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
I hope that your family enjoys these delicious overnight cinnamon rolls as much as mine does. Remember that clean up is easier with Bounty, The Quicker Picker Upper, at your side! Grab some Bounty coupons to pick up a few rolls today.
PIN THIS OVER NIGHT CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE TO SAVE IT!
If you love cinnamon rolls, I have a number of other cinnamon roll recipes you need to try!
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.
These Lemon Rolls are perfect for spring and summer!
Crunchy, Creamy, Sweet has a Cinnamon Roll Cake, proving cinnamon rolls are for breakfast AND dessert.
The Slow Roasted Italian has some amazing Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread.
Originally published May 2017. Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Bounty. All opinions however are mine and mine alone.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Your sweet girl is so adorable! I absolutely love the idea of overnight cinnamon rolls. My kiddos will go crazy for them!
Taylor says
Hello again! One more thing: the dough takes longer than 30 minutes to rise. So be patient.
Anna says
Can you make these two nights ahead? Will they still be good?
Christi says
Hi Anna, I think they would be okay, but I haven’t ever gone two nights so I can’t say for certain. You could freeze them, just make sure you let them completely thaw, and rise, prior to baking.
Christi says
Anna, you probably want to make them the next morning, otherwise consider freezing and thawing.
Nicole says
Where did you get that amazing fork?!
Christi says
Hi Nicole, it’s by Mud Pie, it came in a set of four. I think you can find them on Amazon! They are super cute, I love them!
Paige says
They are in the oven and we can’t want to eat them 🙂
Christi says
I miss you! If you come visit I’ll make them for you. XOXO
Tammy says
So if you wanted to freeze the rolls…would you make the rolls and freeze instead of bake? Or would you partially bake and then freeze?
Kerri says
The recipe says to knead the dough 10-12 “times”. Is that supposed to say 10-12 “minutes”?? That doesn’t seem like enough, and now I’m afraid I’m left with a lump of unusable dough.
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Kerri, with the rapid rise yeast I never knead that much. If it makes you more comfortable though, go ahead and do it that way.
Jessica Walker says
I want to serve them in the evening. Can I still make them the night before but let them sit in the fridge until about 3:00 or 4:00 PM? How long can they stay in the fridge before needing to get them out? Thanks!!
Christi Johnstone says
Jessica, I think that’s fine. I’ve never let them sit past about 16 hours, so I can’t speak to the results at time past that. Hope that helps.