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These easy Mini Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy and filled with a buttery cinnamon sugar filling before being topped with a smooth cream cheese icing. Ready in just 90 minutes, they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon treat. Or basically anytime you’re hungry. Or not even hungry.

Let’s just take a moment everyone to appreciate the person (bless their souls) that came up with the idea to spread dough with cinnamon and sugar, bake it just long enough to cook through and then top with a cream cheese icing. Amen.

The recipe is great fun to make with kids because there is mixing and rolling and spreading and cutting and the whole process, although easy, feels like a tribute in itself to baking.

These Mini Cinnamon Rolls come with a warning: Will. Be. Devoured. FAST.

Let’s talk about how to make these Mini Cinnamon Rolls

There are 3 parts to the recipe. You have to make the dough, the filling and then the glorious topping.

The dough itself is wonderfully easy to work with and only needs a short rest before rolling. While the dough is resting, you can get your cinnamon filling ready. It is simply sugar, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla. Once the dough is rolled out, spread over the melted butter, sprinkle on the filling, cut the dough into thin strips and then roll them up to create those adorable mini swirls.

The rolls then prove for 45 minutes in a warm switched OFF oven (or if you are in a hot climate you can leave them covered on the counter).

Then you crank up the heat on the oven , bake them until just slightly golden, then remove from the oven.

The final touch is a simple cream cheese icing. Don’t skip this part. You allow the rolls to cool just a little before adding the icing but not completely. The warmth of the rolls melts the icing slightly, creating that irresistible soft, gooey topping that makes homemade cinnamon rolls so special.

Recipe Notes

Don’t overbake the rolls. They should be just lightly golden on top. Slightly underbaked cinnamon rolls stay beautifully soft and gooey in the middle.
I used a 20 x 30cm baking dish, which comfortably held 20-24 mini rolls.
If your kitchen is chilly, placing the covered rolls in a warm (switched-off) oven is a great trick to help them rise.
These are best eaten warm on the day they are made, but leftovers reheat beautifully in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
I find using my fingers to spread the cinnamon sugar filling works much better than a spoon—it gives a more even coating and ensures every bite has plenty of cinnamon goodness.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

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Author: Louise
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 20–24 Mini Cinnamon Rolls 1x

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Description

Ingredients

Dough

2¾ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
25g butter
½ cup water
¼ cup milk
1 egg

Cinnamon Filling

¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Cream Cheese Frosting

125g cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1–2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

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Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt.
In a microwave-safe jug, combine the sugar, butter, water and milk. Heat in the microwave until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, about 1 minute on high. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently. Add the egg and mix until a soft dough forms.
Knead by hand for 3–4 minutes, or using the dough hook on the lowest setting of a stand mixer for 2–3 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 10–15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 90°C and lightly grease a rectangular baking dish. I used a 20 x 30cm dish.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring approximately 25 x 35cm.
To make the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Brush the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top. I find using my fingers to spread the filling around works best.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough in half horizontally. Then cut vertical strips about 4cm wide. Roll each strip up tightly to form mini cinnamon rolls.
Arrange the rolls in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little space between them. Loosely place a sheet of foil over the top—there’s no need to tuck it in. Turn the oven OFF, place the dish inside and allow the rolls to rise for about 45 minutes, or until puffy.
Remove the dish from the oven and increase the temperature to 190°C. Once the oven has heated up, remove the foil and bake the rolls for 14–15 minutes, until the tops are just lightly golden.
Allow the rolls to cool slightly while you prepare the icing. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a smooth, spreadable icing.
Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve.

Notes

These are best eaten warm on the day they’re made, but a quick zap in the microwave brings them back to life beautifully.
Don’t overbake them—the tops should only be lightly golden. Slightly underbaked cinnamon rolls are wonderfully soft and gooey in the middle.
If your kitchen is cold, the trick of placing the covered rolls in a warm (switched-off) oven works brilliantly for helping them rise.

Recipe inspired by: Lilluna