Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls are soft, chewy bread flour rolls filled with maple brown sugar butter, soaked in warm maple cream before baking, and finished with a salty maple cream cheese frosting. They taste like fall if fall had a really good bakery.

I have made a lot of cinnamon rolls. Possibly too many. But maple kept coming up as the flavor I wanted for this season, and I wanted it in every single layer, not just a drizzle on top that disappears the second it hits the oven. So the maple goes in the filling, in the cream you pour over the rolls before baking, and in the frosting. The salt does the same thing, which is the whole point. Sweet things taste better when something is keeping them in check, and salt is that something. You're going to love these Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls

If you're on a cinnamon roll kick this fall (welcome), try my Double Frosted Cinnamon Rolls, my Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls, or my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls next.

Why You'll Love These Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls

The maple is in the filling, the cream soak, and the frosting, so you actually taste it.
The warm maple cream poured over the rolls before baking makes the bottoms gooey and the centers incredibly soft.
Salt in every layer keeps them from tasting like a sugar cube.
The dough chills for up to 12 hours, so you can make it the night before and wake up halfway done.
Rolling individual strips gives you more swirls and more even rolls than slicing a log.

Ingredient Overview

Here's what goes into these rolls and why each ingredient matters.

Bread flour: The higher protein gives the rolls their chew and helps them hold up to the cream soak without turning mushy.
Instant yeast: A small amount works slowly during the cold proof, which builds flavor.
Whole milk and eggs: These make the dough rich and tender.
Unsalted butter: Used in the dough, filling, and frosting. Unsalted lets you control the salt, which matters a lot here.
Salt: The star. It's in all three components, so weigh it if you can, since table salt and kosher salt measure very differently by the spoonful.
Pure maple syrup: Use the real stuff. Pancake syrup is corn syrup wearing a costume.
Brown sugar and cinnamon: The classic filling base, with maple syrup creamed in for a softer, more flavorful swirl.
Heavy whipping cream: Warmed with maple and poured over the rolls right before baking.
Cream cheese: Gives the frosting its tang and balances all that maple.

What Kind of Maple Syrup Should I Use?

Use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, which is mostly corn syrup and flavoring. For baking, look for Grade A Dark Robust or Amber Rich on the label. Darker syrup has a stronger maple flavor that holds up in the oven, while the light Golden Delicate kind tends to fade once it's baked.

How to Make the Dough

Whisk the lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and yeast in your stand mixer bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt. Mix with the dough hook on medium for 6-7 minutes until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
Move the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Do one stretch and fold, lifting each side of the dough and folding it over itself.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Common Mistakes - Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Using hot milk. Milk that's too hot can kill your yeast. It should feel barely warm on your wrist.
Adding extra flour because the dough is sticky. It will firm up in the fridge. Extra flour now means dense rolls later.
Skipping the cold proof. Warm enriched dough is soft and hard to roll cleanly. The chill makes shaping so much easier.
Fully melting the filling butter. Soft butter spreads and stays put. Melted butter runs out the sides while you roll.
Pulling them out too early. These bake longer than most rolls because they need time to absorb the cream. Wait for deep golden brown.

How to Fill and Roll

Cream together the brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, butter, and salt until smooth.
Roll the chilled dough into a 12x16 inch rectangle with even edges.
Spread the filling all the way to the edges.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 strips, cutting from bottom to top the short way. Each strip should be about 1⅓ inches wide.
Roll each strip into a snug spiral from the bottom up, tucking in any filling that escapes, and pinch the end closed.
Arrange the rolls cut side up in a greased 9x13 pan, 3 across and 4 down, with a little space between them.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes, until puffy and nearly doubled.

Tips and Tricks

Your oven with just the light on makes a great proofing box.
Warm the cream and maple only until it loses its chill. You're not trying to heat it, just keep it from shocking the dough.
Start at 375°F for 10 minutes, then drop to 350°F. The high start gives you lift, and the lower temp lets the centers cook through.
Tent with foil if the tops are browning faster than you'd like.
Separate the rolls with a knife while they're hot so the frosting melts down between them.
Darker, more robust maple syrup gives you a stronger maple flavor than the light golden kind.

FAQ - Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Here are answers to the questions I get most about Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls.

Can I make the dough ahead? Yes. The dough can chill for up to 12 hours, so making it the night before works perfectly.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour? You can, but the rolls will be softer and a little less chewy.
Can I use active dry yeast? Yes, use the same amount. The recipe already has you proof the yeast in milk, so no extra steps.
Why pour cream over cinnamon rolls? The cream soaks into the dough as it bakes, making the rolls softer and the bottoms gooey and caramelized.
Are these too salty? No. They're salted the way salted caramel is salted. You'll notice it, and you'll be glad you did.

Storing and Freezing

Store leftover Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm each roll in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating so the frosting gets soft again.

To freeze, let the baked rolls cool completely without frosting, then wrap them tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, warm them in the oven or microwave, and frost right before serving.

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Recipe

Salted Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Molly Murphy

with a maple brown sugar filling, a warm maple cream soak, and salty maple cream cheese frosting. Soft, gooey, and made for fall.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings rolls

Ingredients

Dough

1 ½ cups lukewarm milk 360g
1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast 5g
2 teaspoons granulated sugar 10g
½ cup granulated sugar 100g
3 large eggs room temperature
5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g
½ cup unsalted butter softened 113g
2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g

To Pour on Before Baking

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream 75g
2 tablespoons maple syrup 40g

Filling

¾ cup packed brown sugar 165g
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 16g
¼ cup maple syrup 80g
¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch or slightly melted (170g)
½ teaspoon salt 3g

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz cream cheese softened (170g)
½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar 180g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4g
¼ cup maple syrup 80g
1 teaspoon salt 6g

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 ½ cups lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.
1 ½ cups lukewarm milk 360g, 1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast 5g, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 10g
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don't worry if it's too sticky it will be firm up.
½ cup granulated sugar 100g, 3 large eggs room temperature, 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g, ½ cup unsalted butter softened 113g, 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.
Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out.

Filling and Shaping Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, ground cinnamon, maple syrup, unsalted butter, and salt on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
¾ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¾ cup unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon salt
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches in size. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.
Using a sharp pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 even strips, cutting from bottom to top the short way. Each piece should be about 1⅓ inches wide. Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.
Working one at a time, roll each strip into a snug spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.
Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan, 3 across and 4 down. They should have a little space between them - they'll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise in a warm spot or in the oven with light on for 45-60 minutes, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size.

Baking Instructions

Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Warm the heavy whipping cream and maple just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15-20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the risen rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream 75g, 2 tablespoons maple syrup 40g
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.
If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the pan from the oven. While the rolls are still hot, use a knife to gently separate each roll so the maple cream cheese frosting can seep down between them.

For the maple cream cheese frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.
6 oz cream cheese, ½ cup unsalted butter
With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined.
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt
Increase speed to medium-high and beat 2-3 more minutes until light and fluffy. If too soft to pipe, chill for 10-15 minutes.

Assembly

Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread the maple cream cheese frosting evenly over the tops of the rolls.
Serve warm and if they get to room temperature, you can pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating!

Keyword cinnamon rolls, cinnamon roll, maple, fall

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