Coffee Cinnamon Rolls
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked coffee cinnamon rolls filling your kitchen. If you’re a coffee lover, these sweet rolls infused with rich coffee flavor are the perfect companion to your morning cup of coffee. This easy recipe creates the best cinnamon rolls with a delightful balance of cinnamon sugar, soft dough, and a luscious coffee cream cheese icing.
I like to work the coffee flavor into the dough in a couple ways. First- instead of warm water which I normally add to my cinnamon roll dough, I sub it with warm coffee, (you could also use instant coffee dissolved into warm water.) I also like to add instant espresso powder to the cinnamon filling with gives a nice and potent coffee flavor without making the filling runny. Finally, the cream cheese frosting is made with both a little fresh coffee and some espresso powder. These buns are like a cozy cinnamon latte in pastry form and I absolutely love them!
Ingredients needed for Coffee Rolls:
- Whole Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
- Sugar
- All Purpose flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Warm freshly brewed (strong) coffee
- Espresso powder or instant coffee granules
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Supplies Needed:
- Rolling Pin
- Stand mixer (if you have one, otherwise you can mix by hand.)
- 9×12 baking pan
- Mixing bowls
- Sharp knife or unflavored dental floss for slicing
How to make Coffee Cinnamon Buns:
Heat milk and the butter in a small saucepan. Let cool until lukewarm. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast and then the warm milk mixture as well as the brewed coffee and the egg. Mix by hand, with the dough hook attachment, or an electric mixer and add the remaining flour as needed until a scraggly dough is formed.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth and soft dough has formed. Cover with saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel and while the dough rests mix up your cinnamon coffee mixture.
Roll dough out into a 9×12 inch rectangle, slather with soft butter and the coffee cinnamon sugar and then roll up and slice into 12 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 45- 60 minutes covered with plastic wrap. The rolls should be doubled in size before baking. Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool slightly.
While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, instant espresso and coffee. Blend until smooth and add more liquid as needed until the icing is your desired consistency.
Glaze and Serve: Spread the coffee cream cheese frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve warm or room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container for the next day.
Other favorite recipes for homemade cinnamon rolls:
Tips & Tricks for the best Coffee Cinnamon Rolls:
- Proofing: the time it takes to proof yeasted rolls really depends on your kitchen climate/temperature. So make sure the rolls are puffy and have doubled before you bake them.
- Storage: you can store these rolls at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 3-5 days. Follow my guidelines for reheating cinnamon rolls HERE.
- Frost While Warm – Spread the glaze while the rolls are slightly warm so it melts into the layers.
Coffee Cinnamon Rolls
Warm and gooey cinnamon rolls with a coffee cream cheese glaze.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup warm brewed coffee
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso or instant coffee granules
- 1/4 cup of butter softened
- Frosting:
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 2-3 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it.)
- 2 tablespoons of strong brewed coffee
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso or instant coffee granules
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; whisk together. Add coffee, egg and the milk/butter mixture; beat well with an electric mixer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir well after each addition. (dough will be too thick and sticky to use the mixers at this point.)
- When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes, or alternately use the dough hook in a stand mixer. When ready, the dough will spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile mix together brown sugar, instant espresso or coffee, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. (use your 9x13 baking dish as a guide.) Using a pastry brush- slather the dough with the soft butter. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon-coffee-sugar mixture and press in lightly so it doesn't fall out when you roll it, getting all the way to the edges.
- Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal size rolls and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover and let the rolls rise in a warm place* until doubled, about 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, or until golden. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then spread them with frosting. (directions below) Serve warm.
- To make the frosting:
- Whip together the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Add in the instant espresso and then the brewed coffee, 1 teaspoon at a time until frosting has reached your desired consistency, and is creamy and spreadable.
Notes
*when it's cold in my kitchen, I like to preheat the oven for a few minutes, (usually to about 200F,) and proof them in there.