Fluffy Nutella Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

5 from 10 votes

This fluffy Nutella Cinnamon Rolls recipe makes some pillowy and gooey rolls, filled with fudgy Nutella and cinnamon, and topped with a soft cream cheese frosting.

Be warned! they're highly addictive!

Prep Time30

Total Time2 30

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: Maria Corcuera

Ingredients

Rolls

2 1/2 teaspoon Instant Active yeast 1 packet
1 1/4 Cup Warm milk 105 F
4 Cups all-purpose flour Divided in 2 cups and 2 cups
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup unsalted butter melted
1 egg room temperature
1 Egg yolk room temperature

Nutella Filling

7 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
1 Tablespoon cinnamon ground
2/3 Cup Nutella

Cream Cheese frosting

1 1/4 Cup powdered sugar
8 Ounces Cream cheese room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Start by mixing the yeast and the milk in a small bowl, and let it sit for 10 minutes. It should be frothy after the yeast is activated. Make sure milk is warm and not hot! (About 105 F) If it’s too hot, let it cool before adding it to the flour mixture.
2 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 teaspoon) Instant Active yeast, 1 1/4 Cup (295.7 ml) Warm milk
In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, melted butter and egg and yolk. Add the yeast mixture and mix with the dough hook attachment in a bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and mix
4 Cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 Cup (110 g) brown sugar, 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt, 1/2 Cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, 1 egg room temperature, 1 Egg yolk room temperature
Start adding the remaining flour, first 1 cup, then mixing, then adding the second and last cup. Mix in medium speed for around 10 minutes, until dough is sticky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will start to form a ball.
*By hand: transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form it into a ball
Make the “windowpane test”: take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers; if the dough stretches out and gets translucent without breaking, it’s elastic enough and ready.
Place in a well greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a kitchen towel. Pre heat your oven to 200 F. Turn off and place the covered dough and let rise until doubled. About 1 hour
Punch down the dough to let the air bubbles out. Place in a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 12 x 18” large rectangle using a rolling pin. Make sure you don’t add too much flour to your dough when rolling it, or you could end up with tough, dry cinnamon rolls
Spread the butter for the filling, leaving an inch of border on the sides. Sprinkle cinnamon on top, then spread the Nutella, leaving an inch of border as well.
Starting on the long edge, start rolling your dough very tightly. Pinch seam with your fingers to seal the bottom edge
Slice dough into 12 even rolls using unflavored dental floss, a very sharp knife or a serrated knife. I like cutting it in the middle, then cut in half each log, then into 3, until 12 equal pieces are formed.
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 2/3 Cup (200 g) Nutella
Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray, then place the sliced rolls in your pan, making sure they're not touching each other and the tails of the rolls are placed one in front of the other. Cover with a cloth loosely and let rise a second time for one hour, until doubled in size.
Pre heat your oven to 350 F. Bake your cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
In the meantime, make the frosting. Mix all of the ingredients using the whisk attachment until fluffy. Spread on top of your rolls and enjoy!
1 1/4 Cup (150 g) powdered sugar, 8 Ounces (226.8 g) Cream cheese, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon (0.1 teaspoon) salt

Notes

Make sure to use fresh yeast, and not an expired one.
If you don't own a thermometer to measure the milk temperature, you can warm it until it's warm but should not burn your fingers when touching it. If you heated the milk more than necessary, let it cool before adding the yeast
Let the dough rise in a warm place. I pre-heat my oven to 200 F and turn it off, then place the dough inside for better results
Make sure you don’t add too much flour to your dough when rolling it, or you could end up with tough, dry cinnamon rolls
Try adding some chocolate chips along with the Nutella for extra indulgent rolls!
Warm rolls taste infinitely better than cold ones! so dig in as soon as you can