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Cinnamon Buns like Cinnabon's®
Heavenly cinnamon rolls drizzled in a sweet icing.

Prep. Time: 4:00
Serves: 12 - 15

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbls. ground cinnamon
(2) .25 oz. pkts. active dry yeast
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup 110 degree water
1 cup warm milk
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup melted butter OR margarine
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs - slightly beaten
up to 8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter OR margarine
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts OR pecans - optional
1/2 cup melted butter OR margarine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup melted butter OR margarine
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple extract - optional, but recommended
up to 6 Tbls. hot water

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-Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and the cinnamon; set aside.
-In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in warm water; set aside.
-In a large bowl, mix together milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, salt, and eggs; add yeast mixture and 4 cups of flour to mixture; beat until smooth; stir in enough flour to form a slightly stiff dough.
-Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.
-Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
-Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes.
-Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a 15" X 20" rectangle.
-Brush 1/2 cup melted butter over dough; sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over dough; sprinkle nuts evenly over dough, if desired.
-Tightly roll up dough and pinch edges together to seal; cut the roll into 12 - 15 slices using dental floss or thread.
-Coat the bottom of a 13" X 9" X 2" baking pan with 1/2 cup melted butter; sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar evenly in the bottom of the pan.
-Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the prepared pan; cover pan and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
-Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
-Stir together powdered sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, and extracts; stir in hot water, 1 Tbls. at a time, until the glaze reaches desired spreading consistency.
-Spread prepared icing over slightly cooled rolls.

Other Cinnamon Roll recipes on this site: Iced Cinnamon Rolls

75 Visitor Comments About This Recipe Submit Yours Below!
  • they are so worth the work. I just made them today and my family could not stop eating them. I believe that they are better than cinnabon.
    These take a while to make but are well worth the time. AWSOME!!!

  • I just wanted you to know that these rolls are the BOMB! I've tried other recipes that claim they taste like Cinnabons and they don't even compare to this recipe. I'm so glad I found your site. Thanks for the wonderful Cinnamon Roll Recipe.

  • Our family gets together every Wednesday with our best friend family. I made these for dessert and they were rated better than cinnabons!! Now, in addition to my famous apple dumplings, I can add these!!

  • I've wanted to try these for awhile and finally made them New Year's Day. They are time consuming but are well worth the effort. They are very delicious. I was a little frustrated trying to get the right consistency of the dough but finally managed. Because of the quantity I shared them with my two daughters and their families and received great reviews. I love your website. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.

  • It was a lot of work, but was it worth it!!!! My whole family loved them! We heated them up in the microwave for 45 seconds and were still yummy!

  • I think these would be good, but watch the baking time ... I'm an experienced baker, and after I baked mine a little over 30 minutes, thought they were done. But after they sat a bit they sank and it turned out they were still all gooey in the middle. Made for a disappointing Christmas brunch.

  • Your recipe can be GREATLY improved by: 1. Add mashed potatoes to the dough--makes them very soft like potato bread 2. Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour 3. Add cream cheese to your topping. 4. Spread apple sauce along with butter on rolled out dough. These additions will make your rolls better than sex.

  • Absolutely outstanding!! Delicious and well worth the time. I WILL make again and share this wonderful recipe.

  • These can be a make-ahead. Immediately after placing them in the prepared pans, cover with greased foil and freeze. The night before you want to serve them, put them out on the kitchen counter before going to bed. The final rising will take place overnight and they will be ready to bake in the am. As good as fresh. Great for Christmas morning.

  • AWESOME!!!  Tastes even better than Cinnabon!

  • It makes absolutely no sense at all!! These were the most scrumptious cinnamon rolls around. The recipe made so many, that I just had to take the rest to work the next day! I was the bell of the ball with these. (One guy even asked for my hand in marriage over these rolls!!) I have 3 people already asking me to make some for their parties. It's definitely worth it to donate to this website when I get the profits for making these rolls. Thanks once again Robbie!! I don't know what I'd do without you!!!

  • good but hard to make

  • INCREDIBLE - WORTH ALL THE TIME AND MESS!!!

  • Just wanted to let you know that "these are screamin' " according to my neighbor's son. Everyone loved them!!! Guess what the neighbors are getting for Christmas?!

  • WONDERFUL Cinnamon roll recipe. This is the first time I've ever made any type of bread and it turned out great! The recipe was easy to follow and very explanatory. To cut back a little of the fat in the recipe I used a non-stick baking spray instead of butter in the baking sheet and also used a milk, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla frosting rather than the butter cream frosting suggested in your recipe. It is delicious!

  • better than the real thing. orgasmic well worth the rising and preparation time. while your at it make 2 batches as they will go lightening quick!

  • This is the best recipe I have ever tried.  Time consuming but well worth the wait.

  • My husband made these, they were great. He is not really very "baking friendly" person but his results were fantastic. His mother-in-law even want his recipe! It's a must try recipe.

  • This recipe is the BEST! It is a hit with everyone. Thanks to this recipe everyone thinks that I am an awesome baker and they all ask me to make it again for them

  • Hey Robbie, not only is this recipe outrageous and delicious but checking out your "If this recipe interests you, check out..." was very clever advertising! Just wanted to thank you for not only exciting the family's taste buds with the recipe but for working my peripheral vision while visiting your site!

  • Great ! Can't make enough. The neighbors have standing orders every time I make them.

  • I made the Cinnabons Cinnamon Buns this morning and they're fantastic. I halved the recipe, and made the dough in our bread machine to simplify the process. I also used butter instead of margarine, and brushed the tops of the formed rolls with melted butter prior to baking. I'll most definitely make these again!

  • Fabulous cinnamon buns! They were so easy to make. Worth the time invested. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

  • I wanted to let you know that I tried freezing the dough and it did great! I fixed it thru the jelly roll stage and then froze it in 3 smaller rolls. I let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then took up the recipe with the final rise the next morning. It got rave reviews! Thanks for a great recipe.

  • I loved this recipe! Better than Cinnabon's and SOOO EASY! Prep time was really only 2 1/2 hours for me, and the dough is beautifully easy to work with! Thanks for sharing!

  • About 8:00pm last night, I got a craving for a Cinnabon. I'm fairly comfortable in the kitchen and have no fear of experimenting... so I decided to look online for a knock-off recipe of those scrumptious Cinnabons. The recipe on your Web site is one of the few that doesn't require a bread machine. I had so much fun making these! It's the first bread-like recipe I've ever tried. Kneading, punching it down...etc...was great fun for me. The cinnamon rolls turned out to be sooo much better than Cinnabon's, though the recipe could feed a small army. :) My boyfriend was really in heaven with 'em as well.

  • I made these cinnamon buns for Easter and everyone raved about how yummy they were, I for sure will keep this recipe and have already given the recipe to friends!

  • Thanks for the recipe. I had to find something quick because my mother in law didn't think I could make cinnamon rolls. My husband thinks I'm the cinnamon roll queen now. I make them in my bread maker and I like to substitute part brown sugar in every step except the dough itself to add a caramely taste. YUM.

  • A real 'TA DA' recipe. The ironic thing was that I made these because I always feel slightly sick after eating a whole Cinnabon, and I figured it was probably some chemical they used. But after eating a whole one of these, I felt exactly the same! I added some cream cheese to the frosting because it was just a little too 'powdered sugar' tasting for me. Will make these again, and only eat them 1/2 at a time!

  • Excellent recipe. Thank you.

  • I couldn't wait to cook these for my husband, but was VERY disappointed, the bread was very doughy and very hard. Followed the recipe very carefully.

  • These were incredible!!! They are sooo good, my family wont stop asking for them! I first made them in my foods and nutrition class and our teacher gave all of us your website. They are amazing, you have to make a couple batches if you want any for yourself!! Thanks so much!

  • Oh my!! I had so much fun making these. Being the inexperienced baker that I am I was afraid that these were going to be a total flop. I remembered to add the eggs and salt after I kneaded the bread for eight minutes. Even though I added them later these rolls turned out great! I was a total mess, covered in flour from head to waist. I can't wait to make these again! What a fantastic recipe.

