Learn How to Incorporate Coffee Into Your Cinnamon Rolls

There’s nothing like pulling a hot tray full of cinnamon rolls out of the oven to complement your morning coffee. The soft, fluffy batter combined with the gooey, sweet icing is a match made in heaven. But what if you said goodbye to your coffee and added caffeine directly into the roll itself? We say game on. Follow the instructions below for a morning treat that’s guaranteed to put a pep in your step.

Ingredients

Dough:

• ¾ cup warm, whole milk

• 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

• 3 cups bread flour

• ¾ teaspoon salt

Filling:

• ⅔ cup dark brown sugar

• 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup unsalted butter softened

• 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules

Icing

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• ¾ cup powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons for espresso powder

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Step 1: Pour warm milk into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top, mix with a fork 

  • Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter, and mix all together until combined fully

  • Stir in flour and salt with a spoon until the dough begins to form

• Step 2: Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface, until the dough is a nice ball form and not sticky

• Step 3: Transfer the dough ball to a well-oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap

  • Allow the dough to rise for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size

• Step 4: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll it into a rectangle

  • Spread softened butter over the dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough

  • Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and coffee granules and sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough and rub it in

• Step 5: Tightly roll the dough up, starting from the shorter side of the rectangle and end on the seam side to make sure the dough is sealed

  • Cut the dough into 1-inch sections, it should be 7-9 pieces

• Step 6: Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan and cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes

• Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges

  • Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting

• Step 8 (frosting!): With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla extract

  • Mix until it’s smooth and fluffy and then spread the goodness all over the rolls