Growing up, mall food was a thing of luxury to me. You know, Chinese parents. In the same way that going to the movies meant enjoying buttery popcorn by smell, I could only enjoy the flavors of Cinnabon and Mrs. Field’s Cookies through their intoxicating scents, inhaling deeply the way I imagine Charlie did when walking past Mr. Wonka’s gates. Looking back, I’m glad my parents didn’t spoil me by buying me whatever I wanted. But I’m equally glad I can spoil myself by making whatever I want, now.
Several years ago, Ben and I plotted to visit the local mall to get a special Cinnabon-y treat. For some reason, it had come to mind and we were both craving it. When we arrived, mouths watering and splurge-ready (I’m pretty sure mall food will feel like a splurge for the rest of my life), we were distraught to find that it had closed right before we arrived! Noooooo!!!!
On the way home, disappointed and hungry for sweets, I decided we could just make it ourselves. I looked it up and found a promising recipe– “Clone of a Cinnabon” on allrecipes.com. Unfortunately, the instructions required a breadmaker. There’s probably an easy workaround, but I’m no bread master, so I had to study the comments to figure it out. Here is the resulting recipe after reading dozens of comments and reviews! I also increased the proportion of filling and icing. Noms. It breaks my 8-ingredient preference (although you should have most of the pantry items already), but trust me– it’s worth it. So deliciously worth it!
The ooey gooey cinnamony and buttery brown sugar filling screams comfort food, and the cream cheese icing is just a melty glob of lip-smacking yum! I add a splash of lemon juice to my frosting to give it a little zing. Most people can’t tell what it is, but it gives it that extra something that makes it really finger-licking delicious! My favorite is the very middle, where you have the highest ratio of sweet filling to bread, and can wipe up all the extra frosting into one marvelous final bite. Sigh.
You can make these the night before and refrigerate them, then pop them into the oven the next morning. You can also freeze them and thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to make them, so it’s a great make-ahead treat as well!
There are few things better than waking up to the warm scent of brown sugar, butter and cinnamon wafting through your room! It’s a perfect way to wake your loved ones on a Saturday morning, and also reheats wonderfully in the microwave for a midnight snack!
———————–
Clone of a Cinnabon Recipe
adapted from the recipe on allrecipes.com
Ingredients
Bread roll:
- 1 cup warm milk (110ºF)
- 1/2 c white sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (ok to substitute with all-purpose flour)
- 8 gram pack of dry yeast
Filling
- 1.5 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
Icing
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk (110ºF) in a large bowl.
- Mix in the sugar, butter, salt, and eggs.
- Add flour and mix well.
- Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put into a bowl, cover with a moist tea towel and let rise in a warm place (between 120ºF-160ºF) about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon for filling.
- Roll dough into a 16″x21″ rectangle. Spread dough with 1/2 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture, leaving a 1″ border around the edges. Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9″x13″ baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, make the icing by beating together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt.
- When rolls are done, flip them over to get the gooeyness everywhere (optional). Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. I like to use a pastry bag to drizzle half the frosting on when the rolls are piping hot. The frosting will ooze down the sides. Then I let it sit for a few minutes before drizzling the rest of it over it, so the frosting is intact on the top when you eat it.
To chill ahead of time or freeze:
Refrigerate: After shaping the rolls and placing them in the greased pan, let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, place them into a cold 350ºF oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. There is no need to let them sit out.
Freeze: The unbaked rolls also freeze well: cut, freeze, then place in plastic bag for later use. When ready to use frozen rolls, let thaw in refrigerator overnight first. In the morning, place them into a cold 350ºF oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. You can also make the icing ahead of time, then spoon it onto waxed paper to freeze in individual portions. Once frozen, wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag and then thaw when ready to use.
One response to “Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Recipe”
Meet JoEllen
Subscribe via Email
Top Posts & Pages
Categories
[…] is trying on clothes, tired while we stand in line to buy something, and hungry as we walk past Cinnabon and it smells sooooo good. Can you handle it?” I […]