Design Eat Repeat

0 Be sure to view images in post above for visuals for each step!
12 Preheat oven to 350°F.
1 In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt unsalted butter [adjustable](¼ cup, i.e. ½ stick)[/adjustable] for 45 seconds. Pour into a larger, medium-sized bowl. Using that same small bowl you just microwaved the butter in, pour in milk [adjustable](1 cup[/adjustable]) and microwave for 45 seconds. [adjustable]Once done, pour milk in with the butter. Add in active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons, i.e. 1 packet) and granulated sugar (¼ cup); stir with a whisk until dissolved.[/adjustable] Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
2 [adjustable]Once your dough starter has been sitting for 10 minutes, remove cover and mix in egg (1 large), salt (½ teaspoon), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). Once combined, start adding in all-purpose flour (3½ cups total), one cup at a time. You should be able to mix this with a spatula until you get to the end of adding the flour. At that point, you will need to use your hands. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently form it into a ball. If dough is sticky, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour to the outside.[/adjustable] Cover and let sit for 10 minutes (while waiting, proceed to next step to make filling).
3 [adjustable]While the dough is proofing, go ahead and mix up the cinnamon filling so it’s ready! To do so, mix together softened unsalted butter* (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), light brown sugar (½ cup), granulated sugar (½ cup), cinnamon (2 tablespoons), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). As long as your butter is soft enough, this can easily be mixed by hand with a spatula. If your butter is too cold and isn't mixing well, you can use a mixer to whip it all together. Set aside.[/adjustable]Tip: You don’t want your butter to be super melted (just a little is okay!) or the filling will be more likely to seep through the bottom of the pan and crystallize.*If your butter is straight from fridge, microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften.
4 After 10 minutes, remove cover and place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ – 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14×18” rectangle that is ¼” thick.
5 Once rolled, spread on cinnamon sugar mixture, making sure to spread to the outside edges.
6 Now it’s time to roll! It’s important to roll vertically (i.e. start rolling at a SHORT side) so that your cinnamon rolls are nice & thick and so you can yield 12. If you roll it the other way, they’ll be smaller and a bit dinky. You want to roll relatively tight, but not too tight. (See images in post above)
7 Once rolled, use a serrated edge knife to slightly “score” the tops so you know where to cut. Start in the center, then add slits in the center of those and then divide each of those sections into two parts. (See images in post above for a visual.)Tip: Using a serrated edge knife and cutting slowly in a sawing motion is important, as a normal knife will likely squish the dough.
8 Place cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13 baking pan and bake at 350°F  for 24-26 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for a bit (10-15 minutes) before adding frosting to prevent the frosting from totally melting. If you plan to eat them later, wait to frost until they’re cooled for a prettier frosting presentation.
To Make Cream Cheese Frosting:
11 [adjustable]Add softened unsalted butter (¼ cup, i.e. ½ stick), softened cream cheese (4-ounces), powdered sugar (1 ½ cups), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and a pinch of salt [/adjustable] to a medium-sized bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to mix until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Slather on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy! (See notes below for a cinnamon roll frosting recipe without cream cheese.)