar mixture. Top these cinnamon rolls off with cream cheese frosting and mwah (chefs kiss) perfection!

Now of course, baking cinnamon rolls involves a few steps:

1. Making the dough
2. Allowing the dough to rise
3. Rolling out the dough
4. Sprinkling the goods
5. Rolling the dough into pin wheel like shapes
6. Allowing the dough to rise AGAIN
7. Finally baking!

As you can see, quite a few steps but I promise you, the end result will be worth it!

Let’s begin!

What Does Lactose Free Mean?

First and foremost, I try my best to incorporate lactose free ingredients in all my recipes. These ingredients can include, butter, milk, cream cheese etc. With that being said, sometimes it is hard to make an entire recipe using ALL lactose free ingredients. For example, my ice cream recipes include, condensed milk- NOT LACTOSE FREE.

Contrary to what some may believe, lactose – free is not the same as dairy free. Lactose – free still contains milk, however, there is a certain component, I believe a type of sugar (I may be wrong) where the lactose is removed from dairy, making it lactose – free. Dairy free on the other hand, contains ZERO milk. Alternatives for dairy free are almond milk, oat milk, soy milk etc. You can learn more about the differences here.

Which Ingredients Are Lactose Free?

• Butter – I used lactose free Lactantia butter
• Milk – I used Fairlife lactose free milk.
• Cream Cheese – I used Philadelphia Lactose Free Cream Cheese

Why You Will Love These Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls!

• Lactose free ingredients were used for this recipe.
• These homemade cinnamon rolls are pillowy soft.
• They are packed with delicious cinnamon flavor.
• Pouring milk over top of the rolls will result in a soft and fluffy roll.

Recipe At A Glance:

Yeast: You will need 2 1/4 cups of yeast.

Flour: You will need four cups of all purpose flour.

Eggs: You will need two eggs at room temperature.

Sugar: You will need 1/4 cups of sugar.

Butter: You will need 1/4 cup of melted butter, and 1/3 cups for the spread.

Salt: You will need one tsp of salt for taste.

Vegetable Shortening: You will need one tbsp for the dough.

Milk: You will need one cup of milk for the dough and 1/4 cups of milk for soaking the cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon: You will need one tbsp for the filling.

Brown Sugar: You will need 1/4 cups for the filling.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the recipe card for the full recipe details.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream Cheese: 4oz of cream cheese at room temperature.

Butter: about 1/3 cups of butter at room temperature.

Vanilla Extract: One tbsp for taste.

Powdered Sugar: One cup of powdered sugar.

Equipment Needed:

KitchenAid Mixer with a dough hook: For mixing the dough

Whisk attachment: For mixing the wet ingredients.

Measuring Spoons and Cup: For accurate measurements.

Mixing Bowl: For the dough to rise in.

Saran Wrap: For covering the mixing bowl, while waiting for the dough to rise.

Parchment Paper: For the cinnamon rolls.

Spatula: For scraping the sides of the bowl.

Cookie Sheet: For the rolls to bake on.

Whisk: For mixing the dry ingredients, to remove any lumps.

Small Bowl: For cracking your eggs.

Rolling Pin: To roll out the dough.

Microwave Safe Bowl: For warming the milk.

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Step By Step Instructions:

Step One:

Gather all your ingredients, melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, warm the milk for 30-40 seconds in a microwave safe bowl, measure everything then set aside.

Step Two:

Preparing the dough…

Add warm milk (not hot),  yeast and sugar to a medium sized bowl, mix then set aside. This will activate the yeast and create a bubbly foam like texture.

Step Three:

Adding the ingredients …

Crack the eggs in a separate bowl then add the eggs to the KitchenAid bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on high speed for about one minute. Add the yeast mixture and melted butter to the bowl and mix on high for thirty seconds.

Tip: Cracking the eggs in a separate bowl will keep shells from falling into the batter.

Step Four:

Switch to the dough hook …

Attach the dough hook and add flour to the bowl. Use the dough hook and mix on medium speed until the dough is well combined. Knead the dough using your knuckles and form a ball.

Tip: For that extra softness, add about one tbsp of vegetable shortening to the dough.

Step Five:

Allow the dough to rise …

Add a small amount of oil to a large bowl and spread all around. Place the dough ball into the bowl and cover with saran wrap and then place a clean kitchen towel over the bowl. Allow the dough to rise for at least one hour.

The dough should double in size.

Step Six:

While the dough is rising …

In a separate bowl, add cinnamon and brown sugar. Combine the mixture together until fully incorporated. Grab room temperature butter and set aside.

Step Seven:

Roll out the dough …

Once the dough has risen, remove the saran wrap and kitchen towel from the bowl, punch down on the dough and remove it from the bowl. Place the dough onto a clean (lightly floured) surface and begin rolling out the dough using a rolling pin. You want the dough to be a long rectangle.

Step Eight:

Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture …

After rolling out the dough, spread a generous amount of butter ALL OVER the dough, including the sides. Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar concoction and press down using your fingers so that the cinnamon mixture sticks to the butter.

Step nine:

Rolling the dough …

Take the long end of the dough and begin rolling away from you. Make sure to keep the rolled dough tight but not too tight. Once you’ve reached the end of the dough, pinch the edge of the dough firmly to seal everything together.

Step ten:

Use dental floss …

I promise this works perfectly!

Take dental floss, place the floss under the dough, cross and pull. Cut the dough into 15 even rolls.

Place the cut rolls into a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour 1/4 cups of milk over top of the rolls. Spread the milk around so that all the rolls have been soaked with milk.

Cover AGAIN using saran wrap then cover over top with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise again for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Tip: soaking the rolls in milk is the secret to pillowy soft buns. Shhhh .. don’t tell!

Step Eleven:

While you wait …

While you wait for the dough to rise, make the cream cheese frosting by adding cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and butter to a bowl and mix. You can get the full recipe details here.

Step twelve:

Pre heat the oven …

At about thirty minutes, preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the kitchen towel and saran wrap from the cinnamon rolls and bake for about twenty minutes. You want the rolls to come out golden brown.

Step Thirteen:

Finally!!!

Add the cream cheese frosting to the warm cinnamon rolls and serve!

Enjoy! … No seriously enjoy!!!!!

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Storing And Freezing Soft and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls:

Leftovers? No problem! Store these delicious Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to two weeks. These rolls, can be stored in a freezer tight container as well, be sure to thaw the cinnamons at room temperature before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions?

What type of yeast should I use for cinnamon rolls?

Both active dry yeast and instant yeast work great!

My dough did not rise how come?

If your yeast is outdated, your dough wont rise. Sometimes if you use hot liquid the yeast wont rise as well. Always use warm liquid as opposed to hot.

I don’t own a Kitchen aid mixer what can I use instead?

Not a problem! You can mix and knead the dough by hand. I would knead the dough for a good ten minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Why should I pinch the dough?

Pinching the dough at the end will seal the dough and ensure that the filling does not leak out.

Homemade Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls Tips

1. Soak the pinwheels in milk, this will ensure pillowy soft rolls..

2. Roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick.

3. Do not overbake the dough, once they begin to brown remove the rolls from the oven.

Variations for Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls:

• Add nuts to the cinnamon filling.
• Add a lemon glaze instead of cream cheese frosting.

More Delicious Recipes!

If you enjoyed my Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, have a look at my Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe or my Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe

Thank you for reading my post today! Comment below if you have any questions or if you’ve tried my Soft Gooey Cinnamon Rolls.

Hopefully baking brings you joy and happiness as it does for me and my family!

From my kitchen to yours,

Jas.

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