Small Batch Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Made the night before and baked in the morning, these Small Batch Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are easy, delicious, and make just enough rolls for a few to enjoy. You’ll never go back to the tube brand again!
Servings: 6 cinnamon rolls
Calories: 658kcal
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup warm milk
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Before baking
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream warm (not hot)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk plus 1 more, if needed
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Making the dough
- Warm milk in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, to about 105°-115°, or until it feels just warm.
- Add the eggs, and vanilla into the milk. While whisking, drizzle in the melted and cooled butter.
- Mix together dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or if hand kneading, mix in a medium bowl. See kneading note below instructions.)
- Add the wet ingredients and mix by hand until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Place bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead for 5-6 minutes or until a large ball is formed and it pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl. If the dough isn't coming up from the bottom, add up to 2 tablespoons of flour, one at a time, until it comes together.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a tight ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, non-drafty spot for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
Prepare the filling
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt remaining butter and allow to cool.
Making the rolls
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll into 9 by 12 rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
- Brush the top of the dough with the melted, cooled butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Starting with the 9 inch side, carefully roll the dough towards the opposite end into a log shape, as tightly as you can without squishing out the cinnamon sugar.
- Use a small serrated knife, or other sharp knife, to cut the log into 6 equal pieces.
- Place the rolls into a buttered cast iron or cake pan and cover again with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. They will look puffier and probably be touching each other. Let sit room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- When your rolls have finished their second rise and the oven is preheated, pour warm heavy cream (just warm to touch, not hot) all over the top of each roll and allow it to soak in for a few minutes. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Frosting the rolls
- While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in vanilla, and enough milk to reach a soft frosting consistency.
- Allow to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Eat them. Eat them. Eat them. Share, I guess.
Notes
Yeast substitution: You can use active dry yeast instead of instant, but your cinnamon rolls may take slightly longer to rise, up to half an hour more. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid, or “proofed” before it’s added to the rest of the ingredients. Add your active dry yeast and a teaspoon of your sugar to warm milk and stir. Let sit until it becomes foamy on the surface, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add your yeast mixture to the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe as written.
Storage: To store leftovers, cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat your cinnamon rolls in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes or microwave them for 20 seconds, or until hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 658kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 1064IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 3mg