Forget the cream cheese frosting and give your cinnamon rolls a lighter version with the same sweetness.

A cinnamon roll is the perfect, delicious dessert, especially when it's freshly baked. That soft, chewy, buttery, and sweet pastry, coated with a layer of melted cinnamon, is hard to beat. Top it with a smooth, melted cream cheese frosting for a contrasting finish, and you have a treat that far surpasses any ordinary donut or pastry. But too much of a good thing can be bad, and cream cheese frosting can sometimes be a little cloying. When indulgence becomes too much, reduce the amount of frosting on your cinnamon rolls by using a simple glaze instead of the cream cheese frosting.

Using a powdered sugar glaze was the first suggestion on our list of tips for making glazes for baked goods. It's simple and quick, aesthetically pleasing, and adds just the right amount of sweetness to a cinnamon roll without making it cloying. The basic ingredients for a powdered sugar glaze are simply powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. You can also make a dairy-free version using water or a version with a liqueur of your choice. As long as you use a dairy-free liqueur, both are excellent alternatives to cream cheese frosting for those who don't consume dairy. You just need enough liquid to achieve the desired consistency. Use less liquid to make it more like a spreadable glaze than a drizzled glaze.

Unlike cream cheese frosting, powdered sugar frosting hardens upon resting. The frosting forms a firm layer that doesn't stick to your fingers and adds a nice texture.

All the ways you can make a frosting

Since cinnamon rolls are typically thick and fluffy, a sugar glaze can make the dessert feel lighter than one covered with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Being a thinner layer, the glaze allows the flavor of the baked roll and cinnamon to shine through, rather than being completely masked by the cream cheese.

Another advantage of powdered sugar icing is that, if you make it thinner, it can soak into the buns, making them moister and sweeter. This is especially useful if you have cinnamon buns from the day before that have dried out a bit. After reheating them in the microwave, add a little fresh icing, and they'll be as good as new in seconds. However, keep in mind that unglazed cinnamon buns reheat better, so if you plan on having leftovers, don't glaze the entire batch after baking. It will be very easy to make some fresh icing when you want to eat those leftover buns.

You can add a special touch to your icing if plain sugar icing is too boring for you. Cinnamon has a strong flavor, but there are other flavors that complement it beautifully. An orange icing made with zest and a little juice would give it a citrusy kick. You can also use lemon for a more acidic and refreshing taste. In the past, we've recommended a coffee icing, but you can also try coffee and maple syrup. Mixed with powdered sugar, the maple syrup adds a deep, caramel-like sweetness, while the coffee provides a rich, roasted flavor that contrasts with the cinnamon and prevents the icing from tasting like pure sugar.