Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Quick Summary

Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls- coffee cake and cinnamon rolls in ONE pan! Light and fluffy cinnamon rolls with a thick cinnamon streusel topping and vanilla frosting! The ultimate breakfast treat!

Coffee cake or cinnamon rolls?

What if you didn’t have to choose? That’s right, meet the ultimate breakfast treat, Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls! You get coffee cake and cinnamon rolls in ONE pan…and the combo is out of this world! They are almost too good to be true.

I used my dad’s famous cinnamon roll recipe as the base. They are truly the BEST cinnamon rolls in the world. To bring in the coffee cake element, I added a brown sugar cinnamon streusel to the filling AND to the top of the cinnamon rolls. I also topped the cinnamon rolls with a drizzle of sweet vanilla icing.

Are these cinnamon rolls super sweet and decadent? YES!
Are they worth every single bite? YES!
Will you dream about them and to make them every weekend? YES!

They are absolutely incredible and the perfect recipe for a special breakfast or brunch!

How to Make Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls do take a time to make because you have to let them rise, but I promise, the end results are worth the effort! You can’t beat homemade cinnamon rolls!

In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the lukewarm water and ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the yeast bubbles up.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, sugar, and 1 cup of hot water and beat for 30 seconds, using the beater blade. Let cool to lukewarm temperature. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in the beaten egg.
Gradually stir in the remaining flour and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand, add a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead until dough feels satiny and smooth.
Cover and let rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on how warm your kitchen is.
While the dough is rising, make the streusel. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter. You can combine with your hands after combined to form clumps. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.
After the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular shape, about 16 X 12 inches.
Spread dough evenly with the filling: softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Top the filling with half of the streusel.
Roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. Place rolls in a greased 9X13-inch baking pan, leaving about 2-inches between the rolls so they have room to rise. You should have 12 cinnamon rolls.
Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel. Let the rolls rise until double in size. This should take 45 to 60 minutes.
When the rolls have doubled in size, sprinkle the remaining streusel over the cinnamon rolls. It should completely cover the cinnamon rolls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until cinnamon rolls are golden brown on top and cooked in the middle. Remove from the oven and let the rolls cool to room temperature.

How to Make Vanilla Icing

While the rolls are cooling, make the vanilla icing. It is the perfect finishing touch to the rolls.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Drizzle the frosting over the cinnamon rolls. You can also put the frosting in a piping bag or Ziploc bag (cut a small hole in the bottom) and pipe the frosting onto the rolls. You can do a light drizzle or heavy drizzle, depending on how much icing you like!

How to Store

Let the rolls cool completely and then cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap. You can also transfer the rolls to an airtight container. Store on the counter for up to two days. We like to reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds so they can get nice and gooey!

More Sweet Roll Recipes

Breakfast/Brunch

Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls- coffee cake and cinnamon rolls in ONE pan! Light and fluffy cinnamon rolls with a thick cinnamon streusel topping and vanilla frosting! The ultimate breakfast treat!

For the Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, to proof the yeast
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup hot water
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, might need a ½ cup more if dough is sticky
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For the streusel:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the icing:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the lukewarm water and ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the yeast bubbles up.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, sugar, and 1 cup of hot water and beat for 30 seconds, using the beater blade. Let cool to lukewarm temperature. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in the beaten egg.
Gradually stir in the remaining flour and mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand, add a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead until dough feels satiny and smooth.
Cover and let rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on how warm your kitchen is.
While the dough is rising, make the streusel. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter. You can combine with your hands after combined to form clumps. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.
After the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular shape, about 16 X 12 inches.
Spread dough evenly with the filling: softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Top the filling with half of the streusel.
Roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. Place rolls in a greased 9X13-inch baking pan, leaving about 2-inches between the rolls so they have room to rise. You should have 12 cinnamon rolls.
Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel. Let the rolls rise until double in size. This should take 45 to 60 minutes.
When the rolls have doubled in size, sprinkle the remaining streusel over the cinnamon rolls. It should completely cover the cinnamon rolls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until cinnamon rolls are golden brown on top and cooked in the middle. Remove from the oven and let the rolls cool to room temperature.
While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle the frosting over the cinnamon rolls. You can also put the frosting in a piping bag or Ziploc bag (cut a small hole in the bottom) and pipe the frosting onto the rolls.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Calories: 676kcal, Carbohydrates: 114g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 67mg, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 48g, Vitamin A: 649IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 4mg