Soft, pillowy, ooey gooey cinnamon rolls made in less than an hour?? It’s possible with these No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting!
There’s really no experience quite as euphoric as sinking your teeth into a soft and doughy, sweet and sticky icing-drenched cinnamon roll. It’s literally layers upon layers of sugar, and I don’t know why I don’t make them more often.
To be fair though, cinnamon rolls do require a bit of time and work—making the dough, waiting for the dough to rise, rolling out the dough, rolling up the dough, waiting yet again for the rolls to rise, baking them in the oven, and FINALLY, making the icing. They’re quite the undertaking. However, cinnamon rolls are ALWAYS worth it.
So this week, I was definitely craving me some doughy spirals of cinnamon-sugary deliciousness. It had been a while since the last time I made any for this blog, and I decided it was LONG overdue.
Well, it turns out that because of the recent quarantine/stay-at-home orders, people all of a sudden think it’s cool to bake. That’s all fine and dandy, but when I can’t find yeast ANY-flippin’-where, it’s a little frustrating…more like infuriating when you’re going through cinnamon roll withdrawals. Curious, I Googled “Cinnamon rolls without yeast”. To my surprise, it is indeed possible to get your cinnamon roll fix WITHOUT the yeast. Halle-freakin’-lujah!!
How is this possible? Well, the yeast is replaced with the instant lifting power of baking powder and baking soda. Buttermilk is also added to enrich the dough and to provide a little tang to make up for the lack of yeasty flavor. I usually make my own buttermilk at home by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice/white vinegar to a cup of milk.
These cinnamon rolls also don’t require any eggs. You’re essentially making a biscuit dough. What I absolutely love about these no-yeast cinnamon rolls is the fact that there isn’t hours upon hours of waiting for the dough to rise. All of that is eliminated because of the baking powder and baking soda. Simply combine all of the dough ingredients, roll it out, slather on the butter and brown sugar, roll it up, slice it into rolls, then bake for 15-20 minutes. SUPER quick, right? I mean, who knew it was actually possible to have warm ooey gooey cinnamon rolls on your table in less than an hour WITHOUT driving to the nearest Cinnabon??
When it comes to frosting/icing on cinnamon rolls, my preference is ALWAYS cream cheese frosting. I like my cinnamon rolls to be DROWNING in cream cheese frosting. In fact, I like to make enough frosting for dipping even after my cinnamon rolls have already been drenched in the stuff. (How I’m not diabetic at this point in my life is still a mystery to me.)
Anywho, instead of making traditional cream cheese frosting, I decided to top these cinnamon-swirled babes with something a little more exciting–BROWN BUTTER cream cheese frosting.
Yeah, baby…
Because if any of you have ever been introduced to brown butter ANYTHING, you know just how transformative it is. The nuttiness and exceptionally rich flavor it adds to baked goods is nothing short of phenomenal. What’s more, it really only involves cooking the butter longer until it achieves a deep amber color and smells nice and toasty. But ohhhh man, the toasty brown bits that form during the browning process are so incredibly delicious when combined with sugar. Needless to say, the brown butter cream cheese frosting was a slam dunk and the perfect way to finish off these cinnamon rolls.
As far as how these no-yeast cinnamon rolls compare to traditional yeasted cinnamon rolls, the texture is less chewy and yields a denser, more tender bite. They’re incredibly soft, pillowy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
These cinnamon rolls really do have it all–simple, fast, fluffy, buttery, and GUARANTEED to satisfy those cinnamon roll withdrawals!
No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling:
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, super soft
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Rolls:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF, and grease/butter a 10-inch square baking dish.
- Stir the milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) together in a bowl; allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Pour the milk solution, melted butter, and vanilla into the middle of the dry ingredients. Stir together until dough just comes together; do not overmix. Knead with your hands until the dough forms into a ball. If dough is still too sticky to handle, add a little flour.
- On a lightly-floured surface, roll dough out into a 13"x16" rectangle. Using a butter knife, spread softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar over it, followed by the cinnamon. Lightly pat it down with your fingertips to help sugar adhere to dough. Roll dough tightly into a log, ending with the seam side down. Pinch the ends to seal.
- Using plain, unwaxed dental floss (or a bench scraper), slice the log into 9 evenly-sized rolls. Arrange the rolls cut-side down in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden on the surface, with melty, bubbly filling.
- While rolls bake, prepare the frosting.
Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned and nutty, turn off the heat and pour into a shallow bowl. Chill in the freezer until solid, about 10-15 minutes.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown butter and cream cheese together on high for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat on high for 1 more minute until light and fluffy.
- Once rolls have baked, remove from the oven and immediately spread the frosting over the warm rolls. The frosting will melt into every crevice, moistening the rolls even more. Serve immediately.
1 comment
Cinnamon Roll Heaven for sure!