GIANT, SOFT CINNAMON ROLLS (AKA FALL IN A 9×13 PAN)

My dad has always claimed that fall is my favorite season because I was born in late September. Cute theory, but I’m convinced it has more to do with the fact that fall baking turns every kitchen into a scented gateway to heaven. Whatever the root cause — birthday bias or butter-and-cinnamon conditioning — fall is my ride-or-die season.

If I’m not outside gasping “oooooh, pretty!” at every tree with even one orange leaf on it like a woman seeing foliage for the very first time, I’m in the kitchen melting butter into dough like it’s my personal job. And today’s project? Giant, soft cinnamon rolls smothered in rich cream cheese frosting. The kind you pull apart with two hands, close your eyes, and involuntarily roll them back in your head from happiness.

Also: your house will smell like a high-end Scandinavian bakery — and I’m sorry to Bath & Body Works, but no candle is ever touching this level of cozy. (Light those puppies anyway. We deserve layered coziness.)

Okay, enough poetry. You need these in your life. And when you make them, report back so we can scream about it together.

The Recipe

Dough

• 1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)

• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ⅓ cup melted butter

• 2 eggs, room temp

• 4 – 4½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 3 tbsp cinnamon

• ⅓ cup softened butter

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• ¼ cup butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• Pinch salt

• Splash of milk only if needed

How To Make Them

1. Wake the yeast: In a big bowl, mix warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let it get foamy (5–10 min). If it just sits there like a disappointing puddle — toss it and start again.

2. Make dough happen: Add sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and 4 cups flour. Mix until a soft dough forms. Add extra flour only if it’s painfully sticky. Knead 5–7 minutes until smooth.

3. First rise: Pop in a greased bowl, cover, let rise in a warm spot 1 hour or until doubled.

4. Roll + fill: Roll dough into a big rectangle (approx 14×18). Spread with butter, sprinkle the brown sugar + cinnamon mix. Roll from the long side and slice into 6 thick spirals.  Remember, these are GIANT cinnamon rolls.

5. Second rise: Place in greased 9×13, cover again, let rise 30–40 minutes until puffy. Preheat oven to 350°F.

6. Bake: 22–26 minutes until lightly golden and set but still soft. Don’t overbake — sadness lives there.

7. Frost: Beat frosting ingredients until smooth and cloudlike. Spread over warm rolls so it melts into the swirls.

If this isn’t the most fall-coded situation you’ve ever been part of, I don’t know what is. Giant cinnamon rolls, cozy kitchen, frost on the window, maybe a candle burning just because we’re extra like that.

Make these. Eat these. Tell me everything.