The Best Make~Ahead Cinnamon Roll Recipe EVER! (2024)

December 26, 2012 By Christy 26 Comments

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It’s December 26th, and there’s a good chance you’ve exceeded your maximum caloric intake for the day/week/month/year already. BUT, don’t we get to feast until the New Year and then start our diets?!

This is the best cinnamon roll recipe EVER, and I have made quite a few, including my grandmother’s (delicious) and Pioneer Woman’s (also yummy). There are a couple of reasons I like this one so much. First, the dough gets mixed in a bread machine. While I make lots of bread from scratch, sometimes it’s nice to be able to dump the ingredients in the bread machine and do something else while it does the work. Yes, you can mix the dough by hand if you don’t have a bread machine. Second, you can make the rolls the day before, cover the pan and let them rise in the fridge overnight. Then bake and frost the next morning (I also make the frosting the day before) and enjoy. Third, they are slap-your-momma good. Seriously! Why not try them for your New Years’ Day breakfast? That way, if your head aches from too much champagne, all the work is already done for you.

Our posts contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, we will earn a small commission, which helps to keep our content free. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise, since that would be tacky!

I claim no credit for this recipe. I found it on my favorite recipe site, AllRecipes.com, where it has 4,916 reviews and a five-star rating. That means there are over 314 million people in the US alone who don’t know about this recipe! And what about the rest of the world?! Out of the goodness of my heart, here it is:

Clone of a Cinnabon by Marsha Fernandez(click to go to original recipe)

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cupwarm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cupmargarine, melted
4 1/2 cupsbread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (you can use the fancy kind if you want, but it’s great with the plain old grocery store brand)
chopped pecans, if desired (because they make my husband happy)
1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting:

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. (I use this bread machine and love it, if you’re in the market for one.)
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. (Christy’s note: add chopped pecans if you’d like. My kids prefer not to have nuts, so I do half and half). Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). (Christy’s note: This is where I cover them and put them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I take them out and let them come to room temperature and rise for up to two hours, and then I bake them).
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. (Christy’s note: I make the frosting the day before, too, and store it in the fridge. Pull it out when you take the rolls out to rise the next morning). Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I bake these a little longer than 15 minutes, sometimes up to 18-20 minutes. I try to find the balance between letting the tops get too brown and having the uncooked doughy center (I hate that!). These are SO delicious, and I usually serve them with fresh strawberries or pineapple. You can thank me later!

Thanks for stopping by!

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The Best Make~Ahead Cinnamon Roll Recipe EVER! (2024)

FAQs

Can I refrigerate homemade cinnamon rolls before baking? ›

Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for 1–2 hours before continuing with step 9.

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What is the secret ingredient in Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon's Secret Ingredient

This special Indonesian cinnamon, called Makara, is trademarked by Cinnabon. And because of that trademark, you won't find this product in your local grocery store spice aisle.

Read The Full Story ›

Is it better to freeze cinnamon rolls before or after baking? ›

The decision to freeze cinnamon rolls before or after baking depends on your schedule and preference. Freezing the unbaked rolls keeps the dough fresh and ready to rise, perfect for that fresh-baked aroma on busy mornings. This gives the best results for enjoying fresh cinnamon rolls in a time crunch.

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How long can I keep unbaked cinnamon rolls in the fridge? ›

You can refrigerate the rolls for up to 12 hours, but try not to go any longer. The rolls are still prone to over-proofing if left in the fridge too long; and the cinnamon-sugar filling can melt and make the bottoms of the rolls syrupy and damp if left unbaked for too long.

Can you refrigerate uncooked cinnamon roll dough? ›

You have two choices: you can make the dough and chill up to 2 days, then shape, let rise and bake, as described in the recipe, OR you can make the dough, chill for 2 hours, then shape, cover with plastic wrap that is sprayed with nonstick spray and chill for up to 2 days.

Can you leave cinnamon rolls out overnight to rise? ›

Instead of letting the rolls rise at room temperature and baking them, you'll cut and arrange the rolls in the baking pan, tightly cover them with plastic wrap, immediately transfer them to the fridge and let them rest overnight. (Do not leave them out at room temperature for any longer than needed.)

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How do you store cinnamon rolls overnight before baking? ›

If you want to make cinnamon rolls the night before, roll and cut them, then tightly cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The following morning, take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to bake them. Place the rolls in a warm place in your house to proof.

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Can I leave cinnamon roll dough in the fridge overnight? ›

You sure can! Putting cinnamon roll dough in the fridge overnight will still allow for a strong second rise. But… most recipes that have the dough rise overnight in the fridge also recommend you take the dough out two hours before baking.

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How long should refrigerated dough sit out before baking? ›

Shaping bread loaves after first-rise refrigeration

After a cold bulk fermentation, allow your dough to regain some warmth on the counter for 40 to 60 minutes and become slightly puffy before shaping it. You can help the process along by stretching and folding the dough.

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Can you put homemade cinnamon rolls in the fridge? ›

If you store them like conventional breads, where they're tightly wrapped and in a bread bag in the bread box, they'll last between 3 and 5 days, but you shouldn't go beyond that, or they'll start to taste stale. If you store them in the fridge, they'll last a bit longer, perhaps up to 7 days.

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