Speedy Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting
Speedy Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting are homemade, tender, and light cinnamon rolls topped with creamy homemade maple frosting.
Get warm, homemade cinnamon rolls on the table in just over an hour- start to finish!
Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting
In this recipe I’ve added a little extra punch of flavor with a Maple frosting for my cinnamon rolls. If you prefer a more basic cinnamon roll, try these Speedy Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I am thankful for this recipe because it got me started making cinnamon rolls on a regular basis for my family.
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It made me successful at baking them and now I want to make them over and over again!
If you want to give the Midwestern combo of chili and cinnamon rolls a try, my family loves this Hillbilly Chili recipe and Taste Likes Mom’s Chili, which is like a cross between chili and soup.
If you want a fun twist on cinnamon rolls, try these Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with heavy cream.
For a more traditional and hearty chili, try my Beef Chili with Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Waffles. (Now THAT’S a mouthful!) And if you’re looking for a more low-carb chili, you’ll enjoy this Instant Pot Chili-Dog-Chili.
Why This is the Favorite Cinnamon Roll Recipe at my House
- I believe that the biggest reason this recipe makes us so successful in making homemade cinnamon rolls is one big thing: The yeast is mixed in with the flour so it’s protected and foolproof, just in case the water you add may be bit too hot. (Hot water kills yeast and then your rolls can’t raise properly…such a disappointment!)
- Another big reason this recipe is wonderful? I’ts a TIME SAVER. These cinnamon rolls can be made, start-to-finish in just over an hour. Making cinnamon rolls doesn’t have to take all day!
- We really enjoy the maple frosting as a change from the plain creamy frosting recipe I typically use.
Why These Easy-Peasy Cinnamon Rolls Can Be Made So Quickly
The reason these cinnamon rolls can be cranked out so quickly is that there is only one raise of the dough required. This raise of the dough is following the placement of the cinnamon rolls onto the baking sheet and will take about 20-30 minutes at the most. that is after you’ve created the cinnamon rolls and placed them onto the baking sheet.
The Secret Ingredient to Making Maple Frosting
The maple flavor in the frosting for these cinnamon rolls is amplified by adding strong coffee for the liquid.
That’s what those little specks are that you see in the frosting – those are tiny granules of coffee!
I like really tender cinnamon rolls. Is there something I should do to ensure that my cinnamon rolls turn out light and tender?
Yep, a couple of things, actually. First, be careful you don’t add too much flour.
The cinnamon roll dough should be pretty tacky to the touch when you get ready to pull the dough out of the mixing bowl.
TACKY to the touch is ok, but not STICKY. If your dough is sticky, you DO need more flour added, but only as needed, a little at a time.
Also, if you have time, letting the dough raise BEFORE you make the cinnamon rolls makes the dough even more light and tender, but I rarely do this extra raise.
To also keep your dough light and tender, don’t over work the dough as this can make it tough, and be sure you don’t over bake the cinnamon rolls, as well.
Tools That Are Helpful for Making Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
There are few tools required for making cinnamon rolls!
A stand mixer, such as a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer or a Bosch Mixer. (My Mom gave me her Bosch mixer about 8 years ago and I LOVE the dang thing!!!)
A good heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet (or two!). Good quality sheet pans are as essential as good quality skillets – they provide the browning we need for good flavor profiles. (Because nobody wants to eat a cinnamon roll that’s soggy on the bottom, right?)
A rolling pin that is comfortable for you to use. Here’s the rolling pin that I adore! I love how I can use it with one hand while feeling my dough with the other hand to see where I need to roll it out next. Once I discovered how this particular type of rolling pin makes rolling out any type of dough so much easier and quicker, I got a couple of them to have on hand and never looked back. ?
My cinnamon rolls are never all the same size. How can I remedy this?
See the photos below for how I cut up my cinnamon rolls to make sure they are all really close in size. I always struggled with my rolls being slightly different sizes, and the slicing method below fixed all that! (Cutting them all the same size also helps them bake more evenly.)
1. Once you have the cinnamon rolls rolled up into one long long, cut that log in half.
2. Now place each of those halves horizontally before you on your work surface, one above the other, but not touching.
3. Using your serrated knife, mark the dough in 3 places evenly across both logs – I just eye ball it.
4. Use those marks to evenly slice both of the logs of dough into quarters into this into 3 rolls each to make 12 large cinnamon rolls. If you want 16 smaller cinnamon rolls, slice each of those logs of dough into 4 rolls each.
5. Place the rolls onto a greased baking sheet and let them raise in a warm, draft-free spot in your kitchen. Bake as directed in the recipe below, then frost the rolls while they are still a bit warm, but not super hot.
Don’t like Maple Frosting?
Try our regular cinnamon roll frosting recipe. It’s tried and true and we love it!
