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Give these 90 minute Mini Cinnamon Rolls a try and you’ll fall in love with their tender, sweet centers and irresistible cream cheese frosting!
If you ever need a variation of your classic Cinnamon Rolls, you can always try this bite sized version, or even our Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls!
ready in Less Than 90 Minutes!
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely adore cinnamon rolls! We make them for special occasions and they’re always the first thing to disappear. Instead of making big cinnamon rolls like usual, we decided to try Mini Cinnamon Rolls!
These are perfect for parties because one batch makes two dozen bite-size rolls. It’s the perfect gooey finger-food. But let’s be honest, you don’t need an excuse to make these yummy rolls—they’re also a great weekend breakfast treat.
They only require a few extra minutes of prep work than regular cinnamon rolls (you’ll use a pizza cutter to cut out strips vs. doing one big roll and slicing it), which is totally worth it, trust me! Plus, these mini cinnamon rolls are ready to go in a little under 90 minutes… not too shabby, right?
How to Make Them
DOUGH. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and salt. In a small microwave safe bowl (or glass measuring cup), combine the sugar, butter, water and milk. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute on HIGH in my microwave). Let the mixture come down to 120 degrees. Gradually add the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms.
OVEN. Preheat the ovEn to 200 degrees.
KNEAD + REST. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and set on the lowest mixing setting for 4 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
FILLING. Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it measures a 24×16 inch rectangle. Prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl except for the butter. Spread the butter over the top of the rolled dough, then cover with the filling.
CUT + ROLL. Using a pizza roller/cutter, cut out 24 strips of dough (show in pictures below). Roll each up into a tight roll.
Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish and gently place a piece of aluminum foil over top.
RISE. Turn OFF your oven and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 45 minutes.
BAKE. Remove the rolls from the oven and turn ON your oven to 375 degrees. Once heated, remove the foil and bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes or until the centers are lightly golden brown in color.
FROST. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before frosting. While rolls are cooling, prepare the frosting by combining all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beating by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Spread over the tops of the rolls.
Tips for making Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Keep these tips in mind when making these delicious mini treats!
- After you heat the milk, sugar, butter, and milk in the microwave, let the mixture cool to about 120°F before gradually adding it to the flour mixture.
- If you aren’t using a stand mixer, just knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes until it becomes elastic.
- When kneading the flour by hand just use a little flour to keep it from sticking to the counter. Too much added flour can cause the rolls to be dense and harder when baked.
- You can use all purpose or bread flour in the recipe.
- After kneading the dough, make sure you let it rest for the full 10 minutes.
- Wait to frost the mini cinnamon rolls until they’ve cooled.
Variations & Troubleshooting
Variations: My family loves these rolls as they are so we don’t often make any changes, but you certainly can. You can easily change the cream cheese topping for a simple vanilla glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar. You can also switch up the spices and include some of your favorites like nutmeg or use a pumpkin spice. Finally, if you are one of those odd people ? who like raisins in their rolls you can sprinkle some on before you roll them.
Why didn’t my rolls rise? These are some of the easiest rolls ever! However, with baking sometimes even the smallest change can cause problems. Here a couple common issues that can cause your rolls not to rise properly.
- Expired yeast or killing the yeast by using too hot/too cold water.
- Not allowing enough time for the dough to rise.
- The oven was hotter than 200°F when proofing your dough. If the oven is too hot the rolls will start baking which halt the rise. If you’re worried this will happen simply heat the oven to 200°F then turn it off while the rolls are rising. The oven will stay hot long enough for the rolls to rise.
Making Ahead & Storing Cinnamon Rolls
Make ahead: You can make and shape the dough ahead of time then store it to be baked later. I do have to caution that they don’t seem to rise quite as well this way as they do when baked right away. Even so, they still come out quite deliciously. You can keep the shaped rolls in the fridge or put them in the freezer.
- Fridge: Place the shaped rolls in a baking pan. Spray one side of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the rolls with the sprayed side down. (this will help keep the dough from sticking to the plastic when they rise.) Store in the fridge overnight. The dough will rise, but much more slowly. When you’re ready to bake them, remove the pan from the fridge and let the dough rise on the counter for 30-45 minutes.
