Grandma's Ice Cream Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 1 votes

Grandma's Ice Cream Cinnamon Rolls

Huge, fluffy, decadent cinnamon rolls are baked in a vanilla ice cream sauce and topped with cream cheese frosting. These are the BEST cinnamon rolls you will ever eat.

Prep Time1

Cook Time25

Dough Rising Time2

Total Time3 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Calories: 1364kcal

Author: Karlynn Johnston

Equipment

1 Rolling Pin
1 serrated knife
2 8x8 baking pans

Ingredients

Scalded Milk Mixture

1 cup whole milk
½ cup butter
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks beaten
1 teaspoon salt

Yeast Mixture

¾ cup water heated to 115℉
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast yeast

Dry Ingredients

5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

2 cups brown sugar well packed
¾ cup salted butter softened
2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Vanilla Ice Cream Caramel Sauce

1 ½ cup vanilla ice cream has to be real dairy ice cream
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup salted butter

Cream Cheese Icing

2-4 tablespoons whipping cream
4 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup salted butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Scalded Milk Mixture

Place the whole milk, butter, and white sugar in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until the butter and sugar are dissolved. To scald the milk, continue to heat the mixture until the milk is steaming, then remove from the heat. Do not let it boil. You can also do this in the microwave (my Mom's trick) in a large glass microwave-safe measuring cup.
Let the mixture cool.
Once cooled, whisk the beaten egg yolks into the mixture. Stir in the salt.

Proof the Yeast

In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, add the 115℉ water and one teaspoon of granulated sugar. Mix together, then add the yeast. Stir until the yeast starts to dissolve, then let sit until the entire mixture is bubbling.

Make the Dough

Once the yeast has been proofed, pour the milk and egg mixture into the mixing bowl. Attach your dough hook.
Add the first two cups of flour into the mixing bowl, and using the dough hook, mix on low until combined.
Add the next 1-2 cups of flour, mixing in slowly with the dough hook. Add enough flour until the dough barely sticks to your hands, pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and starts to smooth out. This can take up to 6 cups of flour in total or slightly more, depending on factors like humidity.
Knead for another 10 minutes with the dough hook. Cover the dough bowl with a damp, clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough is ready, punch it down in the bowl.
Dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough onto the floured surface. Create a rectangle with the dough with your hands right at the start, not a circle. Use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough into a 17 ×21-inch rectangle.
Combine the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Spread out the mixture in an even layer on top of the dough rectangle, leaving a ¼ inch edge of plain dough at one of the 17-inch ends of the dough rectangle. This will help you seal the dough together after you roll it.
Roll the dough tightly into a log, starting at the 17-inch end of the dough rectangle covered in butter and cinnamon.
Pinch the roll closed using the plain dough, then place the log seam-side down on your work surface.
For perfect cinnamon buns, use a serrated knife to trim ½ inch off the ends of the roll, removing the dough that doesn't have filling in it. You don't have to do this, but this will make them all perfect. You can bake up the little ends later if wanted, or discard them.
Slice the log into eight pieces that are 2 inches wide.
Get out two 8x8 baking pans.
Place four rolls into each pan.

Prepare the Vanilla Ice Cream Caramel Sauce

Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, ensuring all the ingredients have melted together, then remove from the stove immediately.
Pour the sauce over each pan of cinnamon rolls, splitting between the two pans. Make sure to cover the top of the rolls with sauce. Place in a warm place to rise again for 45 minutes, or until the rolls have doubled in size. You do not have to cover them if you made sure there is sauce on top so that they don't dry out.
Move your oven rack to the second-from-the-bottom position. Preheat your oven to 325℉.
Bake the rolls for 45-55 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers have risen and are puffy. If the tops start to get too brown, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top and continue to bake. The rolls are baked when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the dough reads 190℉.
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the cream cheese icing. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, then beat in the cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Slather icing on top of the cinnamon buns and serve right away, drizzling the ice cream sauce over top of the cream cheese icing.

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