The only thing I like more than fresh, hot cinnamon rolls are overnight cinnamon rolls. You know – fresh, hot cinnamon rolls that you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to bake! Overnight cinnamon rolls are cinnamon rolls you can make ahead of time, and bake the next day. These are the perfect cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning!
Since cinnamon rolls are probably my all time favorite morning indulgence, I always think of them on special occasions such as Christmas or Mother’s Day breakfast. When my friends at Bounty asked if I’d like to share how my family celebrates special mornings, these overnight cinnamon rolls came to mind almost instantly.
Check out how EASY these overnight cinnamon rolls are to make! Frosting making compliments of my seven year old.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
More than once or twice I’ve been up way too late, or is it early, on Christmas Eve / Christmas, making cinnamon rolls. That’s where our overnight cinnamon rolls come in. I can make these early in the day on Christmas Eve then pop them into the oven Christmas morning.
We also love these for Mother’s Day. You can whip up these overnight cinnamon rolls the day before Mother’s Day and pop them in the fridge. Then, on Mother’s Day, the kids, dad, your significant other, whoever, can take them out, let them sit out to rise, bake them and make some homemade frosting. This I feel fairly confident my family can do. Oh, and since the rolls do need to sit out a bit to lose their chill and rise a bit, free free to leave instructions for anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour. That’s sleep in time for mom right there, and also time for some homemade Mother’s Day cards, just in case they didn’t quite make it to the store.
This is a situation where everyone really wins. Mom gets to sleep in (in theory), the smell of fresh, hot overnight cinnamon rolls fills your home, dad and the kids feel like rockstars because they managed to put a pan in the oven and stir up a few ingredients, and you get a decadent and delicious breakfast that you deserve. See, being realistic can really pay off.
Another thing to contend with when the kids are in the kitchen… messes. When the kids are helping out it’s bound to get a little messy. Bounty absorbs the mess quickly, so significant others and the kids can focus on making holidays truly memorable. Bounty is a more absorbent paper towel, which means the roll lasts longer and significant others won’t need to use as much to tackle the messes that come with cooking with the kids.
And while these are a fabulous Christmas breakfast idea, they are also great for Christmas brunch. I like to make them the night before (hence the overnight part of the overnight cinnamon rolls), then I can focus on whipping up things like eggs or bacon while they bake, and get to spend more time with my family.
OVERNIGHT CINNAMON ROLLS
Make ahead of time and bake the next day
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 packets RAPID RISE yeast (this recipe is based on Rapid Rise yeast, and will not work the same with other varieties of yeast)
- 1 cup warm milk
Filling
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1-2 TBSP cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese , softened
- 4 tbsp butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Dough
- Mix butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add egg and mix until combined. Add in flour and Rapid Rise yeast, stir to combine. Add in milk and mix well and until soft smooth dough forms. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead a 10-12 times then place into a large bowl that has been well oiled. Cover and let dough rise in a draft free location for at least 30 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
- Once risen, punch down dough and let rest for five minutes. Roll into a 14 x 8-inch rectangle (approximately) on a lightly floured surface. Brush with softened butter for filling. Combine cup sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over buttered dough. Roll up from long side. Cut into 12 cinnamon rolls.
- Place cinnamon rolls in 13x9 inch pan that has been brushed with butter. At this point you can cover the rolls with plastic wrap or foil and place rolls in the fridge to bake the following morning. Or, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and let the dough rise for 30 minutes, then bake.
- If placing rolls in the fridge, remove from fridge 30-60 minutes prior to the time you will start baking them (60 minutes is best). Let them rest in a warm, draft free location. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once oven is heated, bake rolls for approximately 20 minutes (or until lightly browned). Remove from oven and frost immediately.
Frosting
- Stir together softened cream cheese and softened butter. Add in vanilla, salt and milk and mix until well combined. Add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. If you would like your frosting thicker, add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time and mix well. If you would like a thinner frosting, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time and mix well, until desired consistency is reached.
- Once rolls are removed from oven, you can frost immediately or allow to cool slightly, then frost. Store any leftover rolls in refrigerator.
Video
Nutrition
I’ve even got a handy little overnight cinnamon roll recipe sheet you can print to put with the cinnamon rolls, to help whoever might be baking them up on Mother’s Day morning (also great if you want to give some as a gift).
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SIZE PRINTABLE VERSION
Want a bigger cinnamon roll? I’ve got you covered with my Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls. If you haven’t tried making Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls, give it a go. They are delish! We love to celebrate with Birthday Cinnamon Rolls. Lemon Rolls are perfect for spring and summer!
PIN THIS OVER NIGHT CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE TO SAVE IT!
Originally published May 2017. Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Bounty. All opinions however are mine and mine alone.
T says
My dough did not rise at all. Recipe doesn’t say how long to mix dough, it just says until smooth. I followed advise of one of the reviewers and added yeast to heated milk, then added to flour mixture. I do a lot of baking, but never had success with yeast-was hoping this was one that would work. I will try again tomorrow and follow recipe by not adding yeast to milk.
Christi Johnstone says
Do you have a thermometer to check the temperature of the heated milk? If it’s too hot it WILL kill the yeast. That is probably the reason most people struggle with yeast risen recipes, it’s very easy to overheat it. Also double check the date on the yeast. 105-110 degrees is ideal. Feel free to email me, I’m happy to help walk you through this.
Deb says
This is absolutely one of my most favorite recipes of all time! I did research a few more recipes and I found a couple of adaptations that I think aids to the success of the recipe.
1. A mixer with the dough attachment is super handy for this recipe.
2. Heating the milk and using a candy thermometer to get the right temperature is key. I saw between 125 to 140 is optimal warm milk temperature. Then I dissolve the yeast packets in the warm milk. That also was a great trick to ensure that the deal was going to rise.
3. The first few times I made this, I could never find a warm enough spot to rise the dough. I found on the Internet a secret to preheat your oven to 150° and turn it off. Then put the bowl in there. It rises perfectly! Thank you so much again for creating a recipe that is a family favorite and has become quite a tradition for our family!.
Abby says
Help! I made it and the dough is suuupppper sticky. I added more flour but it was still sticky. I followed recipe to a T. Only different is used a mixed on lowest setting to mix ingredients. What did I do wrong?
Christi Johnstone says
I would probably double check measurements. In most situations where something like this happens, people are certain they have the measurements correct, but after asking 20 questions, we eventually figure out that they didn’t. Just this week someone used 5 sticks of butter in place of three, and someone used 1/2 cup of milk where they needed 2 cups. So that’s my top place to check when things turn out vastly different than anticipated. Since this recipe has a video, you can see what the texture should be like.
Abby says
Can these be made gluten free? Using 1:1 gluten free flour??
Christi Johnstone says
I don’t bake gluten free. If you do, you probably are much more of an expert in how gluten free flours perform in recipes – trust your experience from how they’ve worked in other recipes.
Linda says
I have been wanting a cinnamon roll recipe my friend made great ones but she passed away..When I saw this I was happy.I will let you know when we make them.I got the recipe locked in my head. I will pull
It up when I need it . I like the idea of making it
One day and baking the next. It will be easier.
Lori says
Made these for New Years Brunch. Loved the assembly the night before and just baking them in the morning. They were soooo delicious.
Patty says
Fantastic recipe!!
Paty Antillón says
Delicious!!! And very practical to make it the night before…..thank you!!!!