Looking for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe? These gooey rolls are incredibly simple and perfect for beginners, needing only a short 15-minute first rise. Each roll has a delicious cinnamon swirl and fluffy Cinnabon-style frosting. They can be made overnight or frozen, making them ideal for holidays or special breakfasts. Try them once, and you’ll never go back to any other recipe!
One Reader Said: “Literally is the best cinnamon roll recipe EVER. I have been using your recipe for the last few years now, and it never fails to turn out perfectly. It is definitely a staple in our household. I always mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and butter together for the filling, to me it is easier and I like that the sugar mixture doesn’t move as much when you mix it with the butter. If you are like me, and reading the reviews before trying a recipe, you can stop reading and go make the recipe. You won’t be disappointed!!” – Erin
My grandma, an amazing baker, taught me how to make these yummy rolls when I was a girl, and I’ve been making them ever since. Her original recipe was for overnight cinnamon rolls, but I’ve tweaked it so you can make them the morning of as well.
When my now-husband proposed, I was more worried about not bringing these cinnamon rolls than the engagement itself – not really, but almost! Baking them reminds me of family, love, and cherished memories. This recipe has been tried, tested, and loved by thousands—saved over 18,000 times for a reason!
You can trust this recipe to be foolproof, whether you make them ahead, start them the night before, or whip them up in the morning. These rolls appear on special occasions like Christmas morning, Easter, or whenever I want to spoil my family. They’re really easy—just follow my step-by-step instructions! Trust in a recipe that’s been cherished and perfected over the years.
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls ingredients
- WHOLE MILK | You can use other percentages, but I love whole milk.
- BUTTER | no substitutions here, the real deal.
- SUGAR | I use all-natural cane sugar in almost all of my baking
- BREAD FLOUR | In a pinch, you can make with all-purpose flour, but bread flour will yield the most chewy, tender homemade cinnamon buns.
- YEAST | Doesn’t matter if it’s fast acting or regular, package or jarred!
- EGGS | If you need to quickly bring them to room temperature, submerge them in warm (not hot) water for 5-8 minutes.
- Cinnamon Bun Filling: Brown sugar, Cinnamon, Butter — all the good stuff.
- Cinnabon Frosting: Butter, Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla extract, pinch of salt and a little milk if needed.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to make Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1 | Heat Milk Base
Place the milk, room-temperature butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat on very low, stirring occasionally.
Heating to 120° F (49°C), careful it gets hot really fast, your butter might not be fully melted, that’s okay. If you get it too hot (greater than 130°F/54°C), just give it a couple minutes to cool down, you don’t want to scald your yeast.
Take out 2 additional sticks of butter and your cream cheese to soften while making your dough.
Step 2 | Make Dough
While your milk, sugar, butter mixture is heating, measure out 2 cups of the flour into the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast and mix gently.
Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the flour and yeast mixture, mixing on low. Add room-temperature eggs* to the flour and milk mixture and the rest of your flour.
Once your dough is mixed thoroughly, replace your paddle attachment with the “J” hook and let it knead the dough for you, about 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Don’t have a kneading hook? Place the dough on a floured surface and get your upper body workout in for the morning, kneading the dough for the same amount of time, tossing in a little more flour if it gets too sticky.
BAKING HACK | Did you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge? No worries. Submerge eggs in the bowl with warm (not hot) water for 5-7 minutes.
Step 3 | Rest Dough
Grease a bowl with a teaspoon of oil, using a paper towel spread oil around bowl, plop dough in and turn over covering dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about 15 minutes to rest.
Warm rising spot? Preheat your oven on its lowest setting, then turn off oven. Place the dough in the now warm, but turn off oven. If your oven has a “proofing” setting, place on that setting and let rise for 15 minutes.
Step 4 | Make Filling
Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon with a fork and set aside.
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Once the dough has rested for about 15 minutes, place on a floured surface and roll out into roughly an 18 x 21 inch rectangle.
Next spread the ½ cup softened butter, evenly onto the dough, I like using an offset spatula.
Spread cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the butter within about ½ inch of the edges.
Starting with the long edge, roll tightly into a log.
Using a little water, rub along the edge of the dough and pinch edges together to get a good seal.
- Slice into 10-16 even rolls, if you want to get all perfectionistic you can measure your log.
- I usually eyeball it and adjust if needed.
Place in greased (buttered or non-stick spray) 9×13 pan or line with parchment paper, with space between each roll.
Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and return to that warm place to rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400° (375 if using a dark or glass pan), remove rolls before preheating. They have now doubled in size!
Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Don’t overbake; if anything, underbake slightly until risen and slightly golden.
How to make Cinnabon Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl whip together butter, cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar, vanilla and pinch of sea salt; beating until smooth and fluffy, if needed add a teaspoon or so of milk or cream.
- Smother over the tops of warm rolls, serve immediately. Or spread on rolls individually.
Cinnamon Buns Recipe Success Tips
- Fresh Yeast! To check if your yeast is still good, dissolve a little in warm water with a pinch of sugar. If it bubbles up after a few minutes, it’s ready to use.
- Scoop and level your flour. Bread flour works best because it has more protein, making the rolls softer. But if you prefer, you can still use all-purpose flour. Just make sure to scoop and level it to get the right amount.
- Ovens vary. Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer to make sure it’s accurate. And be patient—baking times can vary slightly, so keep an eye on your rolls.
- Kitchen temperature matters. If your kitchen is too cold, your dough might take longer to rise. If it’s too warm, it could rise too quickly. Try to keep your kitchen at a consistent, comfortable temperature for the best results.
- Don’t rush the rising process. Let your dough rise until it’s doubled in size. This can take longer on colder days, but the wait is worth it for soft, fluffy rolls.
- Watch Ingredient Temps: If you overheat your butter, sugar, milk mixture, cool it off to 120-130° F.
- Use room temperature eggs. Your dough will mix more smoothly with room temperature eggs. If you forget to take them out in advance, simply submerge them in warm (not hot) water for 5-7 minutes.
- Roll the dough evenly. When rolling out your dough, try to keep it an even thickness throughout. This helps ensure all your rolls bake evenly.
- Don’t skimp on the filling. Be generous with your cinnamon-sugar filling. It’s what makes each bite deliciously gooey and flavorful.
- Cut the rolls evenly. Use a sharp knife or dental floss to cut your rolls. This keeps them from squishing and ensures they bake evenly.
- Properly space your rolls. When placing your rolls in the baking pan, leave a little space between each one. They’ll expand as they bake and fill in the gaps.
Cinnamon Bun Recipe FAQs
YOU BET! Make the recipe up to the sliced roll stage, cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. They will rise slowly, take out in the morning bringing to room temp and making sure they are doubled, preheat your oven and bake.
Since you are making sweet bread, bread flour is best! Available at most grocery stores, bread flour will ensure your ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy with the perfect rise. However; in a pinch I’ve used all-purpose flour, and it still turns out well, maybe not as fluffy.
Yes, they will continue to rise slowly in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature (at least 30-60 minutes) before baking.
These super easy, light, and fluffy yeast rolls are also great for Easter! Give them a whirl!
Looking for more great breakfast treats?
Breakfast is champion in our house, especially during the holidays or on a lazy weekend. Check out all of our breakfast recipes, below are a few of our favorites.
- Crock Pot Cinnamon Roll Casserole (so gooey and a great, quick alternative to regular cinnamon rolls.
- Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake – Easy and so good! Starts with a cake mix!
- Cinnamon Crunch Scones or try these Cinnamon Chip Scones, drool!
- Overnight Cinnamon French Toast
- Chocolate Croissant French Toast
- Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffin Recipe or these Orange Scones (super popular!)
I hope you loved this incredible recipe for Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, it will become your favorite too!
Giant Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Recipe (Gooey Cinnabon Copycat)
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Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 cup milk whole is best
- ⅓ cup butter room temperature (don’t substitute)
- ½ cup all-natural cane sugar or white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour plus extra for rolling (may use AP Flour if necessary)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Instant dry yeast or one package, see notes about Instant vs. Active dry yeast.
- 2 large eggs room temperature*
FILLING
- 1 cup brown sugar packed, or combination of granulated and brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup butter softened (don’t substitute)
FROSTING
- ½ cup butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese regular or neufatchel is fine (room temperature)
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 teaspoons of milk or cream if needed optional
Instructions
MAKING THE CINNAMON ROLLS
- Remove butter, eggs and cream cheese from fridge, allow to come to room temp for recipe.
- Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in small saucepan and on low, bring to about 120°. Careful it can go from warm to hot fast. If too hot (greater than 130 degrees), let sit until cools slightly. Butter may not be completely melted, that's okay.
