These heart shaped cinnamon rolls are a perfect Valentine’s breakfast or brunch recipe to share with your loved ones. Topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting, I guarantee everyone will want seconds!
You can make these rolls the night before and they make a perfect food gift.
I was inspired by our neighborhood bakery to make these heart shaped cinnamon rolls. They’re a simple twist (or roll) that literally requires no extra effort. They’re a great way to wake up on Valentine’s Day and to bring a smile to others. The girls love when we take something basic and make it a little extra special.
This recipe is based on my Cinnamon Roll Recipe, and believe me, they will hold up to any bakery bought rolls! They make for such a great breakfast or brunch, especially if you are hosting friends and family. They are so deliciously fluffy and the cinnamon frosting is so thick and creamy. No one is ever disappointed when I serve these up!
To make the dough, start with my bakery cinnamon rolls recipe. They’re SO thick and SO amazing! Sometimes I make them the evening before so we can just wake up and enjoy!
If you’re enjoying these right out of the oven, don’t forget my secret ingredient, cinnamon icing. If you’re making them the night before or gifting them, you’ll want to skip that step…read more about it here!
Looking for more Valentine’s inspiration? Check out this complete guide to my favorite Valentine’s Day Recipes.
Heart Shaped Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
For the Dough
You can make your dough from scratch using these ingredients, or if you prefer you can buy a store bought cinnamon rolls.
- Milk – Any will do, use whatever you have on hand.
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter in this recipe, if you use salted then decrease the amount of added salt added into the dough.
- Flour – All purpose.
- Sugar – White, granulated.
- Salt – Added salt helps to bring out the sweetness in this recipe. Decrease the amount used if you use salted butter.
- Yeast – Use active quick rise yeast for this dough. It cuts down on the time needed to rest the dough and your rolls will be amazingly fluffy.
- Egg – Egg is used to bind all of the dry ingredients together.
For the Filling
- Butter – Melted butter is brushed over the dough for extra flavor and to help the other fillings to stay in place.
- Brown Sugar – I prefer to use brown sugar in my rolls rather than white sugar. The molasses gives these rolls a wonderful depth of flavor.
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon rolls need cinnamon! Check that your spice isn’t stale before using it by rubbing a little between two fingers, it should release a strong aroma.
For the Icing
- Butter – Soften the butter before you make the icing as this will be easier to combine with the other ingredients. Soften the butter by leaving it out at room temperature for a couple of hours, or you can very gently soften it in the microwave on a low setting, but take care not to melt it.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar. This fine sugar combines really well with the other ingredients to make a silky smooth icing.
- Heavy Cream – For the creamiest and richest icing, heavy cream is your only option!
How to Make Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls – Step by Step
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter. Stir until melted and remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2¼ c flour, sugar, salt. Add yeast and lukewarm milk mixture. Combine. Add egg and mix.
- Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, knead while gradually adding in 1 c flour until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the edges of the bowl. You can also knead by hand.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle.
- Spread melted butter on top. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 10 strips. Roll each end of a strip toward one another until they touch. Turn it on its side.
- Gently pull down the bottom of the dough with your finger to slightly stretch.
- Lightly pinch the bottom of the heart and place into a greased bread pan.
- Turn oven off. Cover rolls with a damp towel and allow to rise 25 minutes. Remove from oven, preheat again to 350 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden.
- Mix icing ingredients until smooth and drizzle over rolls.
Can You Make These Heart Shaped Rolls Ahead Of Time?
These rolls are an easy breakfast or brunch treat, and they are perfect if you are serving a crowd. You can even make them ahead of time and bake just before serving, but they come together so quickly, you don’t have to!
You can make these rolls the night before and cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate, then just pop them into the pre heated oven before serving.
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and they will keep for 2 to 3 days. You can then reheat them in the oven or microwave before serving.
The Perfect Valentine’s Day Food Gift!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show appreciation to friends, neighbors, teachers and more with little gifts. These heart-shaped bakery style cinnamon rolls are a great way to let someone know you’re thinking of them. It’s also a great way to send your significant other off to work!
You can bake them in a standard pie dish or in individual ceramic loaf pans. Cover with cellophane bags, tie with a ribbon and gift with the free printable Happy Valentine’s Day gift tags and I Love You gift tags here.
Tips
- Butter your baking dish before adding the rolls to it, so that once baked they are easy to remove and won’t stick.
- You can bake these rolls ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge. Gently reheat them in the oven and spread over the frosting before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for 3 days. They can be eaten cold or warm them in the oven or microwave.
- For a thinner icing, add a little extra milk when mixing the frosting.
If you make this easy cinnamon rolls recipe, please come back and leave a comment and review. I’d love to hear from you!
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More Amazing Breakfast Rolls
Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup butter
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 package active quick rise yeast
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter. Stir until melted and remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2¼ cup flour, sugar, salt. Add yeast and lukewarm milk mixture. Combine. Add egg & mix.
- Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, knead while gradually adding in 1 cup flour until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the edges of the bowl. You can also knead by hand.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle. Spread melted butter on top. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 10 strips. Roll each end of a strip toward one another until they touch. Turn it on it's side.
- Gently pull down the bottom of the dough with your finger to slightly stretch.
- Lightly pinch the bottom of the heart and place into a greased bread pan.
- Turn oven off. Cover rolls with a damp towel and allow to rise 25 minutes. Remove from oven, preheat again to 350 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden.
- Mix icing ingredients until smooth and drizzle over rolls.
Julie’s Tips
- Butter your baking dish before adding the rolls to it, so that once baked they are easy to remove and won’t stick.
- You can bake these rolls ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge. Gently reheat them in the oven and spread over the frosting before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for 3 days. They can be eaten cold or warm them in the oven or microwave.
- For a thinner icing, add a little extra milk when mixing the frosting.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
gonna bake this for ma lady
This recipe looks amazing! Where did you find that personalized baking dish? That is such a great idea and very pretty!
Red Envelope, enjoy!
Glad you enjoyed them as much as we do!
I made it. It was so yummy!