Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

 Nothing is better on a chilly, winter day than homemade cinnamon rolls. Even better, the copycat recipe to Cinnabon's Cinnamon Rolls! They take a little bit of work but they are oh so worth it! I even took pictures as I went through the process!





I decided to let my bread maker do the tedious part. After all, it's a bit of a cumbersome appliance so it might as well be put to use and earn it's space!  I don't have pictures of putting all the ingredients together, the kneading or the rising part.

Once that was done though, I took the dough out & floured my table to roll it out. No, I don't have much counter space or a handy place to work with a large piece of dough. So I just make do. After rolling it out into about 21"x16", I then spread butter all over.....

After that is spread, I took the brown sugar & cinnamon mixture and sprinkled it all over.....lumpy brown sugar is annoying when doing something like this. I figured it would make for a more gooey filling so I didn't bother trying to smash every lump out.

Now came the fun part of carefully rolling this creation up into a nice, tight log. I had Sarah help me since it was pretty long (plus I needed to snap pictures!)

Yes I know I didn't take the filling quite to the edges of the dough. I didn't want to create a huge mess. As you roll it, some of the filling shifts and fills those empty ends. Also, I actually cut & discard the ends because they are uneven anyway. So don't worry about going right to the edges.

Next comes the fun part of cutting the log into rolls (ok that sounds funny!) If you want nice fluffy rolls, do NOT use a knife as that will smoosh your roll flat. Using unflavored dental floss, (unless you prefer a wintergreen hint to your roll) or thread is the key to getting straight cuts without squishing the dough. I chose to use thread.

Slide your thread underneath the roll and go up about 1". Then criss-cross your thread till you are making an "X".


Then just pull down on the thread and it will give the dough a perfect, clean cut. (Sarah's hands not mine, I'm still taking pics!!)


Just keep doing that and putting them in a baking pan or cookie sheet.


I actually got 24 rolls out of this. Depending how thick you cut your rolls will change how many you get. The recipe didn't call to let them rise, but I did for a little bit. I find it gives them a lighter, fluffier texture. This is what they looked like after rising for a bit......


Then it was time to bake. They don't take long. I put them in for about 8 minutes even though the recipe said 10 minutes. I figured I can always bake longer if needed but I didn't want to scorch them.


YUM!!! Oh but wait.....you have to add the last tasty step, the icing!!!



Oh yeah, there ya have it! They taste pretty darn close to Cinnabons at a fraction of the cost!

Ingredients:
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast (I buy it in bulk so it was about 1tsp)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

Filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tbsp of flour (to thicken the filling to prevent it leaking out)
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Icing:
8 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt


1.For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
2 Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.
3 Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.
4 Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5 Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.
6 It should be approx 1/4 thick.
7 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8 To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
9 Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
10 Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
11 Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
12 Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
13 While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
14 Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
15 When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.


7 comments

  1. Yummy! I've been craving cinnamon rolls, too (along with my pickle juice) but have been holding off b/c I'm making them for a Ladies' breakfast on Saturday. A tip I learned is that the rolls will bake into that pyramid shape with the middles popped up if the logs are rolled too tight, so I try to roll them just a little loose as I start rolling.
    I'm praying for you today.

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  2. Wow those would be dangerous in my house! Praying that all goes well today, Jenn.

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  3. You had to remind me that I missed out!

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  4. Thank you Julie for the tip, I didn't realize that. Figured they'd fall apart if I didn't start it off tighter.

    I only made them Kat cuz I had company. The kids & Kevin would scarf them down if I had that many sitting around.

    I'll try to make up for it Jen. ;)

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  5. I cut my cinnamon buns with floss too! That recipe looks yummy. Although cinnamon buns just aren't the same with a child who has a severe cinnamon allergy :( We've switched to "maple buns" instead...although no nearly as scrumptious.

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  6. those really do look AMAZING. I am always up for trying a new cinnamon roll recipe. :D I have a recipe blog (http://adorkablerecipes.blogspot.com/) and this just might make it up sometime soon! (at least I hope. :D)

    Yum!

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  7. These look insanely good! Pinning these!

    Blessings!
    Amber @ recipeswelove.net

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I enjoy hearing from each & every one of you! Thanks for taking the time to comment. :)