Sweet, buttery, and fluffy, these Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Rolls are such a perfect way to start the day. Always a hit at brunch or breakfast, these cinnamon rolls have a sweet layer of dulce de leche running through them and are topped with a dulce de leche cream cheese glaze. They are such a decadent treat and easy to make from scratch.
I want to share a grand sweet treat today. The name is dulce de leche cinnamon rolls. (You might see it spelled dulche sometimes, but dulce is the true sweet word!) I love to bake this warm soft bread in my own home. It is a great way to eat a warm fresh sweet bite. It makes my whole house smell like warm brown spice and hot baked milk. I will tell you exactly how I do it. I will tell you my sad past fails too.
A Need For Warm Soft Bread
It was a long hard day last week. I sat at my home desk for many long hours. I write semantic food words for my own blog all day long. My tired hands felt very sore and stiff from the fast typing. The clock struck six in the dark night. I had a big crave for hot fresh food. I wanted a soft warm sweet roll.
I walked to my clean kitchen. I saw a thick tin can of sweet dark milk. I saw a big bag of dry white flour. I knew just what to make. I would build a hot sweet pan of warm soft rolls. It is a very smart way to end a long hard work day.
My Big Past Kitchen Fail
I try new home foods all the time. But I fail a whole lot too. I must tell you the clear truth. My first time doing this went so very wrong. I was in a big rush that dark night. I did not use the right thick milk. I used a thin clear caramel liquid inside the raw dough.
The thin wet sauce ran right out of the rolled bread. It pooled in the bottom of the hot glass pan. It burned black and hard. The soft bread got stuck tight to the black hard glass. I felt so mad at myself. Good fresh food costs hard cash. I learned a huge rule that sad day. You must use thick dulce de leche. Do not use a thin wet sauce. The thick sweet milk stays safe inside the hot soft roll.
The Simple Tools You Need
You do not need big fancy chef tools for this. You just need basic plain home things. I keep my kitchen tools very simple and clean. Too many tools make me feel stressed out. A big wet mess makes me feel bad. Here is what I use to do this fun smart bake.
My Tool Chart
| Tool Name | Why I Use It Here |
| Big Glass Bowl | To mix the dry dust and wet dough well. |
| Heavy Wood Pin | To roll the soft dough out flat and neat. |
| Plain Clean String | To cut the soft dough log safe and round. |
| Flat Glass Pan | To bake the hot soft rolls in the oven. |
| Small Glass Bowl | To mix the sweet white frosting up fast. |
The Fresh Food Parts You Need
Let us talk about the sweet fresh food. Good pure food needs good raw parts. I buy all this at my local food shop. It does not cost a ton of cash. This makes me smile a big warm smile. I will break it down for you right now.
The Soft Dough Parts
You need dry white bread flour. This makes the soft dough very tall and strong. You need dry active yeast to make it puff up big. You need warm white milk. You need soft yellow butter. You need one whole raw egg. You need a pinch of fine white salt.
The Sweet Center Parts
You need one tin can of thick dulce de leche. This is thick sweet milk cooked down dark and rich. It is the true star of the sweet show. You need dark brown sugar. You need warm ground cinnamon spice.
The Rich Top Frosting
You need soft white cream cheese. You need more soft yellow butter. You need fine white powdered sugar. You need a small splash of pure dark vanilla.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sugar — not only does sugar add sweetness to the cinnamon rolls dough, but it also adds moisture.
Yeast — this dulce de leche filled cinnamon rolls recipe uses instant yeast. Make sure you are using the correct yeast, and always double-check that it has not expired and was stored correctly.
Milk — make sure you use whole milk instead of 2% or skim milk for the dough. Whole milk provides the best flavor to the dough and creates a soft and fluffy dough.
Sour cream — full-fat sour cream is ideal for this recipe as it adds moisture, richness, and flavor to the dough. It also tenderizes the dough, giving you a wonderfully soft cinnamon roll.
Butter — be sure to use unsalted butter. For the dulce de leche filling, the butter needs to be at room temperature, or it will not mix or spread well. Butter is at room temperature when it is soft enough to where your finger leaves a dent when you press into it.
Dulce de leche — also known as caramelized milk, dulce de leche has a sweet, butterscotch-like flavor. Make sure you buy dulce de leche and not caramel.
Cream cheese — for the glaze, I recommend using full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor. Make sure you buy the blocks of cream cheese and not the spreadable tubs.
Powdered sugar — you might find it labeled as confectioners’ sugar, icing sugar, and 10X, but they are all the same. If you’ve run out of powdered sugar, see my guide on how to make powdered sugar.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Rolls
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant Yeast, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in 15 seconds intervals until melted. Add the milk and sour cream and heat for another 15 seconds just to warm. Whisk together until well combined.
3. Add the milk mixture, egg, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Begin mixing on low speed until the mixture starts to come together.
4. Increase the speed to medium-low and continue kneading until the dough is springy and tacky to the touch but doesn’t stick to your fingers. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
5. Once the dough is done rising, mix together the butter and dulce de leche in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Turn out the risen dough onto a well-floured surface. Roll the dough into roughly a 12-x18-inch rectangle.
7. Spread the butter mixture onto the dough in a thin and even layer, leaving a ½-inch border down one long side of the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top.
8. Starting at one long end opposite the unbuttered border, roll up the dough into a tight log.
9. Cut the log into 9 equal pieces (about 2 inches wide) using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. Place the rolls cut side down and evenly spaced in a greased 9-inch baking dish. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
10. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. While the rolls bake, make the glaze by combining the cream cheese, dulce de leche, butter, vanilla, milk, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and then sift in the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. When the rolls finish baking, spread a third of the glaze over the hot rolls. Let cool for 5 minutes, then spread the remaining glaze on top.
