Date Published: Dec 27th, 2020 | Last Updated: Dec 27th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: dessert
Serves: 12-16 rolls | Prep time: 1hr 30mins | Cook time: 20mins

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A co-worker of mine one day was talking about how her goal over the weekend was to make cinnamon scrolls then raved about how amazing her first Cinnabon experience was in America. We then both agreed how ridiculous it was that Cinnabon decided to open up its first shop in Australia in Brisbane. Not Sydney. Not Melbourne, but Brisbane. Really??? Nothing against Brisbane, but it just seemed like a random place to open their first shop in the country. Our chat had me craving Cinnabon for the rest of the day. Unlike back home in North America, cinnamon rolls are not a common thing to find here – it’s actually near impossible and the only way to have it is to make it yourself (or go to Brisbane). I’ve made this recipe a few times in an attempt to recreate the ones at Cinnabon. It’s not exactly alike, but it’s pretty close! This recipe is adapted originally from All Recipes.

This recipe is not difficult to make, but there are a few steps to it which make the recipe look really lengthy and difficult, but I promise its not. You essentially just need to make the dough, roll it out, spread butter and cinnamon sugar, roll it up, bake it, then spread icing over top.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Dough:
  • 2.5 tsps (8g sachet) dry active yeast
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (76g) melted butter or margarine
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (110g) white sugar
  • 4.5 cups (720g) flour (bread flour is best, but all purpose flour will do)
• Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
  • 1/3 cup (76g) butter, softened
  • 1 cup (230g) packed brown sugar (= 1 Tbsp molasses + 1 cup white sugar)
  • 2.5 Tbsps ground cinnamon
• Icing:
  • 85g (3oz) of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup (55g) butter, softened
  • 1.5 cups (195g) confectioner’s/icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt

Directions:

Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, activate the yeast by dissolving it in warm milk with 1 tsp sugar. Set this aside for 5-10 mins until it turns frothy.

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Mix in eggs, butter, salt and sugar to the bowl. Add the flour in gradually until you get a smooth dough and knead it into a ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl covered with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size (~1hr). (Don’t have a warm place? Click here to see how I proof my dough in the oven).

While the dough is proofing, make the cinnamon and brown sugar mix by mixing the two together. Set aside.

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Assemble the roll: After the dough has doubled it size, knead it out on a lightly floured surface to get the air pockets out. Divide the dough in half.

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Using a rolling pin, roll out one dough ball into a square until you get a rectangle about 2-3mm thick.

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Spread half the softened butter over the dough and then sprinkle half of the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture on top. Use your rolling pin to lightly roll over the dough so the cinnamon sugar is gently pressed in.

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Roll up the dough semi-tightly from left to right so you’re left with one long roll. If you find the centre of your roll thicker than the edges, gently roll it out until it is roughly the same thickness. Cut up the dough into even 3cm thicknesses and place on a lined baking tray. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

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Bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 200˚C (400˚F). While the oven is warming up, cover the rolls with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place until the oven is ready. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown (~15-20 minutes).

Make the icing: While rolls are baking, combine all the icing ingredients in a large mixing bowl: cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt.

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Finish it off: Once the rolls are cooked, flip each roll upside down so the gooey cinnamon filling re-coats the inside. Spoon any extra melted filling over the buns. While the rolls are still hot, spread half the icing over the rolls. Once rolls are cooled, spread the other half of the icing over them. Serve warm. Enjoy!

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Notes:

• You can freeze the uncooked dough quite well and bake them separately for a quick snack or freeze them cooked and microwave when ready to eat.
• Keep in an air tight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or in the fridge if longer or in warm humid conditions.

Summarized Recipe: