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Incredibly soft and melt-in-your-mouth overnight cinnamon rolls with lots of tangy cream cheese frosting AND a time-saving overnight option. These classic cinnamon rolls are the ultimate breakfast indulgence!
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4.50 from 2 votes

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Incredibly soft and melt-in-your-mouth overnight cinnamon rolls with lots of tangy cream cheese frosting AND a time-saving overnight option. These classic cinnamon rolls are the ultimate breakfast indulgence!
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 12 servings
Calories 281kcal

Ingredients

Yeast Dough

Cinnamon Filling

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons 2% or skim milk

Instructions

  • Place warm buttermilk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook OR a large bowl. Dissolve yeast in buttermilk and let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
  • Mix honey, eggs, and salt into yeast mixture until smooth. Add 3-1/2 cups flour to bowl and mix on low speed OR with a wooden spoon if making dough by hand until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 2 minutes of mixing (if dough seems a bit wet, add additional flour by the tablespoon until dough pulls away from sides of bowl)
  • Add softened butter by the tablespoon while mixer is running or fold in by hand with a wooden spoon until butter is combined in the dough.
  • If making dough in stand mixer, knead dough in mixer on low speed 5-7 minutes until dough is stretchy and elastic. If making dough by hand, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until dough is stretchy and elastic, about 10 minutes of kneading.
  • Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place at room temperature 1 to 1-1/2 hours until dough is doubled in size.

Cinnamon Filling

  • Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine sugars and ground cinnamon. Set aside for a moment.
  • Punch risen dough down and turn onto a floured surface. Roll dough out into a 12x16 inch rectangle and spread softened butter and cinnamon sugar to within 1/2-inch of edges.
  • Tightly roll dough up and pinch at ends to seal. Cut into 12 even pieces and place rolls in prepared baking dish. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or up to 16.*
  • When ready to bake rolls, remove pan from refrigerator and allow rolls to rise at room temperature 1 to 1-1/2 hours until rolls are puffy and doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 350F. Bake cinnamon rolls at 350F 25-30 minutes until rolls are a light golden brown (you want to underbake them just a bit so they stay soft) Allow rolls to cool on a wire cooling rack 20 minutes before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a medium bowl, beat powdered sugar and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla and just enough milk to achieve a thick drizzling consistency.
  • Spoon icing over slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and allow to set 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

*to skip the overnight chill step and bake rolls right away after shaping, allow rolls to rise at room temperature 45-60 minutes until doubled in size. Proceed with recipe instructions for baking
Storing Instructions
Cinnamon rolls are best if served immediately after baking. If storing is needed, refrigerate rolls up to 2 days and reheat before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cinnamon roll | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.1g | Protein: 6.8g | Fat: 12.3g | Saturated Fat: 6.9g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 3347mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 16.5g | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg