Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Four Ways

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium speed with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon extract.
• Mix the flour and yeast and then add the warm milk (between 120-130 degrees or whatever your yeast packet recommends). Mix on low speed until a dough ball forms.
• Intermittently scrape the sides of the bowl to get the flour well incorporated. Also, depending on the consistency of the dough, you may need to add a little bit of flour or lukewarm/room temperature water if it’s not forming a ball.
• Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium-high, mixing approximately 6 minutes or kneading aggressively by hand for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be a supple, tacky texture and should pass the “windowpane” test: take a small piece of the dough and gently stretch it so that you can see light pass through the more translucent area. Temperature-wise, the dough should be between 77-81 degrees F.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, transfer the dough, and roll it around to thoroughly coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a thin kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set the dough aside to rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until it doubles in size.

Make the Filling

• In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, being sure to mix well.

Make the Frosting

• In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On a low speed, slowly add the powder sugar and beat until fluffy and the salt. Add lemon zest after the desired consistency is met. Spread on rolls once they’ve cooled for at least 10 minutes. My frosting recipe makes a large quantity. If you prefer a light coating, feel free to halve the frosting for this recipe.

Roll Out the Dough

• Transfer the risen dough to an oiled or lightly floured work surface or a silicone mat. Gently roll out the dough with a lightly dusted rolling pin. For large cinnamon rolls, you'll want a rectangle that’s about 14 inches wide by 12 inches long and 2/3 inch thick and to roll them short end to short end. For smaller, but more, cinnamon rolls, roll the long end to the long end.

Spread the Filling

• Spread your filling over the dough rectangle, leaving about 1/8 inch on the edges. Optionally sprinkle with nuts.

Roll and Cut the Dough

• Roll your dough like a large cigar log. Roll from long end to long end, using a pastry scraper as needed. Trim the ends neatly when finished.
• Cut the dough in even pieces with thin sturdy twine, a very sharp knife, or unflavored dental floss.
• You’ll cut anywhere between 8-18 cinnamon rolls, depending on the desired size. To get 12 large rolls, cut pieces about 1.5 inches in size.
• Once finished cutting, place the rolls in a greased 9×13 dish or a cookie sheet. (For smaller cinnamon rolls, an 8×8 dish will work.)

Proof and Bake the Rolls

• Let the rolls proof at room temperature for 1-1 1/2 hours with cheesecloth, lightweight cloth, or greased plastic wrap on top. The rolls are done proofing when they are almost doubled in size.
• After proofing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place your rolls on the middle rack when it’s time to bake.
• Cook for about 20-30 minutes. Your tops should have a nice golden brown hue when done. If they start to brown too much before they are cooked throughout (internal register should be 205 degrees F), then cover with foil and check every three minutes.

Frost the Rolls

• Let the cinnamon rolls rest in the pan for about 10 minutes, then frost them with the cream cheese frosting. The frosted rolls should be refrigerated if not eaten right away.

• Prepare cinnamon roll dough as directed earlier in this post, replacing the cinnamon filling with this blueberry compote.

Make the Blueberry Compote

• Take a small saucepan and add the blueberries, sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice. If you’re using frozen blueberries, the process may take a couple more minutes. Stir continuously so the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Allow compote to thicken to a spreadable consistency (thick enough to stick to the back of the spoon) in which the blueberries have started to break down (3-5 minutes).
• Remove mixture from heat and stir in lemon zest. Set the compote aside and let it cool 7-10 minutes, enough to make spreading on the dough easier.
• Meanwhile, roll out your dough to approximately a 14×12 rectangle and spread blueberry filling evenly over the rolled out dough, spreading it just shy of the edges. Sprinkle with nuts if you wish. Roll the dough up in cigar like fashion, slice and bake.
• Let the blueberry rolls set out for about 10 minutes before frosting.

Make the Frosting

• In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until fluffy and well mixed.
• Add lemon zest to desired consistency and stir just a little bit more. Spread on rolls once they’ve cooled for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!

• Prepare cinnamon roll dough as directed earlier in this post, replacing the cinnamon filling with chocolate filling.

Chocolate Filling

• In a small bowl, mix together the butter, cocoa, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to a spreadable consistency. It may seem a little gritty, but it’ll cook smoothly and taste delicious.
• Spread mixture onto the 14×12 rectangle of dough, covering as much as possible, nearly to the edges. Once the chocolate mixture is spread evenly, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and nuts. Proceed to roll up your dough, slice like you would any cinnamon roll, and bake.

Espresso Icing

• When the chocolate cinnamon rolls are done baking, let them set for about 5 minutes before drizzling with espresso icing.
• To make the icing, warm the heavy cream on the stovetop in a small saucepan on medium heat until just simmering, or in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Add the espresso powder and whisk it in until it is fully incorporated. Take off the heat and immediately whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until combined.
• Drizzle the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately. Best served hot!

• Prepare cinnamon roll dough as directed earlier in this post, replacing the cinnamon filling with cranberry filling.

Cranberry Filling

• If the cranberries are frozen, let them thaw for 30-60 minutes.
• Place cranberries in a sauce pan on medium heat with the orange juice, sugar, salt, and corn starch.
• Let the cranberries cook down until softened. This will take 5-10 minutes. With a potato masher, mash the cranberries to make the sauce nice and thick.
• Stir the cranberry mixture often, if not continually, to avoid burning and sticking to the bottom of your pan. If it gets too thick, just add a tablespoon of orange juice and mix well. The goal is to make a cranberry compote that’ll be similar to a jam in consistency.
• Once you’ve obtained a spreadable consistency, set it aside to cool down for a few (but no more than 10) minutes. Work on rolling out your dough to a 14×12 rectangle. Spread the compote evenly on the rectangle just shy of the edge, roll it up, slice, and bake.
• Set the cranberry rolls out for about 5 minutes then drizzle with the orange glaze. Enjoy while still warm.

Orange Glaze

• Simply add the sifted powder sugar in a bowl with the orange zest and the orange juice and whisk until you reach a blended drizzling consistency. Once reached, drizzle over the warm rolls. Top the rolls with toasted sliced almonds to add an extra pizzazz.