Your favorite coffee house drink and breakfast treat have now become one amazing thing. These coffee and cream cinnamon buns are a must try for brunch or even as a fun dessert.
These cinnamon rolls are super tender, really ooey gooey and beyond delicious. Plus they have coffee baked right inside making them an extra special treat.
Are you ready for these? No really, make sure you are in your comfy pants and get ready for what I am about to throw your way. They are good. I mean, really good.
Coffee and cream cinnamon buns are like your expensive coffee house favorite and an ooey gooey cinnamon bun got together for a night of craziness and this is what resulted.
Sometimes you just have to have that hit of coffee. I can’t start a day without a cup of joe, so when I got an itch to make something coffee flavored I knew I had better scratch it!
The problem was, what to make?! I’ve already made a Coffee and Cream Sponge Cake, Mocha Whipped Cream and Mocha Frosting.
And that is when it hit me!
If you can do a cinnamon bun latte, why couldn’t you do it the other way around?
It seemed like it would be easy enough to infuse some coffee flavor into my favorite soft cinnamon roll recipe I loved so much.
So I went to the pantry and pulled out my trusty jar of instant coffee. I never thought I would use it nearly as frequently as I do.
I bought it for some recipe I really wanted to try and put it in the pantry where I thought it would linger until it looked old and dusty only to be thrown away. Boy was I ever wrong. I find myself putting it in almost any recipe that calls for chocolate.
That jar sees the light of day more than I ever gave it credit for and brings such a nice depth to so many fun chocolate recipes? Don’t believe me? It’s in probably darn near a third of my chocolate recipes!
They smelled so good as they baked. Just like your favorite coffee shop bakery.
The coffee in the dough is subtle, but the filling gave it that added punch without being too much. A non-coffee lover could still enjoy it but those of us who live by coffee would certainly love them more.
They were soft, just sweet enough and had that added layer of flavor from the coffee. You are going to have to give them a try to see for yourself!
Why is there potato in the dough?
Potato starches are like adding little sponges to bread dough. They attract water and hold onto it more than the starch found in flour.
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That makes your finished cinnamon rolls extra moist and delicious. The centers have the super soft texture that makes them so beyond good.
Yeast loves that potato starch as well. So using some of the water from boiling the potato to proof the yeast gets it really bubbly and happy.
The extra moisture in the dough also keeps the cinnamon rolls from getting dry and stale as fast. They are good for several days before they start to show their age.
Storing cinnamon rolls
Like most bread products, cinnamon rolls are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They can be stored that way for a few days.
For longer storage, cinnamon rolls can be frozen for up to three months. It is easiest to freeze them separately so you can just grab as many as you need.
A few seconds in the microwave is all it takes to make them fresh and delicious again. They will taste fabulous.
Breads do not store well in the refrigerator. The refrigerator dries out baked goods and makes them go stale more quickly.
More great cinnamon roll recipes
A giant skillet sized cinnamon roll is a perfect way to serve breakfast or brunch. Cut a small sliver or a big slice and you still get all of the layers in whatever serving size you choose.
A cinnamon roll wreath is another fun way to serve cinnamon rolls. You could even make them coffee flavored as well!
Check out the full collection of cinnamon roll recipes for more tasty ideas.
Coffee and Cream Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup plain mashed potatoes with ¼ cup of the cooking water reserved if possible
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
- ½ cup granulated sugar + 1 Tablespoon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ Tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 3 Tablespoons butter softened
- 1 pinch salt
Icing
- 1½ Tablespoons butter softened
- 1⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by getting your potatoes ready. I used one large potato. Peel it, cut it into cubes and boil it until it is soft. Pour 1/4 cup of that water into a small bowl or measuring cup to proof the yeast. Drain the rest of the water and return the potato cubes to the saucepan. Mash until smooth.1 cup plain mashed potatoes
- Meanwhile dissolve the coffee granules in the milk and set aside.1 cup milk, 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
- Once water is about 110°F, add the tablespoon of sugar and the yeast. Set aside.2½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add the coffee milk, butter, salt and 1/2 cup of sugar to the potatoes. Stir and warm over low heat until warmed through.4 Tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon salt
- Butter a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Place the warm potato mixture in the bowl of your mixer. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and yeast mixture.1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add in the flour. You want to stop adding flour while the dough is still sticky, but it should at least come together into a dough. With the dough hook attachment, allow your mixer to “knead” the dough for about 5 minutes. Feel free to add a bit more flour if needed, but you don’t want to add any more than you have to. If you notice my picture of my dough hook, it was still a pretty loose dough when I was done.4 cups all purpose flour
- Turn the dough into the buttered bowl, be sure to scrape all that goodness off of the mixer bowl and hook. Cover and allow to rise to at least double its size, about an hour or an hour and a half.
- Punch down the dough and give it a couple of quick kneads to make sure it is deflated.
- Place on a lightly floured surface. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then roll into a 18-inch square.
- Butter a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. (Two 9×13 pans or or half sheet pan would work as well.)
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, coffee, butter and salt. Distribute over the dough.½ cup light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1½ Tablespoons instant coffee granules, 3 Tablespoons butter, 1 pinch salt
- Roll dough into a log and cut into 12 equal pieces. Place on buttered baking dish. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for another hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. The tops should be a light golden brown.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes, then put together the glaze.
- In a small bowl, use your hand mixer to beat together the butter, coffee, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and cream until smooth. You want it to be a thick consistency, barely thin enough to pour.1½ Tablespoons butter, 1⅓ cup powdered sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Drizzle glaze all over warm cinnamon rolls and spread a bit if necessary, then let cool.
Video
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This recipe was originally published in 2016 and was updated in 2021.
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