- Freezer: Use a freezer safe baking pan to place your rolls in. Cover with plastic and then again with foil. Freeze for 1-2 months. When you’re ready to bake remove the foil and plastic. Spray one side of the plastic and then put it back on with the spayed side down. Allow the rolls to rise for several hours. You can speed up the rise time by placing the rolls in the oven. Preheat it to 200°F then turn it off. Don’t use a plastic cover instead place a bowl of hot water in the oven along with the rolls. Allow the rolls to thaw and rise. They should be bigger than their original size but not double in size.
Storage: You can store these frosted or unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 6 months. When freezing them be sure to wrap them in plastic wrap and then in foil or place them in a freezer Ziploc.
Reheat: Allow the frozen rolls to thaw and then reheat them in the oven. Preheat it to 350⁰F and heat for 10-15 minute or until warm throughout. You can also reheat them in the microwave. Just eat them before they cool otherwise they get pretty hard and stale.
The 90 minutes it takes to make these babies is TOTALLY worth it. I think your family will agree. 😉
For more cinnamon roll recipes, try:
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
- Super Soft Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Bites
- One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
Mini Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1¼ tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk, (to desired thickness)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and salt.
- In a small microwave safe bowl (or glass measuring cup), combine the sugar, butter, water and milk. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute on HIGH in my microwave). Let the mixture come down to 120 degrees. Gradually add the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and set on the lowest mixing setting for 4 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it measures a 24×16 inch rectangle. Prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl except for the butter. Spread the butter over the top of the rolled dough, then cover with the filling. Using a pizza roller/cutter, cut out 24 strips of dough (show in pictures below). Roll each up into a tight roll.
- Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish and gently place a piece of aluminum foil over top. Turn OFF your oven and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 45 minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and turn ON your oven to 375 degrees F. Once heated, remove the foil and bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes or until the centers are lightly golden brown in color.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before frosting. While rolls are cooling, prepare the frosting by combining all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beating by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Spread over the tops of the rolls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I needed to feed a crowd at church, and these were a hit! I’ve never read a recipe for cinnamon rolls where you add vanilla to the filling, so I tried it and it kicked it up a notch in richness… wow! Thanks for posting the recipe.
These were the worst rolls I’ve ever made – followed recipe to a tee. I was timid about a no rise recipe but I thought I’d give it a try – never again
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with the recipe. Thanks for the feedback and for giving it a try!
Can you make these regular sized rolls instead of mini? Is there anything that needs to be changed except for making them bigger?
Yes you could! We also have a cinnamon roll recipe for regular size rolls, if you want to check that out: https://lilluna.com/cinnamon-rolls/. And this one is for one-hour cinnamon rolls (also very delicious!!) https://lilluna.com/one-hour-cinnamon-rolls/
This recipe is a keeper. I made a double batch for a church brunch. It took me a little longer since it was a new recipe to ms. Totally forgot to add the eggs and didn’t have whole milk, so I used half and half. And yet, they were still amazing. Your recipes are the bomb! ❤❤❤
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No pictures were attache here regarding how to cut the strips. Had to YouTube it. But overall they turned out well.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear the cinnamon rolls turned out!!
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?
My first time baking cinnamon rolls, and certainly not the last! I baked these scrumptious delicacies yesterday, and I didn’t have enough for my friends and family, especially because it’s almost Christmas, so I decided to bake another batch! Not difficult to make, and is so delicious. Gone in less than a day after baking! Totally recommended. (.^.)
Wonderful recipe!! I had never made cinnamon rolls before but had to cook for 150 college students today and decided to give it a try to go with the chili. I made 3 double batches and came out with about 150. They were incredible. I usually have issues hand kneading with a new recipe but this one worked perfectly as stated. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad the recipe worked well, especially to make that many! So glad they were a hit!
Can I make the dough and save it overnight then put the cinnamon spread on it the next day to bake?
You should be able to assemble completely, put in the pan cover in wrap and foil then do the final proof in the refrigerator overnight (no more than 12 hours though.) In the morning, remove rolls from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature and rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled. Then bake as instructed above.