Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
There are few things better than fresh-out-of-the-oven, warm and gooey cinnamon rolls for breakfast, but considering the process of preparing these decadent sweet rolls takes several hours, this would typically require you starting the project at 4AM. I’m not sure about you, but that’s about the last thing I want to be doing Christmas (or any) morning.
Enter these overnight cinnamon rolls. With just a bit of planning, all the heavy lifting can be done the day before and they can complete their final rise while your oven preheats the next day.
My recipe yields twelve pillowy-soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls with perfectly gooey interiors. The base of today’s recipe is the same versatile and simple sweet dough I used in my sticky buns. It’s accented with a rich, buttery cinnamon swirl and topped with my easy and incredible cream cheese frosting that you’ll have to fight yourself to keep from devouring by the spoonful.
What You Need
Between the dough, filling, and frosting, there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe. Let’s go over a few of the important ones:
Yeast. Active dry yeast is best for overnight cinnamon rolls. If you want to use instant yeast, try my 60-minute cinnamon rolls instead. Note that if your yeast doesn’t foam after 10 minutes, it’s likely dead and you must start over with fresh yeast.Brown sugar. I prefer to use light brown sugar for my filling. Dark brown sugar could work too, but the filling will be richer and sweeter.Egg + egg yolk. An extra egg yolk tenderizes the dough and makes it melt in your mouth. Don’t skip it!Whole milk. I prefer to use whole milk for this recipe and recommend it for best results. A lower fat or non-dairy milk could be substituted but will yield slightly less tender rolls. Flour. I’m using regular all-purpose flour here, though bread flour could be substituted (usually yields chewier results). You will notice that I include a range measurement for this ingredient; this is because you may need more or less flour depending on the conditions in your kitchen.
SAM’S TIP: Cinnamon is obviously a staple in any cinnamon roll filling, but I also like to add some allspice to my overnight cinnamon rolls for a slightly festive flair. You can certainly skip this though! Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
SAM’S TIP: You’ll know you’ve added enough flour when your dough begins to cling to itself and form a ball. If your dough is sticky while kneading, feel free to add more flour until the dough is more workable, but be careful not to add too much! Speaking of frosting, I love using cream cheese frosting here because, while vanilla frosting or vanilla glaze are certainly an option, I feel they make things a tad too sweet. Cream cheese complements the cinnamon flavor and tones down what could be excessive sweetness, making for not-too-sweet, breakfast-worthy results. Looking for more make-ahead breakfasts? My french toast casserole and hash brown casserole are more great overnight breakfast options. Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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