- While milk is warming, place 2 cups of bread flour and yeast into bowl of mixer and gently mix to combine.
- Slowly pour in milk, butter, sugar mixture into flour and yeast mixture, mixing on low.
- Add room temperature eggs and the remaining 2 ¼ cups of flour, mixing well to combine. *Forget to take your eggs out, place in bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5-7 minutes)
- After mixing the eggs and all flour in well, replace paddle attachment with J hook for kneading, knead for 5-10 minutes on a low setting, until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky (sticking to the sides of the bowl) after a few minutes, then add a tablespoon more of flour at a time, util it's tacky, but not sticky. The dough should be soft and smooth.
- Don't have a kneading attachment, turn dough onto floured surface and knead for same amount of time.
- Put a teaspoon of oil into a medium bowl and using a paper towel spread it all over the bowl. Plop your dough into bowl and turn to "grease" top and bottom, seal with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 15 minutes to rest (about 30-45 minutes if using active dry yeast). I set my oven on the proof setting at about 75° F. If there is no proof setting, turn your oven on to 100, let it preheat, then TURN OFF, then place the dough inside for first resting.
- Meanwhile, mix together packed brown sugar and cinnamon well in a small bowl, set aside. Or if desired, mix together very soft butter, sugar and cinnamon until it makes a spreadable paste. Sometimes I microwave for 20 seconds to make it easier to spread.
- Once dough has rested, turn onto floured surface and roll out into 18×21 inch rectangle, roughly. Spread with ½ cup softened butter. Spread brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly, spreading to within ½ inch of the edges. Or if you combined cinnamon, sugar and butter, spread evenly over the dough.
- Roll, from long side tightly and pinch edges to seal, using a little water on seams if needed. Cut into 10-16 evenly sized rolls and place in greased or parchment lined 9×13 pan. Cover with clean, damp tea towel (or plastic wrap) and allow to rise in warm place for about 45 minutes, until almost double.
- Preheat oven to 400°, 375 if using a dark or glass pan. Bake rolls about 12-15 minutes until slightly golden. While baking or during rising time, make frosting.
FROSTING
- Place butter, cream cheese in mixing bowl, blend until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar beating on low until incorporated, add vanilla and salt, blend until smooth. If needed add a teaspoon of milk or cream if too thick. Amount of powdered sugar depends on taste.
- Smother warm rolls with frosting and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.
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Notes
OVERNIGHT INSTRUCTIONS
Make the recipe up to the second rise after slicing the rolls. Place a piece of plastic wrap over pan tightly, place in fridge overnight until morning. When ready to bake, while the oven is preheating, remove rolls from the fridge for 30-60 minutes, allowing them to come to room temp and double in size. Bake as directed. Freezing Rolls Sometimes I don’t make up the entire pan. Place unused cinnamon rolls (dough) onto a parchment lined sheet and flash freeze for 1-2 hours. Remove and place in tightly sealed container or baggie, squeezing out as much air as possible. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, placing in pan overnight (or at least 8 hours) in fridge, covered with sprayed plastic wrap. Remove from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature while preheating the oven. Remove plastic wrap and bake as directed. OR place in pan of frozen rolls in warm place (70-80° F) and allow to thaw and rise until doubled on counter, will take 6-8 hours. Bake as directed.Nutrition
Donna Andrews
Can I make these 2 days before I bake them?
They might over-rise a bit 2 days before, 1 day before absolutely, but just keep an eye on them, if they start really poofing up in the fridge, I would bake them sooner rather than later. You can also underbake them slightly and then warm them to finish their baking the morning or day you want them. Hope that helps, Donna!
Carol
I made these early to test and I learned to wait until they cooled more before icing. But tasted so good.
Making again on Thanksgiving morning.
So glad you loved them Carol! My family likes a little icing right as they come out so it melts in and then another swirl when they are cooled a bit more. 😆 happy Thanksgiving!
Danielle
Really yummy but had to bake quite a bit longer than indicated. Followed the recipe to a T
Thanks Danielle, so glad you liked them. Everyone loves their cinnamon rolls baked a little differently. And every oven is a little different. Sorry yours took so long! But so glad you loved them!!
Dawn
They turned out great, I will make them again. Very easy.
So happy to hear that, Dawn! Thanks for your sweet words!
