🎉 Birthday Cinnamon Rolls

 

Most people celebrate birthdays with cake (and don’t worry, I do that too). But this year, I wanted something sweet and cozy to start the day — a little birthday breakfast that felt just as special. Enter: birthday cinnamon rolls. Soft, fluffy, swirled with cinnamon sugar, topped with cream cheese frosting… and of course, sprinkles inside the dough and on top, because nothing says “birthday” like rainbow sprinkles at breakfast.

These rolls are fun, celebratory, and honestly easier than you think. They can be prepped the night before and fresh baked in the morning!

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Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup warm milk 

• 1 packet instant dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)

• 2 large eggs

• ⅓ cup butter, softened

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Filling:

• ½ cup butter, softened (not melted)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• Extra rainbow sprinkles, for topping (optional)

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Instructions + Tips

1. Make the dough

Pour warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if working by hand). Add yeast, eggs, softened butter, and sugar. Give it a quick mix, then add the flour. Mix until just combined — don’t overmix at this stage.

If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes. This makes the recipe wonderfully hands-off. If kneading by hand, work the dough for about 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

2. First rise

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size — usually 1–2 hours. Dough needs a warm environment (ideally at least 70°F). If your house runs cold (mine definitely does), you have options:

• Use your oven’s bread proof setting, if you have one.

• Place the bowl in a slightly warmed (then turned off) oven.

• Set it near a warm stovetop or even inside a microwave with the door closed.

3. Make the filling

Mix together softened (not melted!) butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth. Using softened butter makes all the difference — melted butter makes a runny mess that doesn’t spread evenly.

4. Roll, sprinkle, and shape

Punch down the risen dough and fold in the sprinkles. Spray your countertop with a little baking spray (instead of flouring) — this helps the dough roll smoothly without sticking. Roll the dough into a rectangle. The bigger the rectangle, the bigger the rolls.

Spread the filling evenly across the dough, then roll it up into a log.

For even rolls: cut the log in half, cut each half in half (now you have four pieces), then cut each of those in half again to make eight. Use unflavored dental floss to “slice” the log — it’s the most satisfying way to cut cinnamon rolls without squishing them. If you don’t have floss, a sharp knife works, or you can even slice the dough into strips with a pizza cutter before rolling, then roll each strip individually.

5. Second rise

Place the rolls into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish (you can use any baking dish this is just my personal fav). Cover and let rise another 30 minutes. At this point, you can also cover and refrigerate overnight, then bake in the morning.

6. Bake

Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown. Keep an eye on them — ovens vary.

• If you placed them in the refrigerator overnight let them come to room temp before baking

7. Make the frosting

Soften the cream cheese, then pour the melted butter over it. This warms the cream cheese slightly so it mixes smoothly without clumps. This lets me d this frosting without a stand mixer but you can still use one if you want. Mix to combine. 
Then stir in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and heavy cream until thick but spreadable. (If you’re not into cream cheese frosting, you can just omit the cream cheese)

8. Frost and celebrate

Spread frosting over the warm rolls and generously top with sprinkles. Serve warm with your favorite morning beverage (ideally in a pretty tumbler 😉) for the coziest birthday breakfast. 

P.S. You can shop my birthday gift set here. And if you love the tea towel in the photos you can grab it here. 

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Why You’ll Love These

• Sprinkles folded into the dough + sprinkled on top = instant birthday vibes.

• Perfect as a fun alternative to birthday cake for the morning.

• Fluffy, cozy, and celebratory — exactly how I want to start a new decade (oof letting that sink in while I eat one of these)