These mini cinnamon rolls are bite-sized version of the classic treat we all love. Soft, tender cinnamon rolls with a brown sugar and cinnamon filling are topped with sweet cream cheese icing to create poppable cinnamon roll bites with big flavor in a small package.
Fall is the perfect time for cinnamon rolls! Of course, I make them all year long, but fall is when I really kick my cinnamon roll baking into overdrive. I love making all kinds of varieties, from classic to the viral TikTok cinnamon roll that swept over everyone a few months back. Recently, I’ve been making these mini cinnamon rolls. They’re so much fun to serve to friends and family, and they’re perfect for dessert, a sweet addition to breakfast, snacking, or even parties!
Why You’ll Love This Mini Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: These rolls use simple, basic baking ingredients found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Easy to Make: Although these cinnamon rolls are fully homemade, they’re very easy to make.
- Classic Flavor: Every bite of these bite-sized cinnamon rolls is filled with a soft, doughy texture, along with cinnamon and cream cheese flavors.
- Fun Sized: With a size you can finish in just a couple of bites, these cinnamon rolls are as fun as they are delicious.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- Instant Yeast: Instant yeast gives gives the cinnamon rolls the rise they need to get light and fluffy.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk makes the dough decadent.
- Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the dough and gives the yeast the food it needs to help the dough rise.
For the Filling
- Butter: Butter creates a rich base for the brown sugar and cinnamon filling.
- Sugar and Cinnamon: Brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon give the filling its classic flavor.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream Cheese and Butter: Cream cheese and butter create the rich, creamy base for the icing.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the icing body and adds all that wonderful sweetness.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact measurements.
Flavor Variations
- Filling: Try adding berries, chocolate chips, or nuts to the cinnamon filling for more flavor.
- Spice: Try adding a little pumpkin pie spice for a hint of fall in your cinnamon rolls.
- Whole Milk: Use heavy cream in place of milk for extra-decadent cinnamon rolls.
How to Make Mini Cinnamon Rolls
For the Dough
1: Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2: Step 2: Heat the milk in the microwave until warm. Then mix it with 1 tablespoon each of sugar and milk in a small bowl and let it sit for 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.
3: Step 3: Add the yeast mixture and the remaining dough ingredients to a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until a ball forms. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
4: Step 4: Transfer the ball to a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover it with a clean towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
5: Step 5: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and work it into a rectangular shape. Then, roll it out to about ¼-inch thickness.
6: Step 6: In a medium bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together until well combined.
7: Step 7: Spread the mixture evenly over the dough, covering the entire surface.
8: Step 8: Cut the dough into ½-inch strips and roll them up to make the mini cinnamon rolls. Then, place them in the prepared baking dish, cover them with a clean towel, and let them rise until doubled in size.
9: Step 9: Bake the cinnamon rolls for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
For the Icing
1: Step 1: Beat the icing ingredients with a hand mixer until well incorporated and fluffy.
2: Step 2: Cover the cinnamon rolls with the icing immediately after removing them from the oven. Enjoy!
Hint
Always use a clean towel to cover the dough. Never use plastic wrap. The yeast in the dough needs to breathe.
Storage
Refrigerate these mini cinnamon rolls for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezing is not recommended.
To reheat the cinnamon rolls, microwave them at 15 to 20-second intervals until warmed through.
What to Serve with Mini Cinnamon Rolls
These delicious cinnamon rolls are the perfect addition to breakfast or brunch, an afternoon snack, or even a fun dessert. Try them with this tater tot breakfast casserole for a sweet and savory breakfast, as dessert after a hearty fall meal like creamy chicken and dumplings, or as part of a larger dessert spread at parties alongside treats like Chex mix bars, banana nut cupcakes, or cranberry pecan oatmeal cookies.
Tips
- Be sure you use the freshest yeast possible. Fresh yeast will yield the best results, and stale yeast may not work at all.
- Be sure you warm the milk until it’s just warm – about 100 degrees. A good rule of thumb is that it should feel warm, not hot when you test it with your finger.
- Use a clean towel and NOT plastic wrap to cover the bread as it rises. Plastic wrap will deprive the yeast of oxygen and kill it, preventing the dough from rising.
- Be sure your cream cheese is fully frosted for the smoothest, creamiest icing.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons that dough might not rise. First, if you use outdated yeast, it may not activate and cause the dough to rise. In addition, adding yeast to liquid that’s too hot will kill it, again preventing the dough from rising. Third, if the area you place your dough isn’t warm enough, the rising action will be delayed or won’t happen at all. Finally, if you use plastic wrap to cover your dough rather than a towel, the yeast in the dough will suffocate, and the dough won’t rise.
If you’re unsure about your yeast, simply combine the amount of yeast called for in the recipe with warm water and some sugar. If the mixture doesn’t become foamy after 10 minutes, the yeast is no good.
Yes, it can. In addition to simply becoming so old it doesn’t work, yeast can actually go bad. If yeast is dark brown, hard, crusty, or even worse, moldy, it’s gone bad.
Try These Delicious Mini Cinnamon Rolls
With classic cinnamon roll flavor and texture in a bite-sized package, these mini cinnamon rolls are as fun as they are delicious. They make a wonderful addition to breakfast, an afternoon snack, a dessert, or an addition to your next party or holiday gathering, and they’re so easy to make that you’ll be happy to whip up a batch. Give these a try, and I know you’ll fall in love with them.
More Delicious Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Enjoy
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Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package instant yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 1 cup whole milk, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
Filling
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. And spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
For the Dough
- Heat milk for 35-40 seconds in the microwave or until warm (100 degrees F).
- In a small bowl, stir together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon milk. Let the yeast mixture sit for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy.
- Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place flour, butter, eggs, salt, remaining milk and sugar, and yeast mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer.
- On medium speed, knead dough until a ball forms. Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Once the dough ball is formed, transfer into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once dough has risen, transfer onto a floured surface and shape into a rectangle.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon together until well incorporated.
- Spread mixture over rolled out dough, making sure the entire dough is covered.
- Cut dough from the wide side of the dough into ½ inch strips then cut the strips in half and roll up to form a cinnamon roll.
- Place mini cinnamon rolls into the prepared 9×13 baking dish, cover with kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 -18 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until cream and well incorporated.
- When rolls are taken out of the oven, immediately cover with icing.
Notes
- Be sure you use the freshest yeast possible. Fresh yeast will yield the best results, and stale yeast may not work at all.
- Be sure you warm the milk until it’s just warm – about 100 degrees. A good rule of thumb is that it should feel warm, not hot when you test it with your finger.
- Use a clean towel and NOT plastic wrap to cover the bread as it rises. Plastic wrap will deprive the yeast of oxygen and kill it, preventing the dough from rising.
- Be sure your cream cheese is fully frosted for the smoothest, creamiest icing.
Nutrition
