A family favorite recipe that is so special, it’ll be requested time and time again! Grandma’s famous cinnamon rolls are the perfect treat to share. 

Discover Gran’s secrets for the most incredibly cinnamon rolls. They have amazing texture with pillowy soft bread, sweet cinnamon filling and creamy frosting on top. You’ll love enjoying this recipe any time of the year, but they are especially fun to make and share with a neighbor or friend. 

You know those recipes that take you back in time to grandma’s kitchen as a child? The ones that provide pure time travel and allow you to revisit some of your most cherished memories? This recipe has been a cherished tradition in our family for many decades.

Grandma always made her cinnamon rolls for my siblings and I when we had a sleepover at her house. She shared them with friends and people she cared about. I grew up on a farm, and the memory of working with my family and watching for grandma’s car to come with these warm sweet treats in tow will always be engraved in my heart!

This recipe is well worth the investment of time! I love each step Each time I make this recipe I feel so excited to share it with someone I love.

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5 from 2 votes

Grandma’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls

Author Handmade Farmhouse
Servings 12 large rolls
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Equipment

  • Kitchen Aid mixer, large mixing bowl
  • Rolling pin
  • Baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening Lard can be substituted
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast I like SAF brand
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 7 cups all purpose flour

Filling

  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup salted butter (8 tablespoons) room temp so it's soft and easy to spread

Topping

  • 1/4 cup Heavy cream for spreading on cinnamon roll tops before baking

Frosting

  • 1/2 Cup Salted butter (8 tablespoons) room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons whole milk
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In medium bowl add warm milk, water and vegetable shortening. Heat in the microwave or on stove until warm (I usually go about 2 minutes, 30 seconds but each microwave is different and you don't want it hot enough to kill the yeast, just very warm).
    In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer or large mixing bowl (if stirring by hand), combine yeast, sugar, 3 cups of flour and salt. Add warm liquid mix to this dry mixture and combine until smooth. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes (covered with a clean dish towel) to allow yeast to activate. You should see a few bubbles after 5 minutes.
    Add in remaining 4 cups of flour and mix well. You want the dough to be smooth and elastic. I usually add a dough hook attachment for the last cup of four so it can knead and stretch the dough.
    After all flour is added, allow the mixer to stretch the dough for 5-7 minutes and make sure that everything is incorporated smoothly.
    Pour dough into a large pre-greased bowl (I just spray it with non-stick spray or use shortening). Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour. Dough should double in size.
    Sprinkle counter top with flour and dump out risen dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and very lightly (without mashing the dough down and allowing it to keep its bubbly structure), gently roll into a rectangular shape approximately 16×20)
    Spread room temperature butter over your rectangle (make sure the butter is softened but not melted). Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Tightly roll the dough up (starting with the long side and rolling away from you) and form into a roughly 19" long roll. You can pat the roll and shape it slightly so its even from end to end.
    Use non-flavored dental floss to slide under the roll and bring the strings up and around to make a slice. This works much better than a knife so you don't smash the dough. Cut the roll into 12 even slices (I always cut in half and then into fourths so I can cut each section into 3 rolls to help with even cutting).
    Prepare 9×13 glass pan or baking sheet with nonstick spray.
    Add rolls and cover with a flour sack towel and allow to rise 30 minutes. This rise time is important for fluffiness and texture! I like to preheat my oven to 350° for about 15 minutes during this time.
    Brush risen rolls with heavy cream.
    Bake at 350° for 25-30 or until rolls are golden brown.
    Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow rolls to cool for 10-15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting

  • Mix all ingredients together and frost cinnamon rolls when warm, not hot.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American

Did You Love This Recipe?

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Here’s a visual process of the recipe:

FAQ’s about Grandma’s famous cinnamon rolls:

  • Can this recipe be made ahead? Yes! I would suggest fully baking the rolls and freezing them without frosting. Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap and then again with tin foil. When ready to use, allow to defrost fully before adding frosting.
  • Can this recipe be doubled? Yes! I use about 13 cups of flour when doubling.
  • What baking sheets do you use? I really like using glass 9×13’s for this recipe. If you want to use sheet pans you can, the rolls spread out a bit more. You can shop my baking sheet HERE!
  • How long will the cinnamon rolls stay good? I would suggest allowing the rolls to fully cool, then add to gallon ziplock bags to keep fresh for 24-48 hours. Freeze the rolls if possible, to keep them more fresh!
  • What is the best way to package warm rolls? I love delivering warm cinnamon rolls to friends and family! I love using tin disposable pans with plastic lids to share. You’ll want to keep the rolls uncovered (to prevent condensation) until just before delivery.

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A special thanks to Grandma Hilvia for allowing me to share this recipe. When I asked her permission she said “I would just be delighted to help people learn to make a recipe that I used to make to show others how much I love them”.

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Hi! I’m Emily, homemaker at our handmade farmhouse. Here I write about my daily adventures experimenting in the kitchen, DIY home projects, gardening with my family, and intentional, affordable decorating. I believe HOME should be a safe-haven from life’s daily weight and always be the place you want to be most in the world.

5 from 2 votes

3 Comments

  1. Oh Emily, thank you so much for posting this. These are just gorgeous. Can’t wait to make them.😍

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made so many different recipes for cinnamon rolls. These are my favorite by far. No need to try any other versions. ☺️

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