Grilled Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

Imagine sipping coffee on the deck while watching the mist on the lake while the comforting scent of cinnamon fills your nose while the gooey cream cheese icing drips from the still-warm sides of a cinnamon roll. Delicious Grilled Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing will fulfill this fantasy for you without heating up your house in the middle of summer. 

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 2¼ tsp. active dry yeast or instant yeast
• 1 cup milk heated to 105°F
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup butter 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp. cinnamon
• 3 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/3 cup butter 

Cream Cheese Icing

• 6 tbsp. butter 
• 1½ cups powdered sugar 
• 1/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by making the dough. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in milk that is 105°F. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure that you don’t make the milk too hot or cold. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes and begin to foam up. 
2. Using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Add the milk mixture and continue to mix until well incorporated.
3. Allow your dough to rise for an hour in an oiled bowl. Place it in a warm and dry place, covered with a tea-towel until the dough has doubled in size. 
4. While your dough is rising, mix the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. It is also time to prep your cast iron frying pan. Using the wrapper from your butter, wipe your cast iron frying pan thoroughly with butter left on the wrapper. If the butter left on the wrapper isn’t enough to coat the pan feel free to add a bit more, you don’t want these sticky buns to stick. 
5. Once the dough has had time to rise in its bowl, roll it out onto a clean and lightly floured surface until it is about ¼-inch thick and roughly a rectangle. 
6. Spread 1/3 cup of softened butter on the dough and then cover the butter with an even coat of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 
7. Roll the dough into a tube working from the long edge. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 1½-inch slices. Place them into the cast iron skillet. Cover the cinnamon rolls with a tea-towel once more and allow the dough to double in size again – another 30 minutes. 
8. Preheat your grill to 350°F, preparing to use the indirect grilling method. Light the two outside burners to medium-low, leaving the middle two off. 
9. Bake the cinnamon buns in the skillet for up to 30 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden on top. 
10. While they’re baking, make the icing by combining the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer, or by hand, until smooth. 
11. Once the cinnamon rolls are finished baking, allow them to cool slightly before slathering with icing.