More Favorite Recipes My Family Enjoys
Frozen Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream shows you how to effortlessly transform frozen cinnamon rolls into light, fluffy, and decadent oven-baked treats.
Sweet Hawaiian rolls slathered with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked until golden brown with a gooey center make these viral Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls.
How to Make Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls….The Easy Way!
Speedy Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 6 – 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp. instant yeast, I use quick-rise instant yeast
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very softened, but not melted
- 1-2 Tbs. cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Maple Frosting
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 cup strong coffee, I make mine with 1/4 cup hot water combined with 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
- 1 tsp. maple flavoring
- 3 Tbs. melted unsalted butter
- 1-2 Tbs. milk, as needed
Instructions
Prepare the Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine milk, water, oil, sugar and salt in microwave safe bowl; heat 1-2 minutes, until temperature is to 120 – 130 degrees F.
- While liquids are heating, measure 3 cups of flour into bowl of a stand mixer; add the yeast and combine well with flour.Pour the heated liquids into the flour/yeast mixture. Using the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed for 1 minute, then add the egg and beat an additional 2 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in the bowl; knead dough for 1-2 minutes. Dough should be soft and pliable, slightly tacky to the touch, but not sticking to sides of bowl. If the dough is still too sticky after adding 6 cups of flour, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, a little at a time, only adding as much flour as you need to so the dough is tacky to the touch, but not sticky.
- Remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly flour work surface, allowing it to rest for 5 minutes. Punch the dough down, then allow it to rest for another 5 minutes. Using your favorite rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approx. 22” wide by 18” tall. **If you begin rolling out the dough into the rectangle and the dough keeps pulling back each time, let the dough rest an additional 5 minutes. Once the dough is relaxed, it will roll out easily.
- Spread softened butter over the surface of the dough; sprinkle the dough evenly with cinnamon, and then the sugar. Using your palms, lightly press down over the sugar to kind of “adhere” it into the dough a bit.
- Roll up the dough from the long edge closest to you, gently tucking the dough and the filling together as you go. As your are rolling the dough, be aware that if the center of the roll is becoming fatter than the ends, make an adjustment as you go, gently stretching out the center a bit to keep the roll as even in circumference as possible. This helps to ensure that when you slice the rolls, they are fairly even in circumference and size.
- Using a sharp serrated knife or a piece of dental floss, cut the log of dough evenly in half. Now place both halves horizontally before you on the work surface, one above the other on the counter, but not touching. (*Please see the photo above in this post to better see what I'm referring to here and to make the instructions more clear.)
- Make incisions on top of each log of dough at the same time, marking where you want to slice so that both logs of dough will be cut into equal pieces. Slice each one at the incisions you made on top of the logs of dough, then place the cinnamon rolls onto a greased rimmed baking sheet. **Please note, you can cut 12 large cinnamon rolls from the dough, or 16 small cinnamon rolls.
- Let the rolls raise in a warm place, draft-free place in your kitchen for 15-20 minutes. Bake the cinnamon rolls, uncovered, on the center rack of the [reheated oven for approx. 14-16 minutes for 16 smaller rolls or 16-18 minutes for 12 larger rolls, taking care not to over bake. (If baking the rolls in aluminum pans, be sure to place the pans onto a nice, heavy baking sheet to promote browning on the bottom of your cinnamon rolls in the aluminum pans.)
Prepare the Maple Frosting
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting by combining all ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.
Frost the Cinnamon Rolls Once They are Baked
- Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop a mound of the prepared frosting onto the top of each warm cinnamon roll. When the frosting has softened from the warmth of each roll, gently spread the frosting out over the edges and down over the sides of each cinnamon roll. Serve warm……alongside a bowl of chili!
Notes
- Yep, a couple of things, actually. First, be careful you don’t add too much flour. The cinnamon roll dough should be pretty tacky to the touch when you get ready to pull the dough out of the mixing bowl.
- TACKY to the touch is ok, but not STICKY. If your dough is sticky, you DO need more flour added, but only as needed, a little at a time. Also, if you have time, letting the dough raise BEFORE you make the cinnamon rolls makes the dough even more light and tender, but I rarely do this extra raise.
- To also keep your dough light and tender, don’t over work the dough as this can make it tough, and be sure you don’t over bake the cinnamon rolls, as well.
Nutrition
Looks easy . Never have made a small batch …. ONLY for 250-300 at work. ( school lunch ) Love watching you .
I can’t even imagine making 250-300 cinnamon rolls at a time – yikes! That is totally an accomplishment. It should be mandatory that EVERY school makes cinnamon rolls for their kids.
Chef Alli
I made these today and they are delicious. Unexpectedly tasty for such a quick dough. Frosting is a bit too much so next time I’ll reduce amounts by about 25%. Great find!!
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Dental floss works great to cut rolls without flattening them out. I wrap it around under the log, cross over, and pull both ends.