Sometimes you just need to have a little fun with your food, and I can't think of anything I'd rather roll out of bed for than these Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls!
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These Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls are soft, gooey, super cinnamony, and slathered in cream cheese glaze! They're also all dressed up for any occasion with lots of rainbow sprinkles!
If you enjoy this recipe, you should check out the posts for my Chocolate Rolls with Espresso Glaze, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Rolls, and Sprinkle Cookies!
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Ingredients
The rainbow sprinkles bring some magic to this recipe, but it's all the other ingredients that make these cinnamon rolls super delicious! Measurements for each of the ingredients are included in the recipe card, below.
Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients
- Sour Cream - For moisture and richness. I used full fat sour cream. If you prefer, you can substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Salt - To balance and enhance the flavor of the dough.
- Sugar - For sweetness and moisture.
- Water - For moisture.
- Yeast - For leavening and flavor. The flavor develops when the dough rests. I use instant yeast, which technically you don't need to bloom (wait for it to get foamy), but I still like to do this step to ensure that my yeast is active/alive.
- Eggs - For moisture, richness, and a little leavening.
- Flour - For structure for the rolls. I used all-purpose flour.
Cinnamon Filling Ingredients
- Brown Sugar - For sweetness, moisture, and a hit of molasses flavor.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness, and to make the filling a spreadable consistency. Unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want your butter to be at room temperature.
- Ground Cinnamon - For flavor!
Cream Cheese Glaze Ingredients
- Cream Cheese - For flavor. You want your cream cheese to be at room temperature.
- Unsalted Butter - For richness. Unsalted so that you don't have salty glaze. Your butter should be at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - For flavor. Vanilla bean paste would also be excellent in the glaze!
- Powdered Sugar - For sweetness. I use powdered sugar because it dissolves completely for a smooth consistency to the glaze.
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Instructions
Cinnamon rolls have quite a few steps in shaping them, letting rise, etc., but none of the steps are difficult. You'll want to note that the recipe calls for chilling the dough overnight for best flavor! You can find more detailed instructions in the recipe card, below.
How to Make the Dough
- Combine sour cream, butter, salt, and ¼ cup sugar in a saucepan and warm just until the butter melts. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Combine sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add the flour until a soft dough forms. Add the sprinkles and mix just to incorporate.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough over to grease the top. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough overnight (8-24 hours).
How to Make the Filling
- Combine all filling ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
How to Assemble/Bake the Cinnamon Rolls
- Spread the filling mixture over the dough evenly and roll the dough up from a long edge. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces.
- Place the cut pieces in a greased 9"x13" pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise until doubled.
- Bake cinnamon rolls until the tops are golden.
How to Make the Glaze
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave briefly until mixture is smooth and pourable. Pour over cinnamon rolls, and garnish with additional rainbow sprinkles, if desired.
Equipment
This recipe doesn't require any special equipment, but I did use a pastry mat when rolling out my dough. You don't want to add too much additional flour to the dough when you roll it out, and a nonstick pastry mat helps a lot!
Storage
Once baked and frosted, these Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls will keep on your counter (covered) for 2-3 days (if they last that long)!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Once the rolls are baked and cooled, you can freeze them (wrapped well and unglazed). They'll stay good for several months in the freezer if wrapped well, then you just thaw and glaze them.
Er...no. Not officially. The overnight rest in the refrigerator will give you the best flavor from the yeast. If you're in a hurry, you can simply let the dough rise on the counter for about an hour before shaping the rolls, they just won't be as flavorful.
Other Recipes You May Like
Recipe
Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Filling:
- 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
- 3 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (½ stick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
For Dough:
- In a small saucepan, combine sour cream, butter, salt, and ¼ cup sugar. Warm mixture over medium-low heat just until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to 110°F-115°F, about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Combine sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed, gradually add the flour until a soft dough forms. Add the sprinkles and mix just to incorporate, being careful not to overmix and smash all the sprinkles. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl, but will still stick to the bottom.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Try to add as little flour as possible while kneading.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough over to grease the top. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough overnight (8-24 hours).
- After refrigerating, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 20"x16" rectangle. Introduce as little additional flour as possible. Alternatively, you can roll the dough out on a nonstick pastry mat (see note).
For Filling:
- Combine all filling ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Assembly/Baking:
- Spread the filling mixture over the dough evenly, leaving a 1" border on the long sides with no filling.
- Roll the dough up from a long edge. Trim rough ends, if necessary, and discard. Using a thin, serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces.
- Place the cut pieces in a greased 9"x13" pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise until doubled, about 1-1½ hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cinnamon rolls about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
For Glaze:
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave briefly until mixture is smooth and pourable. Pour over cinnamon rolls, and garnish with additional rainbow sprinkles, if desired.Enjoy!
Lindsey G
YUM! Good to see you posting again. Can't wait to try these. Z will have fun sampling them too.
Amee
Sweet of you to say! I hope you (and Ms. Z) love them! <3
Amber
Hi , do I add the sprinkles before resting over night ?
Amee
Hi, Amber! Yes! You add the sprinkles along with the flour. So sorry that wasn't clear!
Marianne
My family loved these! I made them for my husband's birthday, and they were just perfect for the celebration!
Amee
Oh yay! I made these for my birthday, too! Happy belated birthday to your husband, and thanks for your review, Marianne!
Lisa
Could these work if I replace the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour?
Amee
Hi Lisa! I'm sorry I don't have much experience in gluten-free baking! These rolls are quite bread-like and seem like they'd need gluten to hold up, but I know that 1:1 gluten-free flours can still work for many recipes! If you try it, I'd love to know if it works out!
Chelsea
Waiting overnight was hard but they're sooooo good!
Amee
Haha I know what you mean! I just made these again yesterday and I was dyyyying to bake them up! So happy you enjoyed them, Chelsea, and thanks so much for your review!