Make a batch of gooey and sweet caramel rolls for a special breakfast treat. Fluffy rolls filled with brown sugar cinnamon are baked in a rich homemade caramel sauce and inverted out of the pan before serving.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Fluffy cinnamon rolls filled with brown sugar and cinnamon are baked in a sweet, sticky caramel sauce and inverted out of the pan for serving.
Yield: 9 large rolls
Pan size: 9x9 square
Similar to: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Yeast - You'll need one packet of instant yeast for this recipe. Check the expiration date on your yeast to ensure it's not out of date. Old yeast can prevent your rolls from rising as they should.
- Butter - Unsalted butter and the listed salt can be substituted with salted butter.
How to make caramel rolls
- Warm up milk and butter to about 110F (no hotter). Whisk in yeast.
- Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk. Add milk mixture and egg and mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead dough for 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer to a greased bowl and cover for 10 minutes.
- Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook for about 1 minute. This recipe makes a quick caramel sauce that finishes cooking in the oven.
- Pour caramel sauce into a greased (and optionally parchment lined) pan.
- Roll out dough into a 9x14 rectangle and spread with butter, then cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Roll up into a log and use a serrated knife to slice into 9 even pieces.
- Place rolls on top of caramel sauce.
- Rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Bake until golden brown across the top and centers reach 195F.
- Allow rolls to rest for 5 minutes, then place a serving plate on top of the pan and flip over.
- Invert rolls out of the pan and serve warm.
Heather's Top Tip
An instant-read thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. Use it to test the temperature of your milk (prevents ruining the yeast) and again to test the doneness of your cinnamon rolls (prevents doughy or dry results).
Tips and tricks
Rise until doubled in size - During the 60-90 minute rise, your dough will double in size. Store your rolls in a warm, room temperature or slightly warmer environment for best results. If the environment is very cold, your dough will take longer to rise.
For a stick-free pan - Worried about your cinnamon rolls sticking in the pan? Grease the pan, then add a layer of parchment for easy removal after baking.
Add nuts - To make classic sticky buns, add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the pan before pouring in the caramel sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. After assembling your cinnamon rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning while your oven preheats, allow the rolls to warm up on the counter top before baking. I also include these directions in the recipe card notes below.
Yes, they freeze well for up to 3 months. I've included directions in the recipe card below on how to freeze baked or raw cinnamon rolls for optimal results.
Yes, they're essentially the same recipe, but with a different name. Sticky buns are often topped with chopped pecans, which can be added to the pan just before your caramel sauce.
Cinnamon rolls turn out dry if they're overbaked. I recommend testing your rolls with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they've reached 195-200F in the center before removing them from the oven to cool.
Your cinnamon rolls will turn out doughy if they're undercooked. I recommend testing your rolls with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they've reached 195-200F in the center before removing them from the oven to cool.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Caramel Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, one standard packet
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Caramel
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
Dough
- Lightly grease a 9x9 square baking dish or 9-10 inch round cake or pie pan (and optionally, add a sheet of parchment to prevent sticking) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add milk and butter. Microwave in 20 second increments until butter has melted and mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Whisk in yeast and continue whisking until yeast has dissolved. Pour yeast mixture into dry ingredients. Add the egg and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, or until dough looks smooth (not sticky).
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, lightly cover, and allow to rise for 10 minutes.
Caramel
- While dough is resting, prepare caramel sauce.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar, bring mixture to a gentle simmer, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract and stir until mixture is smooth, cooking for another 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and pour into a 9x9 square pan, tilting pan to cover the bottom evenly.
Filling
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14x9 rectangle.
- Spread room temperature butter evenly across the dough. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Starting at the long 14 inch side, roll dough up into a log. Using a serrated knife, slice into 9 even rolls and place in the prepared pan on top of the caramel sauce.
- Lightly cover and allow rolls to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until they've doubled in size.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Transfer dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 26-30 minutes, or until golden brown across the top and rolls reach 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center (use an instant read thermometer to test internal temperature). If rolls are browning too quickly, lightly tent with foil for the remaining baking time.
- Allow rolls to cool for 5 minutes. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and carefully use potholders to invert your caramel rolls onto the plate.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Overnight directions: After assembling the caramel rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning, remove rolls from the refrigerator and uncover while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in the recipe card above.
- Leftovers: Store leftover caramel rolls covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Adding nuts: For classic sticky buns, add 1 cup of rough chopped pecans to the pan before pouring the caramel sauce.
- Freezing baked rolls: Baked caramel rolls freeze well and keep for up to 3 months.
- Freezing unbaked caramel rolls: Follow the directions above for assembly and rising, using a disposable foil pan (or other freezer-safe pan you don't mind freezing for a while). Bake your rolls at 350F for 10 minutes. They should look risen and par-cooked, but not yet browned. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 350F and bake for the remaining 16-20 minutes.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!