October 12, 2019

Gooey Sticky Cinnamon Buns

Name: Gooey Sticky Cinnamon Buns
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 12 buns
Ingredients: DOUGH; 1 cup whole milk; 1 1/2 ounce envelope active dry yeast; 1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees); 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted); 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; FILLING; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 3-4 tablespoons cinnamon (depending on how much cinnamon you like); 1 cup pecans (coarsely chopped –optional); 1 cup raisins (optional); GLAZE; 2 cups confectioner’s sugar; 1 -3 tablespoon milk

These are the best Gooey Sticky Cinnamon Buns you’ll ever make! They are fluffy and soft cinnamon rolls with the best gooey caramel sauce in the bottom of the pan. So easy to make them ahead and they’re also freezer friendly!

It’s a good thing I don’t eat like this every day! This could seriously wreck all your resolutions and wreak havoc on your life. I am not making any promises of low-fat. I am not going to tell you that you will just have a little bite. This is the kind of breakfast, dessert, or snack (maybe even dinner) that will make you get teary-eyed. These Gooey Sticky Cinnamon Buns are a very special treat for those you love. I’ve shared quite a few rolls over the years. These pumpkin cinnamon rolls and sweet orange buns are also very special!

I’m also not going to lie and say my kids eat these gooey sticky cinnamon buns every week. This is a new tradition that I will make for my cuties. A very rare and special tradition. Not only for Christmas morning. I will treat them with this ooey gooey yumminess when I feel like spoiling them with a little more sugar. Because this is so ooey and gooey and dreamy, only sometimes!

HOW CAN I MAKE THESE CINNAMON ROLLS AHEAD OF TIME?

The first way to do it is to prep the dough until step 6 of the “DOUGH” directions. Without letting them rise, you cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a slow cold rise overnight. The next day, remove the dough, roll it out, fill, cut and shape into the buns. Let rise again and bake.

Another option is to bake the rolls the night before and skip adding on the glaze. Let them cool completely and cover with plastic wrap. The next morning, remove the wrap and tent with foil paper. Reheat them at 325F oven for about 10 minutes, or until completely warm. Remove from oven and glaze them.

I do not recommend filling the unbaked rolls and letting them rise overnight in the fridge. We have done that and it resulted in rolls that were not as fluffy and the filling doesn’t stay snug inside the buns.

CAN I USE INSTANT YEAST INSTEAD OF ACTIVE YEAST

Yes, you could use instant yeast. If you do use instant yeast, you will not have to proof the yeast like you do when you use active yeast. When you use instant yeast, you just add to the flour.

HOW TO FREEZE CINNAMON BUNS

The unbaked buns could be frozen for up two 3 months. As we have tried it and found they don’t turn out as fluffy as baking the same (or even next day if you do slow cold rise), we don’t recommend it.

A better way to do it is freeze the already baked cinnamon buns with the glaze. Simply cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. , with frosting, covered tightly, up to 3 months. Another idea is to leave the glaze off and heat in the oven at 225 degrees F for 20 minutes. This is the way to get rolls that taste as if they were just baked for the first time!

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CINNAMON BUNS

The first thing is the dough. Be sure not to rush through the yeast prep. The water shouldn’t be too warm and not too cold or the yeast won’t activate. The yeast will start to bubble and that’s when you know you’ll be good to go to begin the dough. If you don’t have a bubbly yeast, start all over again.

The second step is to make sure it rises. No rushing on the rise time, as this will ensure the fluffiest rolls. I like to find the warmest part of my kitchen or dining area. It has to be a place without a draft so the dough will proof and you’ll get the softest rolls!

Next, once the dough is ready to go, and rolled out, make sure you roll your buns up very tight. If you roll them in a loose way, the filling will leak out.

The last and important step in prepping the buns is the knife. I always use a serrated knife when I cut the rolls. This makes sure they don’t lose their shape and it cuts them in a clean way so they stay puffy, keeping their cinnamon sugar snug inside.

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SOME FINAL NOTES

source: Family Circle-with slight adjustment by me. Slight updates from original post Jan 2011. We recommended when first writing this post in 2011 to not prep the rolls and let them rise overnight in the fridge. A reader back in 2011 mentioned that it “ruins” the rolls. The reader didn’t expound on this comment, but we assume it’s because of what we found (and mention above), that the rolls are not as fluffy as baking same day as prepping dough.

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