ingredients!

• sweet yeast dough
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (114g)
  • 3/4 tsp active dry yeast (3g)
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (293g), plus more for surface & dusting
  • 3 tbsps granulated sugar (38g)
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt (3g)
  • 5 tbsps unsalted butter (71g), chilled & cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 whole large egg + 1 yolk, room temperature
  
  
• cinnamon sugar filling
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 1/2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted & cool
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, to pour over rolls before baking
  
  
• cream cheese frosting
  • 8oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups + 2 tbsps powdered sugar
  
  

  steps!
  

  making the sweet yeast dough
  • heat milk in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, until it’s lukewarm but not hot (about 105f). whisk in yeast to dissolve. let sit until mixture is foamy (about 5 minutes)
  • combine flour, sugar, salt, & butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. toss to coat the butter pieces. make a well in the center of flour mixture and pour in yeast mixture, followed by eggs
  • with dough hook, mix on low speed until all flour is moistened. then increase speed to medium and mix until butter is incorporated and you have a soft, sticky dough (about 5 minutes). scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium-high until dough comes together around the hook. continue to mix, until dough cleanly pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and is very smooth and supple, about 5 minutes longer. add an additional tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour if dough continues to stick to the sides (about 8-10 minutes). dough should be slightly tacky but no longer sticky
  • on a lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball and lightly flour it all over. place dough inside a medium bowl. cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until expanded about 50% in size (about 1- 1.5 hours). then transfer bowl to the fridge where dough will finish the first rise, eventually doubling. chill for at least 4 hours, preferably 8 hours, and up to 16 hours (suggestion: chill overnight)
  
  assembling the heart rolls and baking
  
  • once dough is chilled, take out sweet yeast dough from the fridge and let sit in room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it is slightly soft to roll out. make sure dough is cold and somewhat stiff so that it’s easier to roll out
  • make cinnamon sugar filling: meanwhile, combine brown sugar and cinnamon powder and mix until combined. melt butter and set aside to cool
  • evenly divide dough into 6 pieces. the total weight of my dough was 582g & each piece was 97g. you can adjust the size of your cinnamon rolls
  • on a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 sweet yeast dough to a rough rectangle, about 4 x 5 1/2”. brush some cooled, melted butter on dough and scatter about 2 tbsps of cinnamon filling across dough. make sure to spread filling evenly
  • begin to roll dough from the long side up. pinch dough together at the end. slightly elongate rolled dough, dough should measure about 6” long
  • shape heart cinnamon rolls: gently fold rolled dough in half, forming a u-shape from the side view. turn the folded roll so that the ends of dough is facing away from you. using a serrated knife, cut down the middle of dough, about 3/4 of the dough length-wise. open the splits to the side to form a heart shape and pinch the ends together. repeat this process for remaining dough
  • place all heart cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. let rolls sit in room temperature so they can double in size (about 1 hour)
  • once ready to bake, pour about 1 1/2 tbsps of heavy cream on top of each roll
  • bake for 20-25 minutes at 350f in the oven. let cool before topping with cream cheese frosting
  
  making the cream cheese frosting
  • combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, & pinch of salt with a hand mixer or wooden spatula until light and fluffy. once smooth, sift in powdered sugar and mix until well combined. cream cheese frosting should be smooth. adjust thickness to your liking
  
  final touches
• once rolls are cool, top with cream cheese frosting

• i recommend making the sweet yeast dough the night before and letting the dough chill overnight. do not let the dough proof for more than 16 hours
• you can make regular cinnamon rolls with this recipe:
  • follow steps 1-6
  • after step 6, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the entire yeast dough to a rough rectangle, about 6 x 12” (does not have to exact)
  • brush cooled, melted butter on dough and scatter cinnamon filling across dough. make sure to spread filling evenly
  • begin to roll dough from the long side up. pinch dough together at the end
  • using a serrated knife, cut dough into 12 pieces (each piece around 1” thick)
  • on a greased large pan, spread out the rolls evenly in a 3x4 grid
  • cover rolls with plastic wrap/cloth, and let them sit in room temperature so they can double in size (about 1 hour)
  • once ready to bake, evenly pour heavy cream on top of each roll. let the rolls soak up the cream, a couple minutes
  • bake for 20-25 minutes at 350f in the oven. let cool before topping with cream cheese frosting