Briana Milner These heart-shaped cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy on the inside, filled with cinnamon sugar, and dripping with a sweet frosting on the outside! Nothing says love more than a baking a special treat for that someone special!
Our family loves the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the morning and these heart-shaped cinnamon rolls are fluffy with a gooey goodness and the cream cheese frosting is so delicious! This recipe is easy to make and is the perfect surprise for your family to wake up to on Valentine’s Day or their birthday! It’s the perfect breakfast treat, but could also be a special treat to bring to work for your co-workers, for a Mother’s Day brunch, or to celebrate an anniversary.
Tips for the absolute best cinnamon rolls!
Lightly flour the rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking to it.
Preheat the oven 15-20 minutes before baking the dough.
Make sure your yeast is active! This is very important!
To ensure your yeast is still active (fresh), add 1 teaspoon sugar and one envelope of yeast to 1/4 cup warm water, and wait 10 minutes. If the mixture bubbles and develops a yeasty aroma, the yeast is still good. If you want your yeast to last longer, store it in the freezer – it will stay fresh for years.
Fun variations to your cinnamon rolls!
This cinnamon roll recipe can be varied:
Add raisins or chocolate chips (small chocolate chunks will work too)
Instead of light brown sugar, you can use dark brown sugar, coconut sugar or white granulated sugar
Instead of cinnamon, try nutmeg in your filling
Butter – you can substitute margarine if you prefer, but butter is best. It is creamier and fattier which will give your rolls a fluffier texture as well as provide more flavor.
What is Beetroot Powder?
This is a natural food coloring powder that contains vitamins and minerals, does not cause allergies, and does not contain harmful chemicals found in synthetic dyes. It is a healthy alternative to artificial food coloring. As a family we have chosen to take food dyes from our family’s diet, which is why you will see the colors in the frosting and in the sprinkles are made completely from 100% natural food-based ingredients!
If you have any cinnamon rolls left, here is the best way to store them!
Loosely cover the cinnamon rolls with Saran Wrap. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The baked cinnamon rolls can be frozen for up to 30 days in an airtight container or wrapping them in Saran Wrap.
Thaw at room temperature overnight and microwave the rolls until they are warm. They can also be reheated in the oven at 350 degrees until they are warm, then cover with the cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.
I love making these ahead of time! Working ahead saves you so much time the morning of!
This is a perfect make-ahead recipe when you want to surprise your loved ones on Valentine’s Day.
I like to prep the cinnamon rolls the night before so everything is ready to go in the morning. After you complete step 11 (Let rolls sit covered in a warm place for an hour until the rolls have doubled in size), the rolls can be placed in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning pull them out, and let them sit until they reach room temperature, then bake, add the frosting and sprinkles, and serve!
If you haven’t baked the dough, the rolls can be covered in Saran Wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Ingredients:
Warm milk – whole milk makes the recipe thicker and more flavorful!
Raw honey – adding honey to your cinnamon rolls give it an amazing sweetness and thickness to the batter!
Active dry yeast – If the mixture bubbles and develops a yeasty aroma, the yeast is still good. It’s important that your yeast is fresh or your cinnamon rolls won’t rise nor be fluffy!
Eggs – eggs should be at room temperature so they don’t affect the action of the yeast.
Butter – softened and divided – I like to use salted for this recipe, but you can use unsalted if that is what you have
Granulated sugar – adds sweetness to the rolls
Salt – table salt is preferable, but you can use sea salt if you prefer
All-purpose flour – cake flour can be used, though the flavor is better with all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar – finely powdered sugar used for frostings and icings
Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract is the best vanilla to use for this recipe as it provides more flavor
Powdered beetroot or red food coloring – powdered beetroot has a sweet flavor, but you can’t absolutely opt for food coloring! We have opted to use all natural food coloring, and our four year old can’t taste the difference! And neither can we! Especially when mixed with sugar, you only taste the sugar 🙂
Pink Sprinkles – Here is an entire list of dye free pink sprinkles! But any will do!
In a mixing bowl, combine the warm milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
Melt 1/3 cup of butter and add with the eggs. Add the salt and sugar and begin to whisk gently while gradually adding the flour. Whisk until fully incorporated and dough forms a sticky mound and no dough is left on the walls of the mixing bowl.
