Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon rolls are a darn tasty pastry, whether you bake the kind of dough that comes in a can or buy them at an airport kiosk. They're even better, however, when you can bake them from scratch. While it can be a time-consuming process (as is anything involving yeast dough), developer Patterson Watkins breaks it down into a two-day process by allowing the dough to rise in the refrigerator overnight. Since she admits she's not an early riser, she tells us, "The overnight aspect of this recipe, prepping the night before and letting that yeast do its business in the fridge while I sleep in, really appeals to me."

Not only does Watkins' recipe include this overnight technique, but there's also a special ingredient that makes these cinnamon rolls so delicious. Before baking the rolls, she covers them with heavy cream — yes, this is the same hack that TikTokers use to upgrade canned cinnamon rolls. What happens when you apply it to homemade ones? As Watkins explains, "Not only did it create softer, more moist rolls but that cream joined forces with the buttery-sugary-cinnamony filling, creating this caramelesque element that clung to the rolls."

The dough for these rolls is made with whole milk, granulated sugar, yeast, flour, salt, eggs, and butter. You'll also need brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling and whipping cream to pour over the rolls before baking. Additional ingredients necessary for the frosting include cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

To make the dough, place milk and sugar in a small saucepan, stir to combine, and bring to 110 F over low heat.

Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and set aside to bloom for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Stir to combine.

Once the yeast has bloomed (become slightly frothy), add the eggs and melted butter to the saucepan, and whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, make the filling by placing the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Stir with a fork until well combined and crumbly.

Once the dough has doubled in size, roll into a large rectangle (about 15x10-inches).

Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, leaving about 1-inch of border around the edges.

Tightly roll the dough into a cylinder and trim the ends.

Mark the dough, using a knife or bench scraper, into 12 even portions.

Use dental floss to cut the portions (this will keep the dough from squishing). Shimmy the floss under the dough, align it with your marks, and firmly pull the ends of the floss in opposite directions to cut.

Place the portions, cut side-up, in a parchment-lined baking dish, spacing evenly.

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to proof overnight (proof for approximately 8 to 12 hours).

When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and set aside to come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Drizzle the cinnamon rolls with heavy cream and place in the oven. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until fluffy and golden brown.

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until fluffy and combined.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl and continue to whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Once baked, remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven, and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Once rested, spread the frosting generously over the top of the buns, and serve.

If you want freshly baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then proofing the rolls overnight in the fridge will allow you a few more hours of sleep. If you were thinking of having the rolls as an afternoon snack or serving them for dessert, though, there's no reason why you couldn't make them the same day. In this case, you'll want to go with the much quicker method of proofing the dough at room temperature.

The reason why the dough for these overnight cinnamon rolls is proofed in the refrigerator is because it slows down the process considerably. While the yeast may slow to a snail's pace at 40 F (which is the ideal temperature for your fridge, as per the USDA), it nevertheless keeps working away. Same-day dough proofing, however, only takes about two to three hours. Higher temperatures allow for faster proofing — some say 81 degrees is optimal — but if your house isn't quite that warm, you can use your oven as a proofing drawer by preheating it to 110 F. (It will lose the extra 30 degrees or so when you open the door for the dough.)

If you're feeling creative, there are all kinds of additions you could make to the cinnamon roll filling. You could add cocoa powder to give it a chocolatey taste, or try changing the flavor with orange zest or spices such as black pepper, cayenne, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg. You could also add mix-ins. Chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins are not unusual additions to cinnamon rolls, but you could go a more unexpected route by using shredded coconut or dried apricots, cherries, or cranberries. Chocolate or butterscotch chips would also work well.

While the frosting in this recipe is the standard Cinnabon-style cream cheese style typical of many American cinnamon rolls, you can feel free to change this, too. If you want to keep the frosting but adjust the flavor, you could replace the vanilla extract with almond, coffee, or rum extract or sprinkle it with coconut, granola, or nuts. You could also go with a different type of frosting altogether. Many cinnamon roll recipes call for using a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze, while Swedish-style kanelbullar (the original cinnamon rolls) are sprinkled with coarse sugar in lieu of frosting.