The Long Warm Rest
Now the soft dough needs to rest. Cover the top of the big glass bowl with a clean wet cloth. Put the bowl in a warm dark place. Let it rest for one full hour. The yeast will eat the sweet milk. The soft dough will puff up and grow twice its size. It looks like pure food magic.
How To Roll And Stuff It
The long wait is done. Take the huge soft dough out. Put it on a clean dry counter. Use your heavy wood pin to roll it out flat. Roll it into a big flat square shape.
Take a big scoop of your thick dulce de leche. Spread it all over the flat dough. Leave a small bare white edge all the way around. Sprinkle the dark brown sugar on top of the thick sweet milk. Sprinkle the warm ground cinnamon spice all over.
Now use your two bare hands. Roll the flat dough up very tight. Roll it into a long fat log. Pinch the bare white edge tight to seal the sweet parts inside.
The Clean String Trick
This is a top secret food trick. Do not use a sharp steel knife to cut the soft log. A knife will smash the round soft log flat and sad.
Take a piece of plain clean string. Slide the clean string under the soft log. Pull the two string ends up high. Cross them tight over the top of the soft dough. Pull hard. The thin string cuts a pure perfect round slice. It does not smash the soft air out. It is pure food magic to see. Cut the whole long log into twelve thick round rolls.
How To Bake Them Very Hot
Put the round soft rolls in your flat glass pan. Let them sit in the warm room for thirty short minutes. They will puff up tall one last time.
Turn your stove oven on very hot. Set it to three hundred and fifty degrees. Let it get very hot inside. Put the heavy glass pan in the hot oven. Shut the hot door. Set your loud timer for twenty five minutes. The bright hot heat will make the sweet milk bubble and the soft dough turn dark golden brown.
How To Make The Rich Frosting
While the hot rolls bake, we make the cold sweet frosting. Take your small glass bowl. Put the soft white cream cheese in it. Add the soft yellow butter. Add the fine white powdered sugar. Add the dark vanilla splash.
Use a small metal fork to stir it all up very fast. Beat it until it is pure smooth and very light. The sour white cheese cuts right through the heavy sweet sugar. It is a grand sweet taste.
Time And Cost Facts
I love to track my home food math. It helps me save my hard cash. It helps me plan my busy semantic blog week out. This fresh sweet treat is cheap to make. Look at my math chart below to see the clear facts.
My Math Chart
| Math Fact | The True Amount |
| Prep Work Time | Thirty Short Minutes |
| Hot Bake Time | Twenty Five Minutes |
| Total Cash Cost | Eight Cash Dollars |
| Cost Per Roll | Less Than One Dollar |
| Total Portions | Twelve Big Sweet Rolls |
How Does It Taste?
The loud oven timer will ring fast. Pull the hot glass pan out. Let the hot food rest for ten short minutes. Spread the cold white frosting right on top of the warm sweet rolls.
Take a small warm bite. The soft bread is so light and full of warm air. The thick dulce de leche melts right into the warm brown spice. The sweet hot center is pure rich joy. The cold white frosting melts down into the deep hot cracks. It is a perfect bite of warm fresh food. It makes my tired mouth very happy. I let out a loud happy sigh.
How To Clean The Sticky Pan
I need to talk about the sad clean up phase. The flat glass pan can get very gross. The baked sweet milk glues hard to the clear bare glass walls. If you scrub it hard right away, you will get very mad at the glass pan.
I do not scrub it hard at all. I fill the dirty glass pan with very hot tap water. I add a big squirt of liquid dish soap. I let the hot wet pan sit on the cool stove for one full hour. The hot soap water does all the hard work for me. The hard baked sugar melts right off fast. I use a soft wet sponge. I wipe the clear glass bare in one fast pass. It is so easy to do.
Why Baking Helps My Mind
Let me tell you why I bake this sweet trick so much. My fast life gets very loud and stressed. I type long semantic food words till my eyes hurt tight. I sit in a desk chair for long dull hours. I feel very slow and sad by the end of the long day.
Doing this simple home trick slows my fast brain down. I have to stand up tall in my room. I have to use my two bare hands to knead the soft warm dough. It is a good fast therapy for me. When I smell the warm brown spice, I feel pure calm. I made a good hot thing from plain cheap parts. It is a quick sweet win for a tired mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dulce de leche the same as caramel?
Dulce de leche looks similar to caramel but is not the same. To make dulce de leche, you combine milk and sugar, whereas caramel comes together with water and sugar. As you do not caramelize dulce de leche, you get a nutty, mellow flavor instead.
Can I make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time?
You can refrigerate the dough overnight after you place it in the oiled bowl to rise. In the morning, punch down the dough and roll it out. The second rise will take a bit longer as the dough is cold. Alternatively, you can prepare the rolls up to the second rise the night before, then cover and refrigerate the rolls. In the morning, keep the rolls covered and allow them to rise in a warm area for 1 hour before you bake them.
How do I store leftovers?
These cinnamon rolls with dulce de leche filling and glaze don’t tend to last long in my household! However, if you somehow have leftovers (or made extra!) you can cover them and store them at room temperature for 2 days.
Can I freeze these rolls?
If you’d like to freeze these rolls after baking, hold off on the glaze. Allow them to cool to room temperature, wrap them tightly in plastic, and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for 2 to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw them first before reheating and glazing them.
