Quick Cinnamon Rolls

This is the perfect Easter morning breakfast. You’re already busy hustling everyone to church then family dinner, but you still need to feed your family in the morning. Enter these cinnamon rolls! They’re quick to whip up, absolutely delicious, and the perfect special but not too time consuming breakfast. Plus, you can make the rolls the day before, pop them in the fridge, then bake them in the morning. Boom even more time saved.

I know everyone is big into sourdough right now, and I love that for everyone else. But it’s not my thing. We don’t eat a ton of bread so it doesn’t make sense for my family especially considering both my daughter and I are gluten-free. But, I still want some baked goods for special occasions. Yet, at the same time, I’m also usually crunched for time and don’t want to invest the hours it takes to make yeast bread. Enter my easier version of cinnamon rolls.

These bad boys are made with biscuit dough! It makes it faster, but also gives the rolls an extra buttery flavor. I will say, it can also make the rolls drier, but I have a couple hacks to help combat that! First, is melted butter in the bottom of the pan. Second is extra icing, which is less of a hack, more of a necessity to happiness.

Lastly, though you already save a bunch of time by making a quick dough, I also get not wanting to get up any earlier than necessary. As a mother of a toddler who still sleeps like a newborn, I understand that sleep is precious. To make things even easier, make the cinnamon rolls the day before, but wait to bake them until the next day! It works beautifully. It’ll streamline your morning so you’re sure to get to church pretty close to on time!

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12-15 rolls

Dough ingredients

• 3 cups flour (I used a gluten free flour blend)

• 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup of butter, melted and cooled slightly

• 1 1/2 cup milk, very cold

• extra butter for pan (about 2-3 tablespoons melted)

Filling ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

• 1 vanilla been seeds, optional

• 1/2 cup softened butter

Frosting ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir well. In a large measuring cup, combine the milk and melted butter. Whisk the milk and butter mixture until the butter cools into flakes in the milk. Pour the milk and butter into the flour mixture. Stir until it becomes a cohesive dough. Set the dough aside.

To make the filling, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla beans and mix well.

Dust your clean countertop with flour, and roll out the dough into a large rectangle. The dough should be evenly thinned down to about 1/2 an inch. Spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the butter. Starting at one of the longer sides of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a log. Go evenly and slowly to ensure the least amount of tearing the dough. Once it’s rolled up, cut the log into about 2 inch rolls. I use a wide knife to cut and measure with to keep the rolls uniform. Place melted butter into a 12 inch cast iron skillet or 9x13” pan. Place the rolls into skillet or pan spacing them evenly apart.

If making ahead, put the lid on the skillet or place tinfoil over the pan/skillet. Put in the fridge over night. You can pull them out and place them directly in the oven. You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time.

To bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the rolls in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Or, you could make this the day before as well and store it in the fridge. Cream the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt together with a fand mixer. Blend in the powdered sugar. Thin with milk if needed to reach your desired consistency. Conversely, if you need it thicker, add more powdered sugar.

Once the rolls are done, let them cool a couple minutes before adding the frosting. Top the rolls evenly with the frosting and enjoy!