  • I absolutely loved them. The recipe is right on and I am not a bread maker. I even forget to put my yeast mixture in until half way thru adding the flour and they still turned out wonderful. I used brown sugar instead white and they were delicious. I can't wait to bake these for my entire family.

  • Robbie, I have made these cinnamon rolls a few times now, and each time I make them I think I ought to write and thank you. So...thank you! It is a great recipe, and although it may look difficult, it is easy. Since for some people a whole one is too much, I usually make full size rolls with half the recipe and smaller rolls with the other half. (Of course, then everyone eats two of the small rolls!) Maria (from Uruguay)

  • My search for the worlds best cinnamon roll recipe is over! These were great!

  • Thanks so much for this recipe. I have made them several times and they are a hit each time. If only I could quit eating them once I have made them. They are very delicious.

  • These cinnamon buns are a winner! I have not been too impressed with any of the recipes I have tried from the Internet. - But these cinnamon buns are an exception. Not only do they taste great but they look as if they are difficult to make and are really quite easy. Thank you. This recipe will go into my recipe file and used over and over again.

  • My mom has type 2 diabetes and was struggling with her sweet tooth, I made these DELICIOUS rolls using Splenda, and made the icing on the side for dipping, she was so thrilled!! They turned out just as good as the original... THANKS SO MUCH!!!

  • Most fabulous! I shared some with co-workers and the were in hog heaven.

  • You are my IDOL!!!! I made these last night for my husband and I'm beside myself how they taste just like Cinnabon. No more 45 minute trips to the mall.

  • This was my first time baking bread like dough. But it came out so good and also It's easy to make. I live in Thailand and there's no cinnbon shop here so now I can make my own cinnaabon and eat them whenever i want! Thanks so much Robbie :)

  • You are my IDOL!!!! I made these last night for my husband and I'm beside myself how they taste just like Cinnabon. No more 45 minute trips to the mall.

  • Hiya again. I've made these over 12 times and last night at the suggestion of a visitor on the website I sprayed the bottom of the pan with butter spray instead of using the 2/3 margarine as you are supposed to. (It was late but I wanted them) NO GOOD! The bottom of these buns formed a candy like crunch to them. They were still good but I wouldn't recommend altering the recipe in a way that will change the texture. Love you by the way...I've made almost everything with complete success!!!

  • Oh my goodness!!!! These are the best cinnamon buns I have ever made. I've been baking for some time, and these are the most delicious (and easiest) I have ever made or tasted!!!! Thanks Robbie for yet another great recipe!!!

  • Just want to let you know..I made the cinnabon's for a Mother's Day brunch and everyone went "nuts" over them. They are excellent and I will make them again, for sur.

  • i did everything right and they never cooked...they were hard as a rock but still had the dough texture and taste

  • These are so amazing! My husband laughed at me for going on and on about them until he tasted one and declared he was going to eat another. They're well worth the wait! I'll be making these again for sure.

  • Don't be afraid to use enough flour as needed.Hard to get consistency of dough.But all worth it in the end

  • I made these today and they are awesome. I tried a different recipe a week ago and it was horrible. My family wont stop eating the ones I made today and there was 30 of them!!!! They do take a while but well worth it!!!! I will definitely make these again!!!

  • I made a batch and took them to church to share. Other girls want this recipe. Should I share it with them? I just gave them your website so they can discover more of your delicious recipes on their own. These are the BEST cinnamon buns I have ever made, after baking for almost 50 years! Thank you, Robbie.

  • 100% the Best period

  • This what i was looking for all my life, i everytime go to cinnabon to have a roll sometimes i feeling have one at night but now i can make them at home

  • Thank you for this great recipe! Never made cinnamon buns before. They were better than any i've eaten at fairs and I thought those were wonderful. I will use this recipe forever. So happy I found your site.

  • This was the BEST! most AMAZING cinnamon buns we've ever tasted. Forget about Cinnabon. One thing that is dangerous about these Cinnamon buns is that you can't stop eating them. I'm sending this recipe to everybody I know. Thanks.

