Quick Cinnamon Rolls
“Quick cinnamon rolls that bake up so fluffy with a gooey brown sugar-cinnamon filling! Topped with a silky cream cheese glaze!”
Growing up, I knew Christmas was right around the corner when Grandma Barb would make her homemade summer sausage. Man, that stuff was so good. Hickory Farms had NOTHING on those summer sausage rolls. Aye, remind me to put that recipe on the blog soon, mkay.
I surely enjoyed these food traditions as a child, and I had many to look forward too. I make sure to create them for my boys as well, like these quick cinnamon rolls!
Cinnamon rolls are our “winter only” dessert. Homemade cinnamon rolls represent snowy winter mornings, driving around to look at Christmas lights, and all things holiday magic. I have several recipes that are my favorite like these “Fluffiest Cinnamon Rolls That Ever Lived” recipe. Today I’m going to share my favorite quick yeast cinnamon roll recipe.
No doubt, homemade cinnamon rolls are a labor of love. They are super easy to make; however, they can take a bit of time and patience to put together. With that darn second rising time, your average homemade cinnamon rolls can take up to 3-4 hours before you’re sinking your teeth in them!
As much as I love cinnamon rolls, that wait time is enough to drive you to drink. I’ve tried recipes to get around the wait, even a few that required no rising at all. Boo.Hiss. Fail.
None of them created that chewy, yeasty, fluffy cinnamon roll that I crave. This quick cinnamon roll recipe is the fastest I could get them without sacrificing that incredible texture.
Goodness gracious yall, these quick cinnamon rolls are heavenly! Silky cream cheese glaze and a gooey, buttery brown sugar-cinnamon filling, they are everything a cinnamon roll aspire to be.
I love that they are semi-mini! It’s just enough to devour in two bites.
I like to peel apart each little layer until I get to my favorite part; that gooey, cinnamon sugar drenched center. BEST. PART. EVER.
How long do you keep cinnamon rolls in the oven?
For this recipe, 20 minutes is perfect for my oven. I use a well-greased dark cake pan. You may need slightly less or more time. Check on them at the 17 minutes mark.
How do you tell when cinnamon rolls are done?
Cinnamon rolls are so gooey in the center it can be hard to tell when they are done based on a toothpick test. To check for doneness, I remove the rolls from the oven and gently (and carefully, they are piping hot) pull up the center of the middle cinnamon roll. If it’s fluffy, it’s done. If it’s still doughy, it needs a lil more time.
How do you get gooey cinnamon rolls?
Who doesn’t love all that cinnamon-sugar gooeyness in between those fluffy layers?! When I am sprinkling on the cinnamon sugar, I find that lots of butter to the point that the cinnamon sugar begins to absorb it makes a great, gooey filling. I’ve also read that pouring some heavy cream over the rolls before baking or mixing in a little corn syrup into the cinnamon-sugar helps as well. I’ve never done those two methods, though.
Quick Cinnamon Roll Ingredients:
Cinnamon rolls are such simple little desserts. They require common ingredients that you probably already have at home. Don’t let that lengthy ingredient’s list fool you. Once you maae these for the first time you’ll be whipping them up with ease your next go around!
Quick Cinnamon Roll Dough- For the dough, you’ll need Rapid Rise yeast and sugar water to dissolve the yeast in. Next, you’ll need granulated sugar, melted unsalted butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. For the dry ingredients, you’ll need all-purpose flour and salt.
Quick Cinnamon Roll Filling- For the filling, you’ll only need brown sugar and cinnamon.
Quick Cinnamon Roll Glaze- For the glaze, you’ll need cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
Got all those ingredients? Good, now you can make these ridiculously delicious quick cinnamon rolls!!
Get the Recipe: Quick Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
YEAST MIXTURE
- 1/4 cup warm water, (between 120-130 degrees)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 packet Rapid Rise Instant Yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoonS
CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup warm buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
FILLING
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
- 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk, (may need more)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
To Make The Dough
- In a large glass measuring cup add warm water (must be warm enough to activate the yeast)
- Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast.
- Let yeast sit until it is puffy, about 10-15 minutes. The yeast is now activated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together butter and sugar until creamy.
- Stir in egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Stir in activated yeast and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour and salt.
- Gradually add flour into wet mixture with a rubber spatula, stirring until a dough begins to form.
- Once dough has form, flour a surface and place dough on the surface.
- Knead the dough just until it is smooth and elastic. Roll into a ball.
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough once so that all surfaces are lightly covered in oil.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free location. (I like to place them in my oven with the pilot light on)
- Let dough rest for about 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.
Make the Filing & Glaze
- To make the filling combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
- To make the glaze, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
- Mix in powdered sugar, milk, vanillia extract and salt. (adding more milk if needed). Set aside.
- When dough has doubled in size, punch the dough to remove the air.
- Divide the dough into two equal sized ball.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick.
- Generously brush the dough with the melted butter.
- Generously sprinkle on half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and gently press into the dough, allowing the butter to absorb some of the mixutre.
- Starting at the shortest end, tightly roll the dough into a log.
- Place seam side down. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 1-1 ½ inch thick rounds.
- Place rolls in a generously greased 9x9 pan with sides touching. Repeat with other ball of dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and generously spread on a layer of the cream cheese glaze.
- Serve cinnamon rolls hot or room temperature
Video
Want more Cinnamon Roll goodness?
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
Hi! I can’t wait to try these! I didn’t see where you have posted your Grandma Barbs summer sausage recipe or her recipe for summer sausage rolls yet? We are huge fans of the HF sausage and I’d love to make grandmas!
I tried this recipe this morning and they were sooooo wonderful compared to the last recipe I used. Thank you Miss Diva.