Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls – a cinnabon copycat recipe, about the closest you’ll get to the real thing. Super easy to make.
Who doesn’t love the cinnabons at the malls? Just walking by their stores and smelling these cinnabons baking, drives me up the walls. It’s very hard to keep on walking and not stop and spend $5 on a cinnabon.
Not to worry my friends! I have found the precious cinnabon recipe. I came across this book, More Top Secret Recipes: More Fabulous Kitchen Clones of America’s Favorite Brand-Name Foods, and inside it I found the copycat recipe for cinnabons. This book is great, it has a lot of copycat recipes of popular food items and this recipe for cinnabons was one of them.
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but as I was making them they were looking like the real thing. I have to tell you, they are about as close to the real thing as you’re going to get.
Unbelievable! They are out of this world, and they cost a whole lot less. They’re huge, and they taste exactly the same. I felt like I hit the jackpot. Although they’re not as big as the ones you buy because I wanted to make a dozen with this recipe, so I cut each roll so that’ it’s 1 1/2 inch in height whereas the original ones are 2 1/2 inches.
As these cinnabons were baking, the house smelled amazing, just like it does at the mall when you walk by the cinnabon store. I was so excited. And of course, you cannot have cinnabons without the yummy cream cheese icing.
You will want to try these. I’m so glad I came across this book, I’ll definitely have to try some other recipes from there. I hope you try them and let me know if you liked them as much as I did. Oh and by the way, if you can’t eat them all in one day they last quite a while in the fridge, even 5 days later, just microwave them for 30 seconds and they taste like you just pulled them out of the oven.
I have made this recipe many times over the years and have used both butter and margarine. I believe Cinnabons are originally made with margarine, so if you want to have a true copycat recipe use margarine. Honestly they taste the same to me so it’s your choice, butter or margarine.
I know you want one!
Check out the video!
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk warm
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup margarine I used softened unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup margarine softened
- 6 tbsp margarine I used unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
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For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If the yeast is good, it will start to froth up.
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Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour to the bowl of a mixer and mix well.
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Pour the milk/yeast mixture in the bowl and using the dough hook, mix well until well incorporated.
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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.
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Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 inch thick.
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Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
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To make filling, combine the butter or margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
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Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Alternatively you can spread the butter first on the dough and then the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
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Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. The roll should be about 18 inches in length. Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. You might find it easier if you use a piece of floss vs a knife.
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Place the cut rolls in the prepared pan. Cover them with a damp towel. Let them rise again for another 30 minutes until they double in size.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cooking time can vary greatly!
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While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
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When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.
Prep time does not include time to let the dough rise.
Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.
Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.
One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.
Make sure your milk is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the milk should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that's not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast.
If after dissolving the yeast in the warm milk, the yeast didn't start to froth up, do not continue with the rolls, your dough will not rise.
You could also use instant or rapid-rise yeast instead of the active dry yeast. If you do, you do not need to dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. It could be mixed right into the dough.
TIP: To speed up the dough rising process, heat your oven to 200 F degrees. Turn off the oven and place your dough as specified in step 4 in the oven with the door closed. This will ensure a warm environment for your dough and the dough will rise fairly quickly, assuming the yeast was good.
You could prepare this the day before up until step 10. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. The rolls should continue to rise in the fridge but if by morning they have not doubled in size, turn your oven on to 200 F degrees until it warms up, then turn it off. Place the pan in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes until the rolls double in size. Then you can bake them as instructed.
To freeze unbaked rolls, complete everything up to and including step 10, then wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours up to 6 weeks. The night before you want to bake the rolls, thaw them out in the refrigerator, still wrapped. They will thaw overnight. Finish the rest of the steps to bake them.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
From the Jo Cooks recipe archive originally posted September 29, 2012.
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Heather Jean Tillmann says
These are soooooo good! My dough was sticky too, but I just added flour and it was fine. Ill def try to sprinke on method for the filling next time since it didn’t seem to spread easy. Love them!!
areej says
my dough is very sticky. it seemed like it needed more flour and so i added more. i didn’t know how much to add. i formed it into a dough and placed it in the oven. HOPE it rises.
Lassie says
I just made these, wonderful, left me thinking I’m a Masterchef. Thank you
Joanna Cismaru says
Yes, you are!!
Kd says
5 stars!
Nicole says
Hi I am trying to make the rolls but the active dry yeast did not activate so now I am using the rapid rise that doesn’t need to be activated but my dough is very heavy on the flour and seems to need a liquid… should I still be adding the milk to the dough even if using rapid rise yeast? If so, does skim milk work??
Joanna Cismaru says
Yes, you still need the milk, you just don’t need to activate the instant yeast first, that’s the only difference. If your dough is to soft, add a bit more flour, start with a tbsp at a time.
Lea says
Could you double the recipe ?
Joanna Cismaru says
Yes of course!