Easy Two-bite Cinnamon Rolls That Melt in Your Mouth

Have you ever had a hankering for warm cinnamon rolls but didn’t have any on hand? They say necessity is the mother of invention. I needed cinnamon rolls. I didn’t have any or a nearby bakery where I could get some. So, I made my own.

I also didn’t have any yeast on hand. So, I had to come up with something that would rise nicely without yeast. Enter biscuit dough. It’s quick. It’s easy. And I always have biscuit mix on hand. If you don’t, you can make your own biscuit mix and use that.

I was looking for a sweet bite to go with an egg casserole and crispy oven bacon. That’s when I downsized my homemade rolls into two-bite cinnamon rolls. They are the perfect little nibble when you’re looking for a snack or sweet side dish for breakfast or brunch.

And these two-bite cinnamon rolls are about as easy as they get! That’s the beauty of using biscuit mix. The dough is just biscuit mix and milk. Feel free to use any kind of milk. I’ve made these with regular biscuit mix and whole milk. I’ve made them with the heart-healthy, lighter biscuit mix and skim milk. I even made them with powdered milk once when it was all I had on hand.

Until you roll out the dough, making these two-bite cinnamon rolls is exactly the same as making a batch of biscuits, albeit a small batch. Feel free to double or triple the recipe. Or cut it in half if that’s what you want to do. It’s very flexible.

TIP: Don’t overwork the dough. Knead just until smooth and then roll it out.

Once the dough is kneaded, you should roll it out into a rectangle shape twice as long as it is wide. It doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle, but as close as you can manage. I don’t recommend trimming and reshaping or folding and re-rolling to create a perfect rectangle since you don’t want to overwork the dough. You will need to roll the dough thinner than you would for regular cinnamon rolls or biscuits, only about ¼ inch thick.

Next comes the tasty bits! You’ll notice the recipe calls for 1 – 2 Teaspoons of cinnamon. That’s a lot of variance, I know. This is a case of using the amount that will suit your taste. My family LOVES cinnamon. So, I use a full 2 Teaspoons. You might not like it as much, so feel free to use less.

Some bakers would brush the crust with melted butter before adding the cinnamon and sugar. I don’t, because I like to smear the cinnamon powder around on the dough to make sure it’s evenly coated, and you can’t do that if the surface is sticky (as it would be after brushing with butter). The same is true for the brown sugar.

I generally use light brown sugar when I make these. But dark brown sugar is also delicious. I’ve also made them with granulated sugar (white sugar) in a pinch, and they tasted great! I even made them with ½ the normal amount of brown sugar and a couple of Tablespoons of sucralose (Splenda) or stevia. They were good too, but it turns out cutting 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar from the recipe only saved about 2 calories and half a gram of carbs from each roll. Still, every little bit helps. And I don’t know anyone who only eats one roll!

I used raisins in this batch, but you can leave them out if you don’t like them or don’t have any on hand. I’ve also used chopped, dried apricots and dried cherries before. Both were delicious. Any dried fruit that is relatively soft and chewy will work, so experiment! I’ve also added chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts. Just add them the same as you do the raisins.

Drizzle on the melted butter now. It adds tons of flavor, so you don’t want to skip it. But if you’re watching your saturated fat intake, you can always use half butter and half heart-healthy oil like canola oil. I don’t recommend olive oil here because the flavor is a bit strong. However, not all flavorful oils need to be avoided. Peanut oil and walnut oil, with their subtle nuttiness, are both delicious here.

Successful rolling is about taking your time. Start by folding the edge over so you have a nice straight line. Then gently roll from that side toward the middle. Take your time. Start at one end of the folded edge and work your way to the other. Try to keep the roll fairly tight, but without compressing the dough. It’ll get tough if you mash it.

Don’t worry about the extra sugar and cinnamon that might slip off the edges of the dough. You have plenty on board. Don’t worry about the dough picking up extra biscuit mix from the countertop. It will bake into the finished rolls.

Once you’ve rolled up your log of goodness, gently press the edge to the log to seal it a bit. Don’t worry too much if it isn’t sealed well. That’ll happen during the baking process.

I rolled my dough out to 16 inches by 8 inches. So, I knew I could cut 16 one-inch cinnamon rolls from my log. The length of your roll will determine how many two-bite cinnamon rolls you actually get.

Use a sharp knife when you cut your cinnamon rolls. You don’t want to mash the edges because that can prevent proper rising.

Cut them into one-inch pieces. I start and one end and work my way to the other. I don’t cut off the rough ends. I bake them. These are homemade rolls, so it’s okay if it’s a little rustic, and they’re just as delicious as the rest of the rolls.

When you place them on the pan to bake, make sure they touch. This helps them to rise better. It’s true of biscuits too. It’s like the stronger, more risen rolls help the weaker ones rise to their full potential. People should be more like that.

Be sure to turn them so that the seams rest against another roll. This keeps them from unrolling in the oven.

Bake the cinnamon rolls until they puff up a bit and are just starting to darken. They should be turning golden, but not brown. 

You can use the recipe below to make a tasty glaze or just grab a can of frosting and smear it on the hot rolls. Canned cream cheese frosting is wonderful on these, but plain vanilla frosting works just fine too.

As I said earlier, my family really loves cinnamon. So, I amp up the cinnamon flavor by using Mexican vanilla in my glaze instead of regular vanilla extract. That’s why mine is a little beige but extra tasty! And as you can see, I had to stir in a little extra powdered sugar because I made it a little too thin.

Drizzle the glaze on the rolls while they’re still warm so that it will ooze into all the folds and creases. Be generous with the frosting or glaze. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Two-bite Cinnamon Rolls That Melt in Your Mouth

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snacks, DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12-16

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

8

minutes

Finishing time

2

minutes

Who doesn’t love warm, fresh cinnamon rolls? If you have a few basic ingredients, you can make your own in a matter of minutes. The magic ingredient in these two-bit cinnamon rolls is biscuit mix.

Ingredients

• Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 ½ Cups biscuit mix plus more for rolling out dough

• ½ Cup milk

• 1–2 Teaspoons cinnamon

• ¼ Cup packed brown sugar

• 1 Tablespoon butter

• ¼ Cup raisins (optional)

• Icing

• 1–2 Tablespoons milk

• 1 Cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

• ¼ Teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Make the Cinnamon Rolls
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Combine biscuit mix and ½ cup of milk until a soft dough forms.
  
• Sprinkle additional biscuit mix or flour on a clean, smooth surface and turn out the dough. Sprinkle a bit more mix onto the dough and knead 10-12 times.
  
• Roll out the biscuit dough into a rectangle that is about 8 inches wide by 16 inches long and ½ inch thick.
  
• Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar evenly over the surface of the dough. Dot with raisins (if using).
  
• Melt butter (30-seconds in the microwave on high). Drizzle over cinnamon and sugar.
  
• Fold the first inch of dough over the cinnamon sugar longways. Begin rolling the dough longways, keeping the roll fairly tight. Gently press the edge of the dough against the roll to seal.
  
• Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll into 12–16 one-inch spiral pieces.
  
• Place spirals on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure pieces touch and seams are on the inside. This ensures they rise and don’t come unrolled.
  
• Bake 7–8 minutes until they are just starting to brown. Rolls should be slightly puffed up.
• Make the Icing
• While the rolls bake, make the icing by combining confectioners (powdered) sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon milk.
  
• Stir until smooth.
• The glaze should be thick enough to coat the spoon, but thin enough to drizzle onto the rolls. If glaze is too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until it’s the right consistency. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
  
• Top the Cinnamon Rolls
• Drizzle glaze generously over warm rolls. They should be evenly coated. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired. Enjoy.

Notes

• Heart-healthy or light biscuit mix works just as well as regular.
• Use any milk you like. Seriously. Whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, rice milk, goat milk: use whatever kind you like.
• Make larger cinnamon rolls by rolling the dough to ¾ inch thick and rolling the log short ways. Adjust the baking time to 10–12 minutes. You’ll get 5–6 larger rolls.