Remove the dough and lightly drizzle some oil into the bowl. Return the dough, cover, and let sit in a warm space for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Lightly dust a flat surface and begin to press the dough into a rectangular shape. Then roll the dough out until 1/4” thick. Using your hands, spread 1 stick of butter across the whole surface of the dough except for a 1/4” edge around the whole rectangle. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread over the butter. Roll the dough along both sides of the long edge tightly until they meet in the middle. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 pieces. Pinch the bottom of the curled roll forming a heart shape.
Place each roll into an oil sprayed 13 x 9 dish, leaving some space between each roll.
Let rolls sit covered in a warm place for an hour until the rolls have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°f. Cook the rolls at 350°f for 25 minutes or until light brown on top.
While the rolls are cooking, mix the powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of butter, and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and milk until frosting forms. Mix in the beetroot until the desired color is achieved.
Remove the rolls when finished…
… and drizzle with the frosting.
Top with the sprinkles and enjoy with your loved ones.
My grocery list!
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Supplies I used for my Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls recipe!
For leftovers, I suggest these containers! Not only are they cute and functional, but are perfect for your leftovers! I prefer glass food storage containers as they are low toxic, and don’t stain!
I used my KitchenAid to mix up my cinnamon rolls and cream cheese frosting. This is the one I use! If you don’t have a stand mixer, any hand mixer will do just fine!
I love having extra bowls on hand for my KitchenAid. This is the one I use in addition to the silver bowl.
I used a 13×9 cake pan for this recipe. I suggest having one with a lid for an easy leftover storing option! Or, if you opt to make this recipe before hand, the lid is great to place on your dish for the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake!
If you like this recipe, here are some other yummy ones to try!
Air Fryer Sausage Quiche – The air fryer sausage quiche has a crust that is flaky while the top of the quiche is a golden brown and puffed up, and the eggs are light and fluffy – so delicious!
Air Fryer French Toast Muffins – We love French toast in our family, and air fryer French toast muffins are a step above regular French toast!
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Overnight Oats – Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Overnight Oats is the perfect breakfast, and the combinations to be enjoyed are endless, so you’ll never get tired of trying a new variety. It’s quick and easy to prepare as it takes only 5 minutes in the evening and is ready for you when you wake up.
Unicorn Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting – If you have a special little girl in your life (like we do), she would be surprised and delighted to have her very own unicorn cake as the centerpiece at her next birthday party!
- Air Fryer Focaccia
- Air Fryer Korean-Style Beef Ribs
- Air Fryer Starbucks Copycat Kale and Mushroom Egg Bites
- Jalapeño Cheddar No Knead Artisan Bread Loaf
- Air Fryer Popcorn
Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk or mixer
- 13×9 pan
- Rolling Pin
- Bread Knife or sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk warm
- 4 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 2 sticks of butter softened and divided
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 cups flour plus some for dusting
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons powdered beetroot for color
- Pink sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the warm milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Melt 1/3 cup of butter and add with the eggs. Add the salt and sugar and begin to whisk gently while gradually adding the flour. Whisk until fully incorporated and dough forms a sticky mound and no dough is left on the walls of the mixing bowl.
- Remove the dough and lightly drizzle some oil into the bowl. Return the dough, cover, and let sit in a warm space for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Lightly dust a flat surface and begin to press the dough into a rectangular shape. Then roll the dough out until 1/4” thick.
- Using your hands, spread 1 stick of butter across the whole surface of the dough except for a 1/4” edge around the whole rectangle.
- Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread over the butter.
- Roll the dough along both sides of the long edge tightly until they meet in the middle.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 pieces.
- Pinch the bottom of the curled roll forming a heart shape.
- Place each roll into an oil sprayed 13 x 9 dish, leaving some space between each roll.
- Let rolls sit covered in a warm place for an hour until the rolls have doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°f.
- Cook the rolls at 350°f for 25 minutes or until light brown on top.
- While the rolls are cooking, mix the powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of butter, and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and milk until frosting forms. Mix in the beetroot until the desired color is achieved.
- Remove the rolls when finished and drizzle with the frosting. Top with the sprinkles and enjoy with your loved ones.