Storm
These were absolutely amazing! I love a messy, gooey, cinnamon roll, and these did not disappoint. This is the best batch I have ever made, and the only recipe I will ever use. Jeez, these were so good. HUGE thank you, Kathleen!
Oh thank you so much for making my month with your sweet comment!! Happy cinnamon rolling!
THERESA Marie BUBA
These are great! BUT I worked at Cinnabon, jtlyk… there’s a small amount of lemon extract in the frosting as well. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for your kind comment and that tip!!!
Kelsey
Kathleen! These were by far the easiest cinnamon rolls to make! The dough is so easy to handle and rolls out so nicely. And when I say delicious, I mean DELICIOUS! My Cinnabon loving husband died over these! I chose to do the overnight method, so I could bake them quickly in the morning but the second rise took way more time than 30-60 minutes. I had them proofing in the oven with the light on (about 80°) and it took over 2 hrs to double in size. So, if you are putting them in the fridge and doing the second rise in the morning, you may need to allow more time than indicated….but it is SO worth the wait! Also, I used these rolls for caramel rolls (replace cream cheese frosting with caramel sauce) and they were lights out 🤤 Will definitely be making these regularly!
Thanks for that tip Kelsey! I’ll try and remember to add a note to the recipe card. Love the caramel idea! Yum!
Pamela Caughron
These cinnamon are the best I ever tasted. My niece and I made these together and both of us have made another batch separately. They are great.
Thank you Pamela! You made my week!!
J
Active dry yeast and instant dry yeast are not the same. If you have active dry it needs to go in the warm milk to bloom before mixing in the flour
Thank you for that tip, I should clarify!!
Dawn
so which yeast would be the best to use? Active or instant??
Hi Dawn – You can use both interchangeably. I used Instant; if you use Active, you will have to allow it to rise a bit longer (15-20 minutes longer) and make sure your milk is warmed. Hope that helps! I’ll clarify on the recipe card too.
Jason C.
Followed this recipe to the letter, which is weird for me because I’m always changing a little something here and there since I live more a mile above sea level. But, having read your story before getting to the recipe, I figured you were also baking at elevation so…no changes neccessary. A special “THANK YOU” for making it easy on those of us who (no longer) live at the beach.
What in the name of sweet, sinful, cinnamon satisfaction have you done here, Kathleen? These are, without a doubt, the best cinnamon rolls I’ve baked. I put a generous helping of icing on as soon as they came out of the oven to let that ooey-gooey magic happen and had about 1/4 of the icing left. I dished that into a container and took it to work for people to dial up their own level of sugar-induced insanity and it did not disappoint.
I bake things for work often; S’more Cookies, Chocolate Truffles, Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blueberry Pie and Mocha Chocolate Cheesecake have all made an appearance in the last few months. These cinnamon rolls were received with the same enthusiasm as anything else and disappeared faster the babysitter’s boyfriend when my garage door opens.
If you take your time with this, like you should anything you bake, you’re in for a treat. If you like your cinnamon rolls cooked through and hard on the outside, I don’t know why you’re still reading this. If you like just a little icing, cut the icing recipe in half. Sure, you can substitute AP flour for cake flour. But, take some time to understand the difference with how it impacts texture and how it compounds if you make other changes, like using lower fat milk or margarine. Afterall, you can’t blame the final product on the recipe if you aren’t following the recipe. Use the pictures in the post for a reference along the way if you aren’t sure how your product should look. Above all, just have fun and keep baking.
Thanks again, Kathleen. This recipe is certainly a keeper!
Well Jason, thank you for making my year!! You are so sweet! Just like the rolls! Thank you for your thoughtful comment!!
Zayna
Hi Kathleen, I’m so sorry but I can’t figure out how to make an independent comment so I’m replying here!
I don’t have a stand mixer, only a hand mixer with beaters and spirals. Would one of those work for the initial mixing, or would I want to mix with a spoon or by hand? Thanks so much. Hoping to make these tonight for Christmas morning breakfast!
Hi Zanya, you surely can use a hand mixer for the initial mixing. but once it starts laboring, stop and finish mixing by hand. You will need to knead it by hand, as hand mixers usually aren’t strong enough to do the final mixing and kneading. Hope you love them!!
Wonderful Christmas gift, best recipe
Best cinnamon roll recipe ever. I bake and give to all my neighbors for Christmas. We’ve only lived here for two years and the neighbors are already asking when the cinnamon rolls are coming this year lol!
Oh I love that!! What. Beautiful story, thank you for sharing with me!
Erin
Literally is the best cinnamon roll recipe EVER. I have been using your recipe for the last few years now, and it never fails to turn out perfectly. It is definitely a staple in our household. I always mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and butter together for the filling, to me it is easier and I like that the sugar mixture doesn’t move as much when you mix it with the butter. If you are like me, and reading the reviews before trying a recipe, you can stop reading and go make the recipe. You won’t be disappointed!! ????
Oh Erin, thank you so very much for your kind words!! You made my year!
Jodi Valentine
Love it!!! I have been using the same cinnamon roll recipe for years. Remodeling home, and can’t seem to find my recipes ????????♀️ yours sounded really close. Sure glad I tried it! Delicious! Also wanted to add- if a person doesn’t have bread flour , you can use all purpose. For every 1 cup of all purpose, remove 2T of flour and replace with 2T of corn starch.- that’s a tip from my grandmother ????
Great info, Jodi! Never used cornstarch before I’ll add that to my tips! Thanks! Glad you found it and loved them! I hear you on the losing things in the remodeling! We’ve been in the same boat!!
Maureen
This recipe is the absolute best for cinnamon rolls. It is perfect in very way. Just the right amount of filling and the icing is perfection. No need for another recipe.
Awe, thank you Maureen, you made my day! So glad you loved them!!
Victoria
This one is a keeper! Followed the recipe without adjustments except baked at 350 for 17 minutes, but that’s what works for my oven. I was a little skeptical about the 15 minute first “rise”, but they came out beautiful and yummy!!
YAY! Yes, everyone oven is a bit different and yes, I love the short rest rise time for these rolls too! This was my grandmother’s recipe, that I love so much!
Chrystal
I made this recipe and the 15 minute cook time is not what I had desired. So I left mine in for about 25 minutes instead and they came out perfect. This is a wonderful recipe but I personally like a cooked all the way through sweet roll not one that is only cooked on the top.
I love it that we can tweak recipes to our liking!! So glad you found what works for you! Happy baking!
Sandra Driscoll
Hi, I am looking for an easy cinnamon roll recipe. This recipe looks like I would take a challenge having never made cinnamon rolls. Reviews are good, except the topic of grainy filling. This is all new to me, but I have a question. Can I put brown sugar and white sugar 50/50 or brown sugar alone in the food processor to make it fine or powered for finer filling? I’m thinking better filling ? Or no texture??
I am considering adding the cinnamon to the sugars together in the food processor. Could the food processor reactivate grocery store cinnamon by crushing it? Better cinnamon flavor without spending extra on gourmet cinnamon?
I am probably overthinking the filling, but I cannot afford practice runs.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
I appreciate your thoughts on trying this?
I honestly do not think this recipe would be a challenge, it’s pretty basic as long as you follow the steps. I’ve never had my filling come out gritty or grainy. In answer to your question, I suppose you could put sugar in the food processor, but you might turn it into powdered sugar and then that would create new problems. These are the things I think you should make sure of:
1. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh — old brown sugar is itself dry and grainy.
2. It’s perfectly fine to combine brown and granulated sugar.
3. Be sure to use real butter, it should be hard coming out of the fridge.
4. I think you will be fine using whatever cinnamon you have.
5. Don’t overwork the dough, you want it tacky but not sticky, it should pull away from the sides of the bowl when mixing.
6. Make sure your yeast is fresh.
7. Bread flour works the best for the softest and most tender rolls, you can use all-purpose flour but it won’t be as soft or tender.
8. Make sure your oven is accurate, most ovens run 25-50 degrees hot or cold, it’s best to have an oven thermometer so you know how your oven runs.
9. If baking in a glass pan or dark pan, this will impact the rolls, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees to adjust for these pans.
Hope that helps! Let me know how they turn out!
Debbie
Can this be mixed in bread machine set on dough?
I have never tried it, but I don’t see why not Debbie!
Janie Davis
Could you explain what a balance of flour means?
Taylor
I believe they just mean the remaining 2 and a quarter cups of flour that have not been added at that point, yet. ????
Janie, hopefully you saw my other reply, it means add the remaining flour, I’ll make that more clear, you may need to add a bit more flour or a bit less, you want the dough tacky and smooth, but not overly sticky. It shouldn’t stick the the sides of the bowl as it kneads. Merry Chrimstas.
Andy
Had to add an extra roughly 1/2 cup of flour to remotely get it not sticky, probably because I weigh it out. Also was only able to use like 75% of the cinnamon filling to not worry about it being grainy like a comment had happen. Waiting on the rise. Fingers cross
Hoping it all turned out like you wanted Andy! All flours are a bit different for sure – and depending on the humidity where you are that could have affected it too. Fingers crossed with you!
Ella
I’ve made cinnamon rolls for 10 years and worked in a professional bakery. These are DELICIOUS and DELIGHTFUL. They are easy, gooey, sweet and everything a cinnamon rolls should be. Lots of cinnamon flavor , perfect texture. Literally the stuff of dreams. MAKE THEM. Easy to follow recipe! Don’t over bake or over work dough- it will be sticky at first. Don’t add more flour or you’ll get a dense roll. I used my oven to proof and it made it so easy. No other recipe needed.
Oh my goodness Ella, thank you so much!! That’s how I feel about them too, but you just made my year!! Thanks again!
Shannon
This recipe is fantastic! These cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly and were a yummy Thanksgiving breakfast!
Thank you so much Shannon! So glad you loved them! Happy baking!
Allison Watkins
These look so yummy!!! Im confused by the flour measurement. It says 4 1/2 cups but in the step by step it says to only use 2. Am i missing something?
Hi Allison, sorry that’s confusing in step 5 you’ll add the eggs and the rest of the flour. It’s to avoid overworking the flour, which is what makes breads tough! Enjoy!
Kathy
This is hands down the best Cinnamon Rolls I’ve ever made on the planet! Everyone in my family went crazy over them! It’s now a staple in my house haha! Thankyou for sharing this fantastic recipe !
Thank you so much Kathy, for taking the time to write a kind comment. So glad that everyone went crazy over them!!
Sabrina
Love how these turn out. Everyone that tries them says they are the best they ever had.
Am I able to freeze these before the second rise to make them even further a head of time if needed?
Freeze, put in the fridge for a day, then rise to room temperature?
Thank you.
Hi Sabrina, So glad that everyone loves them! Always makes me smile, thank you!
I have tried freezing, but before the first rise and they haven’t turned out so good, that being said, maybe after the first rise but before the second rise might work just fine! If you try it, definitely let them thaw overnight in the fridge, then rise at room temp — please let me know how it turns out!
Tayler Ross
This recipe is a spot on match to the original Cinnabon! We made them this morning and my whole family loved them!
Love hearing that! Thank you!
Janessa
I am a HUGE sucker for cinnamon rolls. And ooey-gooey kinds are the best!
For sure!! Thank you so much!
Shadi
It looks so delicious and easy!This is such an easy and delicious recipe, I cannot wait to make it again!
So glad you loved it!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman
Such a sweet love story! We prefer a 50/50 brown & white sugar mix, and let them rise overnight. Perfect for a weekend morning treat!
Delicious! Love that you made it yours!
Patricia
Wow! These look absolutely fabulous! I haven’t made them yet but they are on my list — perfect for weekend indulgences!
You will love them!
Colleen
These cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly. They are exactly like Cinnabon. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you loved them!
kushigalu
Love cinnamon rolls any time of the day and this looks amazingly delicious. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
YAY! Love to hear that! Thank you!
MJ
SO amazing!! We prepped them the night before and baked them in the morning. Came out perfect and so good with a morning cup of coffee!
Fantastic! Love hearing that!
Beth
This was the best love story! Love of cinnamon rolls and love of a sweet husband! You made the right choice by purchasing the rolls but I’m with you and am very serious about my cinnamon rolls! Great story and great recipe!
Aw, thank you so much, it is a fun story that always is told when we serve these!
Claudia Lamascolo
These are a favorite we just love cinnamon rolls and these are perfect!
Thanks so much!!
Kelsey Webster
I’m making these right now! Lol
I was wondering if I could use gluten free bread flour and they turn out about the same or would I need to add something else??
Good morning Kelsey — I have had fairly good luck using gluten free in some recipes, but I haven’t tried in this recipe, I would definitely use a flour that does not have Xanthan gum in it, which I believe a bread flour would not have. Let me know how it turns out!
Chelsea
After reading comments, I mixed the filling sugar as half brown and half granulated white and had no problem. I sent some to work with my husband and now his coworkers are begging me to make more so it was a hit!
Love that you improvised and made it yours and that you loved it Chelsea! Happy baking!
Drprez
Not like Cinnabon. These come out much more like between a potato roll and a croissant. They do not end up gooey in the middle like Cinnabon. This is because there is too much flour and the rise is not long enough. Your better off waiting more like 2 hours. And bake at 325 for 15 minutes. When you can put a toothpick in and it still draws dough out bake for 1 minute more. Then remove from over. And let rest for 15 minutes with pan covered with tinfoil to retain the heat and moisture and allow the center to finish cooking. Otherwise it over cooks them and they will not be what you expect.
A note on the cinnamon. IT IS NOT REGULAR CINNAMON!! Cinnabon uses a cinnamon only from Indonesia called makara. It is unique because unlike regular cinnamon which floats with Water. Makara cinnamon absorbs the water and becomes the thick paste like cinnamon in a Cinnabon.
This is key if you want to get even close to a Cinnabon taste.
The frosting is 3 ingredients. Cream cheese, confection sugar and butter. (Margarine is used for the cinnamon filling above). Butter is used for the frosting.
Thank you. Appreciate all of your information.
Sue
I made these but the brown sugar did not melt, it was like eating sand rolled up in the dough. Are they supposed to be like that or did something go wrong?
Hi Sue, Okay, let’s try and figure out why? It definitely shouldn’t taste like sand in the middle and not sure that has every happened to me.
Did you spread butter to the inside of the cinnamon rolls or mix your brown sugar with butter?
Did you use real butter or a blend or replacement?
Did you use natural brown sugar? I find it is more coarse than regular brown sugar, same with dark brown sugar.
Those are the only things I can think of, sometimes we have to do a bit of digging to figure out why it didn’t work.
Sue
@Kathleen Pope,
I did use real butter, spread it on the inside and added the cinnamon and brown sugar on top of the butter. Did I do that wrong? I did use light brown sugar, not natural brown sugar. I did not use the dark brown as I don’ t care for the taste. Thank you for getting back to me, as I love cinnamon rolls and the icing is awesome!
I am not positive why that happened to you Sue, my only recommendations would be to pre-mix the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together and then spread the mixture on the dough. Be sure to let them rise until double and bake until puffy and golden. You might try placing a sheet of foil on them the last 10 minutes or so to help “melt” the brown sugar. But I am stumped as to why it turned out sandy? Let me know if you figure it out!
Kayla
Good Morning,
I was wondering if you used salted butter for everything , the dough, the filling and cream cheese mixture ? 🙂
Thank you,
Hi Kayla,
I do use salted butter, for about 95% of my recipes and in this one definitely, because it’s what I have on hand. If you are really sensitive to salt though, you might try reducing it, or using unsalted butter and adding a little salt. Thanks for asking.
Have a lovely day,
Kathleen
Sue
Wayyyy too much frosting
It is a lot, but in Cinnabon tradition, we load it up. You can certainly cut the frosting in half.
Edith wise
Ok im making this now but i have a question.. For the flour you 4-4 1/4 cups flour… I did do 2 cups and than another 2 cups so total of 4 cups. Is that right..ty
Yes, add just enough flour so that the dough is no longer sticky, but is smooth and stretchy!
Edith wise
@Kathleen Pope, thank you for getting back to me.. I did only add 4 cups and i was praying i was right. I forgot to take out creamcheese so im letting that set out.. I did try the end peice of the cinnamon bun its very soft and good. I have a amish book that also has a good recipe in it for cinnamon buns buts its pack away.. Thank you for this recipe ill be making it again.i give it a 10 its a must try and not hard to make..
Aww, thank you, you made my month Edith! You can always remove the foil and microwave the cream cheese for a few seconds if you want to rush things along! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Glad my recipe could stand in the place until you find your other one!
Thanks again, happy baking!
Kathleen
jm
I watched them make the Cinnabon. they mix powdered sugar with like a third cup of cinnamon. they also unashamedly use margarine yuk!
I am with you on margarine, yuck. And I like that idea of putting cinnamon into the frosting, yum! I’ll have to try it!
Elaine Laskowski
In your overnight instructions for the Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls you have prepare up to second rise and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Then remove from oven( I think you mean refrigerator). This might confuse novice baker’s.
LOL! Thank you for catching that Elaine! Love it when readers find something, you edit and edit and my eyes gloss over and always miss something! I’ll make that change!
Liz
These are fantastic! Perfect and delightful! New favorite at our home.
Love, love, love hearing this Liz! Thank you so much and happy baking to you!! Kathleen
Julie
Wow!!! 5 thumbs up. Huge hit in my house!!!
Thank you so much Julie! So glad you all loved it, appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Julie
Do you mix the yeast with water and add to the flour? Or just add the packet of yeast?
No, you don’t need to bloom the yeast in water, it will bloom in the flour mixture in the first rise. Just add that packet to the flour mixture.
Carol
Do you use salted or unsalted butter
Hi Carol, I typically use salted butter as that is what I have, but you can use unsalted if you prefer, just add a bit more salt.
Susan S.
So, out of all these comments, only one person actually made this recipe? Not much help as far as any tips or helpful critiques.
Hi Susan,
I don’t think that is the case, many people choose to make comments but don’t leave a review or say they made the recipe, I have quite a few from Pinterest who have made the recipe, hopefully my own tips are helpful to you in giving this recipe a stab, then you can come back and make a comment to help others.
I do hope you will give it a try, it’s a winner for our family and has been for decades. A gal on Pinterest recently said, she let them rise in the fridge overnight AND also made them another time just in the morning and she felt the texture was better on those that rose overnight. Hope that helps!
Happy baking, Kathleen
Crystal S
I can not say enough about this recipe!! I was skeptical. Nothing on Pinterest seems to ever turn out exactly like the pictures. These are absolutely incredible! Turned out EXACTLY like the pictures and recipe showed! My cinnamon rolls always have turned out dense and dry. I genuinely wasn’t hopeful. It was for Christmas morning and I had a back up plan in mind but these were pure perfection! These will now be a Christmas tradition in our family forever. After I cut them for the second rise i put them in the fridge to rise overnight. Set them out while everyone was opening presents. Then baked them while the table was being set for breakfast, coffee was being brewed and frosting was being whipped up. They are out of this world!
Well thank you Crystal, you just made my year! Love how you adapted them for your needs, they work well doing an overnight fridge rise! Thank you again for your kind comment and Happy New Year!
Kathleen O’Brien
Absolutely amazing recipe, Made them as Christmas treats for my neighbors! Thank you ????
Oh thank you Kathleen for commenting! So glad you loved them!! Merry Christmas!
Love, love, love hearing this, thanks so much! Happy New Year to you!
Ashley Lecker
Oh my goodness I am drooling! I love all that yummy icing on top!
Thank you so much Ashley!
Inger@Art of Natural Living
Loved this story! It’s the only thing that could overshadow these truly beautiful cinnamon rolls!
Awe, thank you!!
Julie Menghini
What a beautiful story! I just loved every bit of it. I love these cinnamon rolls too! They’ve become my family’s favorite too. They’re soft, tender, and delicious.
Thank you Julie! So glad you loved them!
Amy (Savory Moments)
These cinnamon rolls look so mouth-watering and absolutely amazing! Ooey gooey for sure and I bet they make the house smell amazing while they bake.
Thank you Amy, they do make the house smell amazing!
Ellen
Ooey gooey goodness for sure! The messier the better! I can’t wait to make them again.
Thank you Ellen!
karen @karenskitchenstories
What an adorable story!! And these buns look amazing.
Thank you so much!
Hezzi-D
Ok these look incredible! Can you ship me some for breakfast tomorrow?
Haha, I wish I could!
Vicky-Little Chef Within
First off, I LOVED loved your story!!! So wonderful! Secondly, candied bacon?? OMG, what have I been missing in my life? LOL!
Awe, thank you so much Vicky, it really is a fun story, even 20 years later! Seriously, you have been missing out if you have never tried candied bacon! It’s incredible!
Cheri W.
I made these this morning for brunch. My, oh my!!! They turned out beautifully and absolutely scrumptious! Everyone loved them, including one of my friends who is receiving chemo treatment at present.Thank you for sharing your recipes! I look forward to trying many more in the future!
Julie Pollitt
This looks amazing! To die for! Yum!
Thank you Julie, they are indeed, quite amazing!!!
Lisa linthicum
Loved reading your sweet engagement story!
Thank you Lisa! Hope you are well!
Dawn Grubb
Love your engagement story… You argue! Never! The cinnamon rolls look amazing. I can’t wait to make them at our house. Happy Easter!
Thank you Dawn! Um, yes me argue! 🙂 If you make them, let me know what you think!