Consider this recipe a love letter, professing my unrelenting love for cinnamon rolls. These Small batch Cinnamon Rolls were born purley out of my obsession and frugalness. Making them from scratch is WORK. And although I am still making them, this process is quicker and more cost effective. I hate wasting multiple sticks of butter and this recipe only requires one egg. Which are a hot commodity these days. Most stores in my area are limiting 1 dozen per customer. I usually have luck at whole food but not latley. And forget about Trader Joe’s.
I consider this recipe a small batch since it makes 6 regular sized cinnamon rolls or 12 mini. The more the merrier, YES. But not always. There’s always one too many and my kids usually only eat the frosting. So i’m stuck with 4 or 5 frostless rolls. But this recipe gives you just the right amount and they are the perfect size. This recipe is also a fun valentine’s day bake if cinnamon rolls are your boo’s vibe.
These are the fluffiest rolls you’ll ever make. Pillowy soft layers that practically melt in your mouth. They are better than cinnabon, I promise. The best part of eating a cinnamon roll is the frosting of course. And I don’t like to skimp! A thick layer of frosting is necessary, All that goodness melts into cracks and crevices making them magical.
For the dough, it is enriched with egg, butter, milk & heavy cream, making it so incredibly soft. Prior to baking, I also drizzle havy cream onto each roll to ensure they don’t dry out while baking, making them even softer.
Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 ¾ C all purpse flour 240 g
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tsp instant yeast
- ½ C whole milk lukewarm
- 2 tbsp heavy cream plus ¼ cup for topping the rolls before baking
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Filling
- 4 tbsp softened butter
- ⅓ C brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
Filling
- Add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside.
Frosting
- Whisk the cream cheese, butter & vanilla bean paste together until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and salt. Wisk until creamy and no lumps of sugar remain. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Rolls
- Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix on medium until well combined and continue mixing for 5 minutes until a cohesive dough forms. It should be soft but not sticky. Add 1 tbsp flour at a time until no longer sticky. 1 or 2 usually does the trick.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. 1-2 hours.
Assembling
- Once the dough has risen, punch down to deflate. Roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle, roughly 12 inches in width. Doesn't have to be perfect. Evenly spread your filling and tightly roll the dough up lengthwise to form a log. Using a sharp knife or string, cut it into 6 even pieces. Place them on a parchment lined sheetpan to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream onto each roll and bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden brown and puffed.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before frosting. Enjoy!