  • AWESOME! You rule Robbie Keep up the great work

  • These rolls are the bomb. My husband fell in love with me all over again after tasting them. I used a cream cheese icing instead. Thank you sooo much

  • i am baking the rolls right now...and they smelll deeeelicious and i cant wait to have them im my tummy :D im gonna message again once they are done and tell you how good they are:D:D

  • OMG!! These are the best!! I made them last night ... only 2 1/2 hours from start to finished. They smelled so good and I was so proud of how they looked I took them piping hot out of the oven to my mom and sister's homes. EVERYONE LOVED THEM! I'm not a baker ... don't think you can mess these up! SUPER EASY AND DELICIOUS

  • Very tasty (especially the dough itself!), and I made only few alterations (kept the dough in the fridge for a few hours because I had to leave the house, and I used Bourbon Vanilla instead of extract). Only one difficulty: when I cut the roll into slices (no matter whether using a knife or thread) a lot of the tasty filling fell out.

  • These truly are like everyone said, Awesome! Did you know you can buy cinnamon at the Cinnabon Shop for about $6...if you want the exact cinnamon taste.

  • WOW! These are amazing. I am a High School student, and an amateur baker at best. The recipe was well worded and easy to follow, and did I mention how great these taste? As good as any cinnamon roll I have ever had. Thank you for this great recipe, and I’d recommend it all.

  • I've only made homemade cinnamon rolls a few times as they were a great deal of work and not that great. But these...were out of this world! My family continues to rave.Thanks for a greattttt recipe!

  • Made a test batch yesterday...they were instantly gone. I'm busy now making LOTS of them to give all my neighbors to enjoy Christmas morning. Our old family traditional breakfast that has lasted for 65+ years will be changed this year!

  • These Cinnabon's rocked my socks!!!

  • I made the recipe, it taste great and my family loved it but the only negative thing about it according to my family is that i'ts too sweet... Generally it delicious...

  • These rolls ar great. I made them to the slice stage, then I froze them. I took them out the night before I needed them, placed them on the butter and sugar, covered them with plastic wrap left them on the counter over night and baked them the next morning. Awesome. I didn't think they were any harder to make than any other scratch recipe.

  • hello there!What a great recipe for a cinnamon rolls I been learning to bake just ecently and this recipe makes me feel iam a chef. thank you for this wonderful recipes . It was a sucess ..More power and God bless you.

  • Sending a gentle hello to all from The Bahamas. I love this recipe so much...it just "takes my breath away." ...I mean just "to die for"

  • Very good! Best cinnamon bun recipe I have ever tried! I did add brown sugar in with the cinnamon/sugar for the filling prior to rolling them up. Would maybe try a different icing but other then that these are excellant! Definitely a keeper!

  • It was a really good recipe! I did cut the recipe by 3 because otherwise we would have them coming out our ears! Plus I used brown sugar plus cinnamon/sugar in the middle (like Cinnabon does). Will have to try them again to see whether which way is better :p All in all, they came out really good... best cinnamon bun recipe I have tried!

  • OH MY GOSH!!! It"s 12:30 at night and I just had one right out of the oven. We don"t have a Cinnibons in Canada, so I can"t say if they are the same, but these are the best cinnimon buns I have ever tasted! I hope that they are still soooooo good when they are cold, like in the morning. I made one pan with just a bit of butter on the pan, but i still glazed the top, they were really good too. Thanks for the recipe.

  • This is the best! YUM!I added rasins soaked in rum and used a whiskey sauce insted and it is even better, It looks complicated but in fact it is very easy and I don't cook! Thanks Robbie~

  • just like everyone else´s comments- I agree. Not only delicious but very easy to work with. Dough was very managable and airy which made it a cinch to handle. Those that had bad comments about the recipe probably didnt follow the directions well and were disapointed with their results. I recomend trying again. These are so good!

  • This is the best thing I have ever eaten. It is not that difficult to make. I don't bake and I made it to perfection. I did add raisins and nuts, it was great.My family is in heaven~Thanks Robbie you Rock!!!

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