Quick Cinnamon Rolls

These homemade Quick Cinnamon Rolls are your new breakfast go-to, made with a dreamy brown sugar and maple syrup filling, rolled into delicious cakey rolls, and drenched in cream cheese icing. It’s the best way to start your day!

If you couldn’t tell, we’re a little crazy about our homemade cinnamon rolls. When fall rolls around, we’re whipping out the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Quick Maple Cinnamon Rolls, and Pecan Sticky Buns. Or, we like to change things up and add a bit of crunch like these Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls made with Nutella and pecans or these Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas morning. 

For this recipe, though, we’re keeping things simple. These Quick Cinnamon Rolls have that classic cinnamon roll flavor with a cinnamon sugar filling and homemade cream cheese frosting. This recipe is the faster way to make traditional cinnamon rolls so you can sink your teeth into gooey goodness ASAP.

What Are Maple Cinnamon Rolls?

This homemade cinnamon roll recipe doesn’t use any active dry yeast, so there’s no need to let the dough rise! Typical cinnamon rolls use a yeast dough that requires the rolls to have a first rise and a second rise, but not these! This recipe is much quicker and produces a cakier cinnamon roll that perfectly compliments your morning cup of coffee, like our Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

This recipe is the easiest way to make homemade cinnamon rolls without spending hours in the kitchen. No more waiting around for the dough to rise with this recipe. Plus, this recipe is super simple, perfect for anyone wanting to get into baking but isn’t ready to dive into more complex recipes. If you get a craving for cinnamon rolls, you can easily whip up these bad boys in under an hour. How’s that for a quick breakfast?

Ingredients

For the Filling

• Brown sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar works. 
• Butter – Softened
• Maple syrup – Get the good stuff! By good stuff, we mean the pure maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworth’s high-fructose corn syrup junk.
• Ground cinnamon
• Freshly grated nutmeg – Look for whole nutmeg in the spice aisle and use a microplane to finely grate it.

For the Dough

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cold butter – Cut into small cubes. The cold butter helps create a super flaky dough.
• Buttermilk

For the Glaze

• Cream cheese
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Powdered sugar

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls with Maple

Preparing the Dough

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, softened butter, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir until the mixture is smooth and set it aside.

Preheating and Pan Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. While that’s warming up, generously grease a 9-inch cake pan, ensuring to line the bottom with parchment paper and also greasing the paper.

Mixing the Dry Ingredients

​In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Use your fingers to cut in the cold butter, breaking up any larger butter chunks until the mixture becomes crumbly.

Adding the Moisture

​Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir swiftly until all the ingredients are just moistened and start coming together.

Preparing the Dough Surface

Sprinkle some flour on a lightly floured surface and turn out the cinnamon roll dough. Knead it gently into a ball, being careful not to overwork it. Next, press the dough into a circular shape and then roll it out to form a 16×12-inch rectangle.

Filling and Rolling

Using an offset spatula, generously spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough, leaving about a ½ inch border around the edges. Starting from the long end, roll the dough tightly into a long log. Next, trim off the bits at the end (about ½ inch) as they won’t have filling, and then use a sharp knife to slice the rolled dough into 10 to 12 pieces.

Arranging and Baking

​Arrange the slices in the prepared pan. Don’t worry if they touch; that’s totally fine. Then, slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake for around 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rolls turn a golden brown.

Whipping up the Glaze

While the rolls are baking, whisk together cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt until they achieve a smooth consistency. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, ensuring it becomes smooth and creamy.

Finishing Touches

Once the rolls are baked to perfection, take them out of the oven. The warmth of the rolls will make spreading the glaze even more delightful. Drizzle or spread the glaze generously over the warm rolls, enhancing their gooey perfection.

What to Serve With This Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Serve these delicious cinnamon rolls with a huge breakfast spread filled with Tex-Mex Hash Browns with Eggs, Breakfast Pizza, and Breakfast Sausage Ravioli!

Expert Recipe Tips

• Make sure you’re using cold butter and not melted butter for the dough. Melted butter will cause your dough to become dense and not as flaky.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. It’ll be much easier and more uniform than rolling it out by hand. 

Leftovers and Reheating

Store any leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container and keep them on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you want to keep your cinnamon rolls fresh for longer, pop them in the fridge and store them for up to 1 week. If you want to freeze baked cinnamon rolls, freeze the individual rolls for up to 2 months. 

If you’re not ready to bake your rolls just yet, you can also freeze the dough for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to bake them, let the rolls get to room temperature and bake as directed. 

When you’re ready to eat your baked cinnamon rolls, place them in the microwave for around 10–15 seconds or until the icing becomes all gooey and melty.

Recipe FAQs

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

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Whether searching for a new weekend breakfast or a cozy recipe to enjoy on Christmas morning, these gooey cinnamon rolls are the way to go! If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe card and let us know if you liked this recipe!

Quick Maple Cinnamon Rolls

These are cakey delicious breakfast buns. Not a traditional yeast roll, but quick and easy for the morning rush.

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Author: Kita

Ingredients

For the Filling

• ▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter - softened
• ▢ 2 tbs maple syrup - get the good stuff!
• ▢ 1 teas ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/8 teas freshly grated nutmeg

For the Dough

• ▢ 3 cups flour
• ▢ 1 tbs baking powder
• ▢ 1 teas salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup cold butter - cut into small cubes
• ▢ 1 cup milk

For the Glaze

• ▢ 2 tbs cream cheese
• ▢ 2 tbs plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• In a bowl, stir the brown sugar, butter, syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg together until smooth. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Great a 9″ cake pan. Place parchment paper in the bottom and grease the paper as well.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in the butter with your fingers, until the mixture is crumbly and all large chunks of butter have been broken up.
• Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Stir quickly until everything is just moistened and starts to come together.
• On a clean surface, sprinkle some flour, and turn out the batter. Knead into a ball without overworking the dough. Press into a circle and roll out to a 16×12″ rectangle.
• With an offset spatula, spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2″ border. Starting with the long end, tightly roll. Cut the bits at the end off (about 1/2″ – they have no filling anyway) and slice into 10 to 12 pieces.
• Snuggle all that love into the prepared cake pan and slide into the oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.
• While those are baking, whisk the cream cheese and yogurt together until smooth. Work in the powdered sugar a little at a time making sure it’s smooth.

Notes

The Cabot Creamery Cookbook

Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.

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Want a little more? Check out my review of the Cabot Creamery Cookbook.

Cabot picked up the tab for travel, hotel, meals, and race entree, however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.