• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Recipes Visual Index
    • How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
    • Kitchen Cheat Sheet
    • Kitchen & Pantry Essentials
  • Services
    • Contact
  • eBook Store

A Cookie Named Desire

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Services
  • eBook Store
  • Store
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home - Bread - Yeast Bread

    Published: Oct 10, 2016 · Modified: Mar 9, 2023 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Coffee Cinnamon Rolls

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Start your morning with a delicious coffee-infused twist on the classic breakfast favorite. These coffee cinnamon rolls are the perfect way to begin your day. This post has been sponsored by The Folger Coffee Company. All thoughts and opinions are always my own!

     Coffee cinnamon rolls

    So, when I started this blog, I was not much of a coffee drinker. It was an occasional drink for me, and I didn’t really know what I was doing. Now, almost three years later, coffee has become a part of my daily ritual and is an integral part of my morning routine (I am drinking some now as I write this!).

    These coffee cinnamon rolls are a modern day twist on your favorite breakfast treat!

    A big part of this is the fact that I love coffee in my desserts. I always loved coffee ice cream as a kid and after making my coffee cupcakes, I realized how amazing coffee is in baked treats too. A friend of mine shared muffins that used real coffee grounds to impart a delicate coffee flavor to them and I was immediately in love with the concept. The trick is to heat the coffee grounds which softens grounds so it doesn’t feel gritty when you bite into your treat. I decided to try this technique with coffee cinnamon rolls.

    There is nothing better than coffee cinnamon rolls in the morning

    Not only does it work, but it gives these coffee cinnamon rolls a delicate coffee flavor in every bite. It isn’t gritty and the coffee flavor isn’t overwhelming. Instead, it rounds out the overall flavor of the cinnamon rolls and complements the cinnamon wonderfully. The trick is to make sure you add the grounds to the milk and butter before you begin warming it up.

    coffee cinnamon rolls

    I used Folgers ® coffee which is a staple in our household and has been for years. What I love now is that Folgers ® released vintage-styled coffee cans that resemble some of their first packaging. As a collector of all things vintage, I was so excited about this because I love the nostalgia aspect. I love thinking about what things were like “back then” I feel like packaging was so much more fun before and the need to stay modern has been such a big focus, that it is so nice to celebrate origins and the notion of simpler times. For anyone who is as obsessed with Target and the cartwheel app (I am one of those people who has to stop and scan everything at Target before putting it in the cart), there is a 5% off offer on the app now for Folgers®! Also, these cute vintage cans are only being sold at Target, so get on that!

    Nothing is better than waking up to coffee cinnamon rolls

    What I love to do when making these coffee cinnamon rolls is start the dough the night before, then finish in the morning. So, I will make the dough as normal, but instead of letting it rise for an hour in a warm, dry area, I tightly cover it and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight. Placing in the refrigerator slows down the yeast, so it takes a lot longer for the dough to rise. I do this because A. I don’t want to wake up super early in the morning to make coffee cinnamon rolls and B. I feel like the slow rise really enhances the flavor of the dough. It’s completely up to you on what you want to do!

    Start your day with coffee cinnamon rolls

    Coffee cinnamon rolls

    Coffee Cinnamon Rolls

    Amanda Powell
    Soft, fluffy coffee cinnamon rolls perfect for breakfast
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 28 mins
    Additional Time 1 hr
    Total Time 58 mins
    Course Breakfast, Yeast Bread
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 rolls
    Calories 496 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 ½ tablespoons Folgers® coffee grounds
    • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Filling

    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 ¾ tablespoons Folgers® coffee grounds
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 oz cream cheese
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon brewed Folgers® coffee room temperature
    • 2 tablespoons heavy cream as needed

    Instructions
     

    • Add the milk, butter, sugar, and coffee grounds to a microwave safe bowl.
    • Heat in 30 second increments until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is hot. Stir well to combine, then leave to cool to just above room temperature.
    • Add the active dry yeast to the milk mixture and allow to sit for 10 minutes, or until a foam forms on top.
    • While the yeast is proofing in the milk, add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Once the milk mixture is ready, add it to the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Use a dough hook to knead the dough on medium for about 10 minutes.
    • Lightly grease a large bowl and add the dough. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap and leave in a warm, dry place for one hour, or until doubled in size.
    • While the dough is rising, mix together the butter and coffee grounds to the filling and heat until the butter is melted. In a separate bowl, mix together both sugars and the cinnamon for the filling together.
    • Lightly flour a flat surface and place the dough on your surface. Roll out until it is roughly 16 x 11 inches – this does not need to be accurate.
    • Stir the butter mixture vigorously, then spread on the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. You won’t need all the butter, reserve the remaining butter. Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter and gently press down to adhere.
    • Roll the dough along the long side so you have a long log in front of you. Cut the log into 8 equal pieces. Take the leftover coffee butter mixture and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with the butter and place the cinnamon rolls cut side down in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
    • While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 F.
    • Bake the rolls for about 25 – 30 minutes, or until fluffy and a light golden brown.
    • While the rolls are baking, mix together the ingredients for the frosting. Add the heavy cream if you want a thinner frosting.
    • Serve with a cup of coffee!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 8gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 3gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 684IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword cinnamon, cinnamon roll, coffee
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

     

    More Breakfast Recipes

    • close up of finished scones on baking sheet
      Cranberry Orange Scones
    • bagels stacked on marble tray
      Pumpkin Spice Bagels
    • looking at collection of glasses of smoothie
      Coffee Smoothie
    • close up baked oatmeal bars
      Baked Oatmeal Bars

    About Amanda Powell

    Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Toni says

      March 21, 2020 at 12:33 pm

      I made this yesterday, although I live with coffee snobs so I used Death Wish instead.
      Everyone thought they were amazing, thank you for sharing.
      Making my second batch today so the kid can run them again.

      Reply
      • Amanda Powell says

        March 21, 2020 at 1:13 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them! I’ve tried it with a few different types, the only kind I did not enjoy were blonde roasts (but I am biased because I do not like blonde roasts in general!)

        Reply
    2. Julie says

      March 15, 2018 at 4:20 pm

      These turned out fantastic, and pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. The frosting was especially good.
      I just had two issues - one with getting the grounds to melt with the butter in step 6 (I tried twice, although wasn't using Folgers brand), and two with the listed time of 58 minutes. I didn't read the directions beforehand close enough to realize that I should add another 90 minutes for the dough - silly mistake, but had to rush and skip the second 30 minutes of rising, fortunately still worked out.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        March 15, 2018 at 6:41 pm

        I am so happy you enjoyed the rolls! The grounds don't exactly melt into the butter, I am sorry if the instructions made it sound that way - I will update it. Instead, it is meant to simply soften the grounds so they don't come out gritty when you are trying to eat them.

        Reply
    3. Mary K says

      October 21, 2016 at 2:52 pm

      These look and sound fantastic! I just had a few quick questions before my attempt. How much butter do you use in step 1 since it is divided in the ingredients for the dough? Did you leave the coffee grounds in the dough or strain them out? Thank you so much, can't wait to try this recipe!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 21, 2016 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Mary, Sorry for the confusion, that was a mistake I made while typing things out in haste! Use just four tablespoons of butter in the dough. (The remaining butter was saved for the filling, but I listed that in its own separate section.) I left the coffee grounds in the butter mixture in the dough. It doesn't affect the texture of the dough, but does add some really nice flecks in the finished product!

        Reply
    4. Talia B. says

      October 19, 2016 at 9:23 pm

      This looks yummy! Well, except for the Folgers, because the coffee snob in me has to say that is not even considered coffee. Ha. But I will try these with some real coffee. 🙂

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 21, 2016 at 12:24 pm

        Haha, I am definitely not a coffee snob then, because I do love my Folgers. It's what we always had in the house as I was a kid so it reminds me of home :0 I hope you get a chance to try these rolls though!

        Reply
    5. Dalila G. says

      October 12, 2016 at 10:54 am

      WoW!!
      How deelish are these beauties, sweet Amanda! 😀
      I make rolls all of the time, but I have never made them with coffee....wild idea!
      Hubby will definitely be eating one or two of these for breakfast soon.
      Thank you for another wonderful recipe Amanda!
      Pinned!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 12, 2016 at 9:47 pm

        It's really good! The coffee isn't overpowering at all, it just complements the cinnamon cream cheese goodness! I hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    6. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says

      October 11, 2016 at 8:56 am

      Oh! My! Goodness! Seriously, I just can't! Your work is so beautiful, and coffee in cinnamon rolls? SWOON! I cannot wait to make these during the holidays for my family at breakfast, I say that because if I made these for just my husband and I, I would definitely eat the whole thing lol.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 11, 2016 at 9:59 am

        I definitely had more than my share of these rolls when I made them!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    headshot of author with a cow

    Hi, I'm Amanda! I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese. While I'm mostly self-taught, I recently received a degree in Food Science!

    More about me →

    Reader Favorites

    • S'mores Stuffed Cookies
      S'mores Cookies Recipe
    • homemade cookies scattered out on baking sheet
      Milano Cookies Recipe
    • cookies piled together on rack
      Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • avocado chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass
      Avocado Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
    • Making salt water taffy at home is actually easier than you think
      How to Make Salt Water Taffy
    • finished jelly donut shots on a tray
      Jelly Donut Shot

    Winter Favorites

    • finished hot chocolate in mug with whipped cream
      Homemade Hot Chocolate
    • I love this gingerbread cake and those little gingerbread cookies! This cake is not only gluten-free, but it is super moist and has a ton of fresh ginger flavor. Can also be made with regular all-purppose flour with no recipe adjustments!
      Gingerbread Cake
    • 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies stacked with bite eaten from one cookie
      3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
    • edible brownie batter in bowl topped with fudge sauce and sprinkles
      Edible Brownie Batter

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • About Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.