Big Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – you know, the classic cinnamon rolls everyone searches for this time of year. Imagine buttery, soft, pillowy dough swirled with a sweet cinnamon sugar mix made with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Then, each roll gets smothered in the most delicious brown butter cream cheese icing, melting into every nook and cranny of those fluffy rolls. Seriously, they’re melt-in-your-mouth good. Nothing beats classic cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
Between my cookbooks and the website, I’ve shared quite a few cinnamon roll recipes, so I didn’t think I needed another one. But then my little sister, Asher, told me she used another website’s recipe because she couldn’t find a simple, classic cinnamon roll on our site—well, that got me thinking.
And when my sister-in-law, Lyndsie, said, “How about a big, fat, fluffy cinnamon roll?”—yeah, I was instantly convinced we needed this recipe.
Soft, fluffy, and loaded with just a little too much cinnamon sugar. Baked to perfection and slathered with a creamy, sweet, dreamy cream cheese icing. These are CLASSIC cinnamon rolls, but way better than the Pillsbury rolls I grew up eating (and loving—because let’s be honest, those are good too). I added brown butter and a splash of hazelnut liqueur because, trust me, that combo tastes like Christmas in every bite.
After testing these over and over this week, I’m so excited to share the recipe—just in time for Christmas Eve. Make these on Tuesday night, and wake up to the best Christmas morning breakfast!
Alright, let’s get into the details.
Ingredients
- Flour
- Instant yeast
- Brown sugar
- Milk
- Salted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Hazelnut liqueur (optional, but seriously, it’s worth it)
- Vanilla extract
Special Tools
For this recipe, I really recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook—it makes mixing the dough so much easier.
You can use a spatula, but be ready for an arm workout.
Steps
Step 1: Make the dough
In your stand mixer bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, instant yeast, brown sugar, and salt. Pour in the warm milk and add three large eggs (room temperature is best).
I’ve found instant yeast works best for overnight dough—it’s super easy and, for some reason, just makes a better cinnamon roll.
Mix with the dough hook until you get a smooth ball of dough. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Mix the cinnamon sugar
I use a combo of brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Trust me, both sugars together make the best swirl.
Step 3: Roll out the dough & cut the rolls
Roll that puffy dough into a big rectangle.
Slather the whole surface with softened butter (I use salted). Then, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix all over.
Now, roll the dough into a log and slice it into 12 rolls. Arrange them in a baking pan—I love using a round one because it reminds me of the cinnamon rolls I grew up with. My mom always baked her Pillsbury rolls in a pie plate.
Step 4: Bake or let sit overnight
You can bake these right away, or pop them in the fridge overnight.
My mom used to make her monkey bread on Christmas Eve every year—she taught me the magic of having an overnight roll recipe ready for Christmas morning. Nobody wants to miss out on the fun, so if you’re making these for Christmas, prep them (and the icing) on Christmas Eve.
Step 5: The icing
Brown butter whipped into soft cream cheese with hazelnut and vanilla—to me, that’s the taste of Christmas!
Slather the warm rolls with probably way too much icing. But hey, it’s Christmas—go all out!
And there you have it—finally, a classic cinnamon roll recipe for you all. I really hope this becomes a tradition in your homes. Next time Asher decides to bake, maybe she’ll actually use my recipe!
