Combine yeast with warm milk (see note). Set aside for five minutes.
In a mixer bowl, mix sugar, melted butter, eggs, and flour. Add milk mixture and mix until combined.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in covered bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
After dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 16"x21" rectangle (about ¼" thick).
Spread softened butter over entire surface of dough using an offset spatula. Top with brown sugar and cinnamon (see note).
Roll dough from its long edge. Cut into 14 rolls (each about 1.5" wide; see note). Place rolls on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. The cinnamon rolls will not rise much during this time.
Preheat oven to 400F. Take the end of each cinnamon roll and tuck underneath so that they don't unroll while baking. Bake cinnamon rolls 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Cool cinnamon rolls completely on pans on wire racks before removing from the pans (caramelized sugar will be HOT and warm cinnamon rolls are likely to unroll).
Icing:
Combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth.
Sift powdered sugar into bowl, one cup at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Spread cream cheese frosting on top of cooled cinnamon rolls. This recipe makes enough frosting for a generous helping on each roll. :)Enjoy!
Notes
Note on milk temperature: Make sure your milk isn't too hot, or you'll kill your yeast! If you don't have a thermometer to ensure your milk is 105-110F, the milk should be just warm to the touch; not hot.Note on cinnamon: I'll admit...I don't actually measure the cinnamon when I make these. The 3 tablespoons I specify in the recipe is an educated guess. It's much easier to sprinkle the cinnamon from the jar (as opposed to a measuring spoon), and the worst that will happen is you don't have enough. Get in there, make it super cinnamony (it's a word), and thank me later. ;)Note on cutting cinnamon rolls: You want a thin, serrated knife to cut these babies (the bread knife I used is shown in one of the pics above). You want to saw back and forth to cut through. If you press down, you'll squish all your cinnamon rolls and have a hard time getting all the way through.Note on freezing: If you like, baked and cooled cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer until you need them. Just thaw and frost after thawing.