Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing…the perfect brunch rolls for the spring and summer months ahead. Soft buttery dough swirled with sweet lemon sugar then generously topped with creamy vanilla cream cheese icing. There’s nothing not to love about these lemony rolls, every bite is melt in your mouth delicious. These lemon sweet rolls are a great make-ahead breakfast or a special brunch item for any upcoming occasions. Eat these warm…with plenty of that icing smeared on top – trust me.
Happy Good Friday guys! Whether you celebrate Easter or not, the holiday always gives me the feeling that spring has really arrived. After spending the last week in California, I am so ready for warmer days and sunshine. Of course, it’s not exactly eighty degrees (but it is sunny) back home in Colorado, but the quick trip has definitely inspired some fresh spring recipes.
And possibly a vacation to Florida. I’m really dreaming of that right now, which you all might have guessed from my recent stories about my Nonnie. She just always makes me think of Easter and vacations spent in Florida. I miss them so much!
Anyway, as I write this I am in the airport headed home (Wednesday night). But come Friday (when you see this) I’ll be home. I’m sure it will feel nice…even if it is cold. And we still have spring and Easter to think about this weekend, so that’s nice. And that kind of brings me to these sweet rolls with delicious lemon flavor.
Ingredients
- Active dry yeast
- Warm whole milk
- Honey
- All-purpose flour
- Cardamom
- Kosher salt
- Large eggs
- Salted butter
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Salted butter
Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
More times than not, when it comes to breakfast recipes, I sway towards something with cinnamon-sugar. Usually something like cinnamon rolls or a Dutch baby, which we all know I love. But I’ve never created a sweet roll that didn’t have cinnamon…or chocolate.
However, I love using lemon as a key flavor in sweet recipes. So I thought these sweet lemon rolls with a yummy frosting glaze would be perfect for this weekend!!
And while my Nonnie didn’t bake many sweet rolls, she loved brunch just as much as my mom and I. She would order a stack of waffles with maple on top or pancakes. Guess we know where I got my love of sweets from!!
Here are the details.
While these rolls seem a little fancy, I promise you they are the easiest to make. You can even make them the night before, so they’re great for entertaining!
To make the dough, simply mix flour with a bit of yeast, warm milk, and honey. You’ll want to let this mix proof until it’s foamy on top and smells like bread. And then the remaining ingredients go into the mixing bowl. I love to use a pinch of cardamom in the dough, which helps to highlight the lemony, vanilla flavors throughout the rolls.
While the rolls rise, mix up the filling. It’s simply granulated sugar and lemon…yes, lemon sugar! If you have any vanilla beans lying around, the vanilla beans mixed with the sugar will make these rolls just that much more delicious!
Once the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough out, spread with butter, then top with the lemon sugar. Roll the dough up into a log, cut it into rolls, and place them onto a baking dish. Now you can either let the rolls rest, get puffy, and then bake. Or you can keep the rolls in the fridge overnight to rise and bake in the morning. Either option works, it just depends when you’d like to enjoy your rolls.
While the rolls bake…
Mix up the cream cheese icing, which is reason enough to make these rolls. If you grew up eating classic cinnamon rolls, this icing is going to be your favorite. You’ll want to beat the cream cheese together with the powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla.
As the rolls bake, the kitchen will fill with the sweet lemony smells, it’s like spring, but in a very sweet way.
When you pull the rolls out of the oven, slather on that icing while they are still warm. The icing melts over the rolls and everything becomes the gooiest mess, which is exactly what you want!
The rolls kind of just melt in your mouth. The bread is soft and buttery, but the swirl of lemon sugar is the real special touch. And of course, the icing is just the finishing touch these rolls need to make them over the top delicious. Even little Asher, who is a hard-core cinnamon roll purist loves these! She said, “please make them on Sunday”!!
