Hayley's Famous Cinnamon Rolls are famous for good reason. These warm, ooey, gooey, buttery brown sugar cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing are literally the perfect cinnamon rolls.
We love the Foster Family. They are one of those families who are always out serving and doing things for others. I love how Stephanie has her kids raise their own money for whatever camps or activities they want to participate in. I have seen their son mow many lawns, sell homemade bread, and Hayley is definitely known for her famous cinnamon rolls around these parts. Everyone clamors to buy these coveted cinnamon rolls.
They are always examples to us of teaching kids how to work while learning a new skill. I am also grateful for Hayley sharing this perfect cinnamon roll recipe with us.
Cinnamon rolls are my Mom's love language. Every single birthday, all she wants is a big 'ol cinnamon roll all to herself. I consider her a cinnamon roll connoisseur and when she used the words -- phenomenal and out-of-this-world to describe Hayley's Famous Cinnamon Rolls, I knew we had a winner. These are seriously the BEST cinnamon rolls ever. I have tested and tested and tested again a lot of recipes and these famous cinnamon rolls take the top prize.
This makes a LARGE batch of cinnamon rolls. Feel free to half the recipe if you want to make only 7-8 cinnamon rolls.
What are the tips for making perfect homemade cinnamon rolls every single time?
- Make sure your yeast is good and fresh. I store my bag of yeast, which I buy at Costco in bulk, in the freezer in a freezer bag. This ensures that it is always fresh and ready for baked goods. I have many stories of bad yeast that never activates even with warm water or milk and sugar. You can tell if your yeast is fresh by watching it start to activate and foam. You start to see bubbles and movement. Sugar is a big contributor to activating the yeast. I always throw some sugar into the yeast mixture as it proofs to help expedite the process.
2. Let it rise in a warm oven, turned off. This is a key trick to getting your yeast bread or rolls to rise. Weather can be tricky when getting your bread or rolls to rise. You can be in not ideal conditions. The trick is to let your oven do the work. It expedites the process because a warm oven creates an environment conducive for yeast rolls. Turn your oven to 200 degrees and let it heat up. Once it reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Place your cinnamon roll dough in an oven-safe bowl and place in the oven for 1 hour. It should rise to at least double the size. It saves you at least an hour of rising time!
3. Watch for the flour to come off the sides of the mixing bowl. When you are making any type of yeast bread, I always add flour in increments and not the entire amount at once. I wait for it to start to come off the sides of the bowl and form in the center. That is a big clue that it is ready. In this particular recipe, I add 3 cups of flour at a time and mix it for 30 seconds in between. I usually end up with 8 ½ - 9 cups of flour every single time.
4. Make sure you have enough filling. The brown sugar, cinnamon, butter filling is where all of the warm, spiced flavors come from so you want to be generous. Feel free to add a little more brown sugar or butter if you want a little extra filling. Spread to evenly coat the entire rectangle.
5. After you have rolled out the dough and cut into slices, let the cinnamon rolls rise for the 2nd time. This is when it gets fun as you start to see the cinnamon rolls become large and amazing. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for one hour on a baking pan.
6. Bake until lightly golden brown and cooked through. This can be tricky. If your oven tends to heat up hotter in the back, then turn the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Watch for your rolls to get a nice light golden color and remove from oven. Let cool slightly before adding frosting.
7. Spread with a good amount of cream cheese and butter frosting. This quite possibly could be the BEST part of the cinnamon roll. Don't skimp on the frosting. Cover these babies with a generous coat of cream cheese frosting. The combination of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla makes a phenomenal, creamy frosting.
I can't wait to hear what you think about these famous cinnamon rolls. Forget Cinnabon....these are even better! HappyBaking, my friends! xo
Rebecca
Delicious! I was not sure how they be with more eggs than my regular recipe, but they were great. On day one, they were no better than my regular recipe, but on day 2-3, these were better. I think the eggs keep them moist and not tasting stale. I’ll be making them again!
Marge
What are the nutritional stats for this? What is the carbohydrates numbers?
Flo Galusha
Made them the other day and they were absolutey the best. I actually watched your youtube video prior and that helped answer many questions. Next batch, I will most likely decrease sugar in frosting. Too sweet for me.
Yvonne Johnson
I just have one question. The sugar that you scoop out of the measuring cup .. that goes in with the yeast? Or just into a separate bowl? And if I’m doing the half recipe then how much sugar would I scoop out? Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try!!
Rose Marie
Dearest Melissa:
I LOVE EVERY recipe that you SO WILLINGY, SO KINDLY, send to us. LOVE U!!! One request, please if you will, please remove my last name from upcoming recipes. My pc has just been hacked presently me with MONUMENTAL issues & I fear my last name is going to impact even further. PLEASE DO con tinue to send me your recipes and thank yu SO MUCH for sharing w/us!!
Donna
Can the first part of the recipe be made in a bread machine? Also, are the 2 tablespoons of sugar added to the yeast and water?
Mary
i would like to use my bread machine also!
Sharon
Hi, I’m wondering did you use instant yeast?
Christine
I did and it worked beautifully! I used King Arthur Instant
Sally Gardner
Can I make these rolls two days in advance?
Christine
If I could give you 10 stars, I would! Thank you for this recipe! I made them, they came out perfectly! I didn't have cream cheese, so I used 1-1/2 cups butter and added a little more heavy cream. PERFECT! MY husband ate 2, yes 2!
Sarah Riley Blackmon
These will be a new Christmas morning tradition! I made these two days ahead of time and froze them so I didn’t have to do it all today. It worked out perfectly! I baked them, allowed them to cool and wrapped in foil and froze the pans. This morning I took them out to thaw and reheated at 350 for about 15 minutes. I made the frosting in advance too, and it was great also!