Get holiday ready with this cinnamon roll recipe

With the holidays on the horizon, it may be prudent to prep a little now to save time later.

To that end, I’m providing you with a double batch of cinnamon rolls to make now, freeze and bake when it suits you. It would suit me on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, for example.

I would freeze these in disposable foil 8-inch round pans — the kind with the lids are ideal. Just move them from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you wish to bake them. And while you can make the icing up to a week in advance, it’s best to ice the rolls when they’ve just been baked and have cooled a little.

Or bake the rolls, ice them and then freeze them individually on a baking sheet before tumbling them into a zip-top bag. Thirty seconds to a minute in a microwave will give them a just-out-of-the-oven warmth.

In a hurry and forgot to make the icing? Slather the rolls with a simple glaze of confectioner’s sugar and milk, or cream, or orange juice. Or Nutella, if you happen to have it handy. In the worst-case scenario, however, even a nude cinnamon bun is better than none at all.

Having a couple of tins of these cinnamon rolls in the freezer is like money in the bank, if unexpected guests show up, or someone surprises you with a gift you weren’t anticipating and you want something to give in return.

Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing

Makes about 16

These cinnamon rolls come together easily, and freeze well before or after baking. Ice them just before serving, though.

Ingredients

¼ cup warm water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

4½ cups bread flour, plus additional for rolling out

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

½ cup very soft butter

For the icing:

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2¼ cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons whole milk

Preparation

Combine water, sugar and yeast in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

Beat ½ cup softened butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon salt, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and milk, beating until blended. Stir in yeast mixture. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed 1 to 2 minutes or until well blended.

Sprinkle about ¼ cup bread flour onto a flat surface; turn dough out, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding up to ¼ cup bread flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands and surface. Place dough in a lightly greased large bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1½ to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake nuts in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool. Turn off oven.

Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle. Spread with ½ cup very soft butter, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, and sprinkle mixture over butter.

Top with nuts. Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting at long side; cut into 16 slices about 1 inch thick.

Place rolls, cut sides down, in 2 lightly greased 10-inch round pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. While dough rises, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Brush rolls with cream cheese icing. Serve immediately.

To make icing:

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in powdered sugar little by little, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Add remaining 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring until icing is smooth and creamy.