Looking for other spring brunch recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Buttery Raspberry Crumble Bars
Berry and Cream Cheese Croissant French Toast Bake
Blackberry Lavender White Chocolate Scones
Baked Blackberry Ricotta French Toast
Lastly, if you make these Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Sugar Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 567 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons softened butter, at room temperature
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 3 ½ cups flour, the cardamom, salt, eggs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour.2. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. To make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the remaining 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment. 4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread 6 tablespoons softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the lemon sugar evenly over the butter and lightly push into the butter. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12-16 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight (see notes).5. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy.7. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Overnight Rising: Cover the rolls and transfer to the fridge to rise overnight. In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let come to room temp while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
This post was originally published on April 2, 2021
Hi Tieghan, i’d love to make these (or other scrolls you’ve designed!) but don’t have a stand mixer.
How can i best make the dough in a food processor or by hand please?
thanks so much!
Hey Marilla,
I would just mix with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand until the dough is combined and soft. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I tried to make these GF by using Bob Mill’s GR 1-1 flour and they didn’t turn out at all 🙁 No rise to them. Any ideas as to why? My yeast wasn’t expired or anything. Gonna try with regular flour
Hey Sonja,
So sorry to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? That would help me to better answer your question. I also really love using Cup4cup GF flour. Let me know how it turns out with regular flour! xTieghan
Made them on Saturday and baked them on Sunday for Easter lunch. They were soooo good and a hit even with my dad who is a super picky eater!!! Will definitely make again!
Hey Samantha,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made these for Easter for my family and everyone loved them! Making them again today because they’re that delicious. If you’re considering making these, just do it!
Hey Mirae,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was a perfect roll for Easter morning! Easy to make the night before and throw in the fridge to rise, although I think I’d have better rise with making/baking the same day. Lemony, not too sweet, soft, buttery, yum! I did reduce the amount of butter in the frosting, as mentioned by another baker. I wanted the cream cheese flavor to stand out. I will definitely make this again.
Hey Kara,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made these for breakfast this morning and they are amazing! The lemon scent filled my kitchen while baking and tasted even better! Will definitely be making these a lot!
Hey Lindsey,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
These were such a great change from cinnamon rolls and perfect for Easter! I used limes because that is what I had on hand and they came out perfect. Thank you for another great recipe. I can’t wait to make them again with the lemon.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
These were fantastic! Much better than cinnamon roles (not a HBH recipe) in the past. These were light and airy, so good. Got rave reviews from the grandparents on Easter.
Hey Megan,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Made these for my family and got sooo many compliments. The dough will be the base of all of my future rolls – it’s perfect! Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Nia,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I’m anxious to try this recipe out! A couple of quick questions –
Have you tried adding either lemon extract or lemon juice to the dough for an extra kick of citrus? Big fan of lemons, so thinking wondering if I could try and enhance those flavors beyond just the lemon zest
Is there any way to make the bread just a bit sweeter? Could a little extra sugar be added in addition to the honey, or would that throw off the consistency of the dough?
Hey Arianna,
Sorry I have not tested this, I do think adding more sugar would throw off the consistency of the dough. Have you tried the recipe yet? These are pretty sweet as is, I think you should enjoy them without adding additional sweetener. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, is there an error with the metric conversion of the flour? I added the 937 grams (almost a kilo) of flour and ended up with a big dry rock of dough. In turning to the cup measures, I believe 4 cups is closer to 500g. I had to throw out the first attempt. 🙁 sadly a waste of ingredients….unless I am incorrect??
Many Thanks
Rachael
Hey Rachael, we do not provide metric conversions at this time, wondering where you are seeing that?
So sorry you had to throw the dough out. That is awful!! Looking into how to fix this issue!! Please let me know if you have any other questions in the meantime. I hope you ending up loving this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these for Easter breakfast and they were wonderful! Everyone loved them. I followed the directions as written. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe. My daughter has requested them again soon.
Hey Julia,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I forgot to rate, 5 stars!!
Thanks again Morgan!
Seriously the best rolls I’ve ever had. I’ve always been so intimidated to make rolls from scratch and these were surprisingly so easy and incredibly delicious. The lemon is such a great, fresh ingredient. Making these a family staple. Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
Hey Morgan,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I made these for our Easter morning breakfast. Your recipes never fail to delight my family. This one was no different. I did the overnight rise method and they turned out perfectly. I’ll be making a second batch next weekend so I can take some to our daughter in college. I actually use my bread machine to prepare the dough and it works perfectly.
Hey there,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan