Cinnamon rolls are probably my favorite splurging breakfast meal ever. I never seem to make them though, because it takes an inordinate amount of time to make them for breakfast. Breakfast is meant to be devoured in the morning, not at lunch time when dough has had a chance to rise, in my opinion!

But those days are over! Overnight cinnamon rolls are my new best friend. You make them the night before and in the morning, just preheat the oven and let those babies bake while you sip on your coffee.

Since Mother’s Day is less than one month away, these would be a great treat for mom. Breakfast in bed anyone?

This will actually be my first Mother’s Day and I’m planning on making these for myself, of course with Liam by my side. 😀 That way we can all enjoy a relaxing Mother’s Day breakfast.

Okay, let’s talk recipe. You see, typically I get lucky and make a recipe once and it turns out just how I like it. But, with these cinnamon rolls, I made them numerous times since I heavily deconstructed the recipe to eliminate as much of the butter and high caloric ingredients as I could, without harming the deliciousness.

I win!

You win!

We all win!

Because they are amazing!

They’re now my favorite go-to recipe for a leisurely breakfast, especially when we have company over! It always surprises everyone that they’re made with 100% whole wheat flour, too.

Go ahead!

Prepare these cinnamon rolls this afternoon/evening and you’ll have a hot and amazing breakfast in the morning!

And if you just can’t wait, you can always make them for dinner, too. 🙂

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

heavily adapted from Sweet Anna’s

Ingredients

for the dough:

• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2-2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

for the filling:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon

for the frosting:

• 4oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Vanilla Extract
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

How-To

1. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the milk, water and butter until the butter is melted. Allow the mixture to cool until warm, should feel like warm bath water (110°F).
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the warm butter mixture, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Run the mixer for a few seconds until combined. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
3. Mix in the remaining sugar and eggs until combined.
4. Mix in the white whole wheat flour until combined.
5. Switching to the dough hook attachment, mix in the whole wheat pastry flour until the dough comes together in a ball but is still sticky.
6. Lightly grease a large bowl. Place the dough ball into the greased bowl and turn the dough once to coat the dough with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place to rise for 1.5 hours until doubled in size. I used my glass stand mixer bowl with lid and placed it in the warm microwave with the door closed.
7. At this point you should be able to press two fingers into the dough and it should leave an indention. Carefully turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Let it rest while you wash the bowl that it rose in and mix up the filling. To mix the filling, combine the canola oil, sugar and cinnamon together. It should be like a sugar paste. However, if you need to add another tablespoon of oil, that’s okay too.
8. Sprinkle the top with some flour and roll into a large rectangle (16″ x 20″).
9. Spread the filling evenly on the rectangle, leaving 1/2″ boarder, gently patting down into the dough onces spread evenly.
10. Along the long side, roll into a long tight log.
11. Cut into 12 equal rolls using a serrated knife, also cutting off a little bit off of each end that doesn’t have any filling.
12. Place in a parchment paper covered 9″ x 13″ baking dish, making 3 rows of 4 rolls.
13. Cover with plastic wrap. If you’re cooking right away, place back in a warm, draft free place to sit for 30 minutes. Otherwise, place in the fridge overnight.
14. (Overnight rolls) Remove rolls from the fridge and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
15. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
16. Bake for 20-30 minutes until they are light golden brown on the top.
17. Meanwhile, assemble the frosting by beating the cream cheese until loose. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined. Beat in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until combined. Set aside.
18. Once the rolls are out of the oven, gently spread the frosting on top. Let sit for a few minutes for the frosting to melt a little and spread evenly over the rolls.
19. Serve warm!

Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls

This post has been sponsored by McCormick. I received samples and compensation for this post.  All opinions stated are my own.