We’ve taken everything you love about traditional cinnamon rolls and added the colors of the rainbow–using gel coloring for the most vibrant and cheery hues. Top these fluffy treats with a generous smear of homemade cream cheese glaze and a sprinkle of crunchy rainbow nonpareils for an adorable sweet you can serve for any happy occasion.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 5 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 12 cinnamon rolls |
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- One 1/4-ounce envelope instant yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the bowls and pan
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple gel food coloring, for tinting
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Rainbow nonpareils, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Heat the milk and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool until the mixture is about 120 degrees F, another minute or two. Beat in the eggs.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until the flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Tint the first piece with about 1/2 teaspoon of the red gel coloring and knead well with gloved hands until the color is vibrant, fully incorporated and no longer streaky. Continue with the remaining orange, yellow, green, blue and purple gel coloring and dough pieces, using 1/2 teaspoon of color for each piece and changing gloves between each color. Grease 6 small bowls with butter and add 1 ball of dough to each, flipping to coat. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons butter until well combined and spreadable; set aside. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Divide each dough ball into 4 pieces and randomly drop the different color pieces onto a clean work surface, intermixing the colors. Roll out the dough to a 12-by-15-inch rectangle with one of the longer sides closest to you; the dough balls should all connect once rolled (if not, dab with a little water and pinch the edges to seal). Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough all the way to the edges. Roll up the dough tightly into a log starting with the side closest to you.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve 1-inch-wide rolls. Place cut-side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls, rotating the baking dish halfway through, until puffed and just starting to turn golden brown at the edges, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese and heavy cream in a small bowl until very smooth and combined. Spread on the rolls with the back of a spoon while still warm. Sprinkle with the rainbow nonpareils.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 351 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 22 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 66 mg |
| Sodium | 239 mg |
Reviews
Colorful and taste great! These were fun to make and I thought they would be too sweet but I was wrong they were perfect, not dense but light and fluffy. I will most definitely be making these again.
@ddfinchrnc: Chill out, bro!! It’s a festive summer recipe. If you don’t approve, the mature thing to do is not post anything. You can also tweak the recipe. Don’t like rainbows? Then use red, white, n blue and do a 4th of July take on it, ya jerk!
This was a great idea to add some color to one of my favorite treats!
They tasted sooooo yummy! My little nieces loved the rainbow buns!
Thank you for participating in Pride Month! #supportyourfellohumans
They tasted sooooo yummy! My little nieces loved the rainbow buns!
Thank you for participating in Pride Month! #supportyourfellohumans
Sorry! Recipe is fine but the amount of gel food color to get to this point is ridiculous. Love a rainbow and pride is fine, but this is a nope based on the amount of (artificial and some suspect carcingenogenic) food color I stopped when I saw the amount of red color it took , disposed of that portion and made the remainder with no colorants. Recipe itself is solid
So much fun! My grandsons will love these. Rainbow anything is AWESOME, God’s promises are true!!!
Super fun to make and delicious! Happy Pride!