Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pillowy soft, pull-apart cinnamon buns with a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirl, baked until golden and smothered in a thick, tangy cream cheese frosting while still warm. These are the real deal — worth every single minute.
Prep time
30 min + 2 hrs rise
Cook time
25 min
Serves
Ingredients
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The Dough
- 1 cupwhole milk, warmed to 110°F
- 2¼ tsp (1 packet)active dry yeast
- ¼ cupgranulated sugar
- 3½ cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tspfine salt
- 2 largeeggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cupunsalted butter, softened
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (115g)unsalted butter, very soft
- ¾ cuppacked brown sugar
- 2½ tbspground cinnamon
- ¼ tspfine salt
- ½ tspvanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (115g)cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cupspowdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tbspunsalted butter, softened
- 3–4 tbspwhole milk or cream
- 1 tsppure vanilla extract
- pinchfine salt
Ingredients
The Dough
- 1 cupwhole milk, warmed to 110°F
- 2¼ tsp (1 packet)active dry yeast
- ¼ cupgranulated sugar
- 3½ cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tspfine salt
- 2 largeeggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cupunsalted butter, softened
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (115g)unsalted butter, very soft
- ¾ cuppacked brown sugar
- 2½ tbspground cinnamon
- ¼ tspfine salt
- ½ tspvanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (115g)cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cupspowdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tbspunsalted butter, softened
- 3–4 tbspwhole milk or cream
- 1 tsppure vanilla extract
- pinchfine salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- 1
In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy — if it doesn't foam, your yeast is dead, start again.
- 2
Add remaining sugar, eggs, and softened butter. Mix to combine.
- 3
Add flour and salt. Knead with a dough hook for 8 minutes (or by hand for 10–12 minutes) until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 4
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1–1.5 hours until doubled in size.
Fill & Shape
- 1
Mix together the filling: softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until a thick paste forms.
- 2
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly all the way to the edges.
- 3
Roll up tightly from the long side into a log. Use unflavoured dental floss or a sharp knife to cut into 12 equal pieces.
- 4
Place cut-side up in a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and let rise 45–60 minutes until puffy and touching each other.
Bake & Frost
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
Bake 22–25 minutes until golden brown on top. Do not overbake — the centres should still look slightly underdone when you pull them out.
- 3
While buns bake, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk and beat until fluffy and spreadable.
- 4
Spread frosting generously over the buns while they are still warm — it will melt slightly into all the swirls. Serve immediately.
Melissa's Notes
Using dental floss to cut the rolls gives you perfectly clean slices without squishing the dough. The buns can be assembled the night before — after placing in the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Leftovers reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Nutrition Information
Per bun with frosting — based on 12 buns
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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