Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lauren Brooks
- Oct 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 19
Soft dough, melty cinnamon sugar, and that first warm bite, because some things are just worth the wait. These cinnamon rolls aren’t just dessert; they’re a full-on serotonin boost fresh from the oven. Paired with a brown butter icing you really cannot go wrong here.
Recipe adapted from:
INGREDIENTS
Yeast:
3/4 cup Lukewarm water
2 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp. Sugar
Dough:
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Egg whisked
1 Egg yolk whisked
3 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp. Salt
4 tbsp. Unsalted butter melted
Filling:
1/3 cup Unsalted butter room temp.
1 cup Brown Sugar packed
2 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Nutmeg
Frosting:
4 oz. Cream Cheese room temp
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 tbsp. Brown Butter softened
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm water, active dry yeast, and 1 tbsp of sugar. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar, whisked eggs, all-purpose flour, salt, and melted unsalted butter. Add in the yeast mixture last, once it is bubbled and you can smell the yeast.
Mix the dough ingredients together with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms.
If your dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you are satisfied with the texture. Remember climate, and altitude play a in how much flour you will need.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth.
Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
To ensure your dough rises properly is to preheat your oven to 175°F, then turn it off. Once the oven is warm, cover your dough and place it inside to rise.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling and frosting.
To make the filling, combine the room temperature unsalted butter, packed brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg until they form a spreadable mixture.
To make the brown butter for the frosting, use a small saucepan on low-medium heat on the stovetop. Put 3-4 tbsp. of butter into the sauce pan and let sit, stirring every once in a while.
The butter will eventually become brown, smell caramel-y and have brown bits in the bottom (keep those they are the flavor!). Once the butter is browned turn the stovetop off, let cool for a minute and put in a container in the fridge.
To make the frosting, once the brown butter is cooled and spreadable, combine the room temperature cream cheese, browned butter, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and sifted powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down gently and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out and spread the filling over the dough.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into long strips about every 2 inches for 6 cinnamon rolls. Once these are cut, roll each individual cinnamon roll tightly without stretching or tearing it.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add a tablespoon of heavy cream on top of each cinnamon roll.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Once the cinnamon rolls are done, let them cool for a few minutes before topping them off with the frosting, and you're done!
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