Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Buttercream

Delicious. Fluffy. Amazing. Worth the Calories.

Ingredients:

For Dough:

1/4 oz (2 1/4 teaspoon) Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast
1/2 teaspoon and 1/4 cup granulated white sugar separated.
1/4 cup water, at 115F degrees
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

For Filling:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon maple syrup (grade A)
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Cinnamon Buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of sea salt.

For Glaze:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons hot whole milk

Directions:

For Dough:

In bowl, to be used on standing mixer, stir the yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup water at 115F degrees.
Let the yeast mixture sit until it becomes frothy, which is about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk in a separate bowl, flour and salt together and set aside.
Add the 1/4 cup sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk into yeast mixture and stir with whisk.
Once combined, place bowl into the standing mixer with dough hook attachment.
At medium speed, slowly add the flour and salt mixture.
Once all the flour and salt is in the mixing bowl, turn the mixer to a medium-high speed (KitchenAid mixer setting 6) for 4 minutes.
Add the butter and continue to keep the mixer at medium-high speed for 6 minutes.
The dough will be sticky, but it is fine.
On a surface with about 1/3 cup flour spread out, place the dough in the center and knead the flour into the dough.
Grease a bowl with butter and set the dough inside to sit for the next 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cover the bowl with saran wrap and a kitchen towel and store in a dark, warm area.
While dough is sitting, make the filling and glaze.
When dough has doubled in size, place the dough on a heavily floured surface (around another 1/4 cup of flour) and knead the dough to reduce the stickiness.
Place a kitchen towel over the dough and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
Use a floured rolling pin and roll the dough into a 10 inch by 10 inch square.
In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with a fork or spoon until it is smooth and spreadable and spread a layer of cream cheese on the dough leaving a one inch border around the edges (alternatively, place the cream cheese in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds to soften the cream cheese, but make sure that it is not hot and only slightly warm before spreading on the dough).
Fold the square dough into thirds on both sides, starting from the top and bottom and then the left and right side. You should finish with the seam on the top and don’t worry if the cream cheese comes through.
Turn the dough so that the seam is facing down on the surface and start gently rolling out the dough into a rectangle (approximately 9 inches by 15 inches).
Use a brush to spread the melted butter on the dough.
Evenly distribute the cinnamon-sugar filling on the dough, leaving a one inch border around the edges (see next section instructions for filling).
Beginning at the 15-inch side of the dough, gently roll up the dough.
Use a sharp knife to slice off the the edges and then cut 8 even slices.
In a 9 x 13 inch pan, butter the pan and place the slices evenly spaced in the pan. For the two pieces from the edge, you can place them into a buttered muffin tin for mini cinnamon rolls.
- Alternatively, if you slice the dough into 16 even slices, you can bake them in the muffin tin.
Cover the pan of your choice with saran wrap and place in a dark area for 2 hours. The cinnamon rolls will rise again.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Bake until gold-brown, approximately 20-25 minutes (or toothpick test at around 20 minutes and see if it comes out clean).
Once out of the oven, move the rolls onto a cooling rack to avoid over cooking.

For Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cloves.
Stir in maple syrup and keep stirring until entire mixture is wet.
Set on the side.

For Cinnamon Buttercream:

In bowl of standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioner’s sugar together at lower speed (KitchenAid mixer setting number 2) for two minutes.
Add vanilla extract and ground cinnamon and continue to mix on low speed for another two minutes.
Add heavy whipping cream and pinch of sea salt and then increase the mixer speed to medium-high (KitchenAid mixer setting number 6) for two minutes.
After two minutes, the buttercream should be a light color and fluffy appearance.
Scrap the sides of the bowl with a spatula and turn the mixer on high for another few seconds to fully incorporate the ingredients.

For Glaze: