Cinnamon Rolls – Cinnabon Copycat Recipe

Cinnabon’s Cinnamon Rolls – a Cinnabon copycat recipe. Super easy to make, I must add. My family loves the cinnamon rolls that we get at Cinnabon. They are our absolute, all-time favorite dessert.

Who wouldn’t want one of these?

For some time now, I had been wanting to make these rolls at home. I researched for a recipe on the internet. There is no original recipe shared by the company, however, I did find a number of blogs who had tried to recreate the recipe. Using the recipes as my starting point I was ready to start my experiments!

The sugary-buttery centre all ready to be left for the second rise.

There is just something about warm fluffy cinnamon rolls, straight out of the oven. They are fresh and warm, ooey-gooey, and simply melt in your mouth. Just perfect for breakfast. My kids have been eating Cinnamon rolls every day for the last 2 weeks. Truly nothing beats homemade food. The effort put into making them is so worth it. The only thing that could make them better is chocolate and that recipe I’ll share with you another time ( I have started working on that).

Freshly baked just out of oven, so tempting if only I could eat one right now!

In my house the rolls don’t last very long as my kids keep coming back for more. The only complaints my sons have made after having their second or third cinnamon roll are, “if only I hadn’t eaten lunch” and “can you please make them bigger?”

Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting … warm, goey melt in the mouth.

The recipe I share today is the closest I got to the Cinnabon taste. The original Cinnabon’s have margarine in them, however I have used butter in my recipe.

If kneading by hand be prepared to get your hands messy. Personally I like kneading with hand I find the monotonous motion of pushing the dough away from myself and rolling it back very calming. I often find myself dreaming when I am kneading.

The rolls don’t last very long as the kids keep coming back for more. If you want fresh from the oven then after the rolls are made and placed on the baking tray, cover with a cling wrap and place in the fridge for a slow rise overnight. Then let it rest on counter for 30 minutes and bake in a preheated oven till golden brown.

If you like your icing melting then pour when the buns are hot just out of the oven. If you don’t then wait for the rolls to cool down and then ice. I just couldn’t wait so I had my icing melting on the buns. It is really hard to resist a warm cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven.

There’s just something about warm fluffy cinnamon rolls, straight out of the oven. None of those purchased stale rolls. Nope, they’ve gotta be fresh and warm. Truly nothing beats homemade. The effort put into making them is so worth it.

Happy baking!

Cinnamon Rolls Copycat Cinnabons Recipe

Ingredients

Servings: 12

Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) active dry yeast

• 1 cup (250 mL)warm milk

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup (75 g) margarine, I used softened butter

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 eggs

• 4 cups (500g) all purpose flour

Filling

• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar

• 3 tbsp cinnamon powder

• 1/3 cup (75g) margarine, softened

Cream cheese icing

• 6 tbsp (113g) margarine, I used butter

• 1 1/2 cups (187g) powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup (55g) cream cheese

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Dough

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes till frothy.

2. In another bowl add remaining sugar, salt, and flour and mix well.

3. Make a well in centre of the flour and add butter or margarine and eggs.

4. Pour the milk/yeast mixture in the bowl with flour and eggs.

5. Using a wooden spoon mix the dough and the liquid. It will make a sticky dough.

6. Flour the kitchen counter generously and dump the dough on the counter. Now knead the dough for 10 minutes till it is smooth. If dough feel too sticky oil your hands and knead. Dough has to be soft, if after kneading for 5 minutes it still feels sticky add 1-2 tablespoons flour and knead again.

7. Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. May take longer in the cold months.

8. Preheat oven to 175 C degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or place baking paper on it.

9. Lightly flour the kitchen counter and dust the rolling pin with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out, until it is approx 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 inch thick. Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump.

10. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

11. Spread the butter first on the dough and then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the surface of the dough.

12. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge into a cigar-shaped log.The roll should be about 18 inches in length.

13. Place the seem side of the roll down and cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices you will get 12 pieces.

14. Place the cut rolls approx 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another in the prepared pan. Cover them with a damp towel. Let them rise again for another 30 -60 minutes until they double in size. It may take longer in cold weather.

15. With the oven rack in the middle shelf bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cooking time can vary but mine were ready in 15 minutes.

16. While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.

17. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

If using a stand mixer follow the instructions:

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes till frothy.
2. In the bowl of an electric hand mixer, cream together the sugar, salt, and margarine or butter on medium-high speed with a paddle attachment.
3. Add the eggs in 1 at a time and continue mixing till smooth.
4. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball.
5. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approx 10 minutes.
6. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing if dough seems sticky.
7. Follow as above from step 7 and onwards.