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Iced cinnamon rolls in a glass baking pan

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing

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  • Author: Maria
  • Prep Time: 3 hours
  • Resting Time: Overnight (8 to 12 hours)
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 12 large rolls 1x
  • Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Tried and tested recipe for delicious, soft and gooey overnight cinnamon rolls.

Example Schedule: Mix dough at 6pm the night before, roll out and cut at 9am, bake at 10:30am, finished rolls by 11am.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (568g)
  • 2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand) or 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup warm whole milk (100-110º F)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 4 large eggs (room temp)
  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter (room temp, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 1/4 sticks or 142g)

Cinnamon Filling

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar (110 g)
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch kosher salt or sea salt
  • 2 tbsp salted or unsalted butter (melted)

Icing

  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
  • 4 oz cream cheese (room temp)
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar (156 g)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp whole milk

Instructions

The Day Before: Make Dough & Brown Butter

  1. Bloom the yeast. In a glass measuring cup or bowl, add the warm whole milk (between 100ª F – 110ªF), honey, and instant yeast and whisk to combine. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may have died, so start over with fresh yeast! When the mixture is foamy, add the eggs (room temp) and whisk to combine.
    yeast blooming
  2. Mix the Dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, pour the wet ingredients into the flour to combine. Then add the room temp butter one piece at a time. When the butter is all in, increase the speed to medium, and beat for about 1 minute until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is stringy and very sticky. Use a spatula to spoon the sticky dough into a large greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes.
  3. Apply folds. After 30 minutes, apply the first fold by placing your fingers under one edge of the proofed dough, pulling the dough up, and folding it back over itself. Repeat this motion around the entire perimeter of the dough, turning the bowl as you go, until it’s completely folded over itself, about 6 times. Cover the bowl and rise for another 30 minutes. Repeat this folding step 3 more times, waiting 30 minutes in between each fold, for a total of 2 hours and 4 folds. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.
    Cinnamon Roll Dough in a bowl, cook is using a folding motion
  4. Brown butter. Use the downtime in between folds to brown some butter for the icing since it will need to solidify again. Melt unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter gets a tint of brown, not too dark, about 10 minutes. It will smell nutty and delicious. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and cover at room temp to solidify overnight.
    melted browned butter

The Day Of: Roll Dough & Bake

  1. Mix filling. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, melt the butter. Grease a 9 x 13 sheet pan and line with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Set aside.
  2. Shape the rolls. On a floured work surface, knead the cold dough about 10 times to wake up the yeast. Roll out the dough into a 14-inch by 16-inch wide rectangle, and brush the melted butter on the surface. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over the top, and press it in lightly with your hands to adhere to the butter. Starting with the long side closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Keep the roll seam side down. Use a knife to create light indentations on the roll to create 12 equal pieces. Cut the rolls and place into the greased pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise one last time in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. While the rolls are proofing, make the icing.
    Cinnamon rolls in a log, getting sliced and placed into a baking tray
  3. Make Icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the solidified browned butter you made the night before and room temp cream cheese. Beat until combined. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Mix until just combined; we don’t need it whipped. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed for desired consistency. This icing is more like frosting, so the consistency will resemble buttercream. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
    brown butter cream cheese frosting
  4. Bake. Remove plastic wrap, and bake rolls for 27-32 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until golden brown on top. When the rolls are done and still warm, spread a thin layer of icing (about 1/3 of your mixture) on the rolls. This keeps them soft and prevents the crust from developing anymore. Cool the rolls for at least another 15 minutes or until cooled completely, and spread on the rest of the icing. Enjoy!
    Iced cinnamon rolls in a glass baking pan