The ideal Cinnabon clone, these massive, fluffy cinnamon buns are covered with creamy, luscious cream cheese frosting.
These cinnamon buns are definitely not for the faint of heart. They’re huge and definitely not diet-friendly. They’re huge enough that I could conceal a little kid within and no one would notice*. And just naming them cinnamon buns wouldn’t do them justice.
Huge Cinnamon Rolls? Meh. Huge Cinnamon Rolls? That doesn’t exactly slide off the tongue. Giant Cinnamon Rolls was the only name that felt appropriate.
On weekends, a restaurant in Cape Elizabeth, Maine called The Good Tablet prepares cinnamon buns the size of your head. They’re so large, in fact, that they recommend sharing it with at least one person. That’s correct, they’re a two-person lunch.
And every time I’m in town, I have to stop for brunch there to have one, and it reminds me how desperately I want to be able to make them myself back in Massachusetts. I’ve gone 2.5 hours one way on a Sunday morning to get one of those things. They really are that wonderful.
My objective was to build the largest cinnamon rolls possible without infusing them with growth hormones, which would transform them into living, talking, mutant, city-destroying baked delights. I wanted them to be broad and fluffy, with lofty spires from which the icing might fall like snow on a mountain top. It took me almost a year to get it right, and they’re now flawless. I tell you, it’s perfect.
You may believe there is no difference between store brand and premium brand flours, but I can assure you that there is. I’ve done a lot of trial and error, and King Arthur Flour has always delivered the best and most consistent results for my recipes. I began using them because they were nearby while I lived in Vermont, and I became addicted.
I used their unbleached all-purpose flour for the rolls this time, but I’ve also used their whole wheat flour with great success. I strongly advise investing a bit extra for a better final product. For the delectable frosting, I also used my new favorite Cabot Cream Cheese. I mean, you’re consuming this stuff, don’t you want it to taste as wonderful as possible? You certainly do!
I want my cinnamon buns to appear like giant, imperfect spirals that I can peel apart while eating them in one big coil. I still do that with them, but use a fork and knife and you’ll create less of a mess.
I’ve eaten them with frosting, without icing, and with just a trickle of icing, and they’re all delicious. They taste fresh out of the oven as long as you reheat them.
Every time I open the cake stand in which I keep them, a wave of nostalgia comes over me. The fragrance reminds me of going through the mall, fighting the temptation to rush, arms flying toward Cinnabon, leaving only a trail of drool in my wake.
It’s difficult to put my feelings about Cinnabon into words. I began typing it, but it became rather long and almost improper. So I’ll just say it: I adore Cinnabon.
So let’s be honest. Cinnamon buns from Cinnabon are the farthest thing from healthy. There is no way to consume one of them every day without developing some significant health problems. So how can I justify eating them whenever I want?
By creating them myself, I can regulate the contents and maybe save myself from a catastrophic coronary at the age of 30. Furthermore, instead of putting icing-covered cinnamon sweet dough in my face every day, I’m eating an egg on sometimes.
Apart from the health risks, they are fantastic. They’re massive, soft, and fluffy, and loaded with cinnamon sugar, and the icing, oh, the icing. It took me a year to perfect the butter-cream cheese ratio for the frosting. Even when I thought I got everything perfect, something was lacking, so I had to restart and go back to the drawing board.
When I tasted a Cinnabon cinnamon bun recently, I realized what I had been missing: lemon juice. It was less than a teaspoon of lemon juice that had been evading me all along. Let me tell you, things like that makes me happy and furious all at the same time, but primarily happy.
Don’t be scared of yeast! I used to be, but then I found it’s not difficult to turn yeast into your new best buddy. Just show it who the boss is, and you’ll be OK. This recipe only requires one rise, and you just combine the yeast with the dry ingredients without mixing with water or gauging the temperature. This is as simple as it gets.
Make these, my friends, and enjoy your home smelling like cinnamon-y sugar-yjoy.
Contents
- Colossal Cinnamon Rolls
- FAQs
- What is the biggest cinnamon rolls?
- What does pouring heavy cream on cinnamon rolls do?
- What happens if you overproof cinnamon rolls?
- How do you upgrade cinnamon rolls in a can?
- What is a dirty cinnamon roll?
- Is bread flour or all purpose flour better for cinnamon rolls?
- Why do you brush cinnamon rolls with half-and-half?
- Should I pour milk over my cinnamon rolls before baking?
- How long is too long for cinnamon rolls to rise?
Colossal Cinnamon Rolls
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Description
Ingredients
Rolls
- 2.5cupsall-purpose or whole wheat flour, divided
- 1package instant yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 4tablespoonsgranulated sugar
- 1teaspoonsalt
- ½cupwater
- ¼cupmilk
- 2 ½tablespoonsunsalted butter
- 1egg
Filling
- 4tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened (enough to be spreadable)
- ½cuplight brown sugar, can substitute white sugar
- 2tablespoonsground cinnamon
Icing
- 8ouncescream cheese
- ¼cupbutter, room temperature
- 2cupspowdered sugar
- 1teaspoonvanilla extract
- ½teaspoonlemon juice
- Pinchof salt
Instructions
Rolls
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In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.2.5 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour, 1 package instant yeast, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
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In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, combine water, milk and butter. Heat until butter is melted, give it a light stir to combine.1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Add egg and the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine.1 egg
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Add remaining 1/2 cup flour until dough is easy to handle.2.5 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
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Prepare a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
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Place in a greased bowl (butter or non-stick spray works) and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
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Roll out dough onto parchment or wax paper into a 15×9″ rectangle. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just rectangle-ish.
Filling
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Spread the softened butter on top of the dough, all the way to each edge.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
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In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon until cinnamon is evenly distributed.1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
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Pour/sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top of butter to evenly coat dough.
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Beginning at the 9″ side, roll up the dough tightly.
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Cut into 6 pieces and place an inch apart into a prepared 9×13″ baking dish (covered in non-stick spray). Before you lay each roll in the pan, gently press up on the center of each roll from the bottom to give them the oh-so-desirable spire. Set them in the pan so each roll is touching the ones around it – you want to give them some room to rise, so don’t squish them TOO much up against each other!
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Preheat your oven to 175°F and then turn it off. Loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place inside the oven for 60 minutes. The rolls will double in size after about an hour, but you can leave them in longer if you feel they’re not quite risen enough.
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Remove dish from oven and preheat oven to 375°. Bake for 25 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. If you prefer yours lighter, just cover with aluminum foil halfway through the baking time.
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Let sit in pan for 5 minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter on high speed.8 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter
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Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt. Whip on high speed until fluffy.2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, Pinch of salt
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Slather icing onto rolls and enjoy!
Notes
Tip #2: If you’re making them ahead of time to be reheated later (in which they still taste absolutely amazing, by the way), just wait for the rolls to cool completely before icing. Then pop them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds so that they’re warm and the icing gets smooth and melty, and you’ll have the perfect drool-worthy treat!
Nutrition Facts
*This may be a little overblown.