Cinnamon rolls

Recipe

Buns

Cinnamon rolls - Ambitious kitchen

Frosting

Classic Cream cheese frosting - Claire Saffitz, "Dessert person"

• 227g unsalted butter, room temp

• 454g cream cheese, room temp

• generous pinch of salt

• 454g powdered sugar

• 2tsps vanilla extract

How it turned out

Great!

This is a go-to recipe that I make often for friends and family. It's an absolute hit.

What I learned

Hand knead. You get a better feel for the dough and if there's anything that needs to be adjusted.

Don't skimp on kneading. If it says knead for 8-10 mins, knead for 8-10 mins. When it's done, it will be smooth and bounce back when you press it.

Plan ahead with your butter. The dough requires melted butter. But for the filling, you definitely don't want it melted or everything will leak out. Take the butter out of the fridge early so it is softened and ready to spread. Resist the temptation to pop it in the microwave to speed up the process, like I once made the mistake of doing. It'll have an uneven consistency.

Add more cinnamon than you think. I use double of what is called for in the recipe.

Bake less than you think. Since every oven is different, I look for visual cues to help me know when my cinnamon rolls are done. I pull them out when the edges are just starting to brown, but the buns still look pale.

Make the frosting ahead of time. Cream cheese frosting lasts for months in the freezer. I like to always have a batch that I can pull out and top my bakes with.