I used my Mamaw’s roll recipe to make up the easiest cinnamon rolls of all time! These are big and fluffy! Full of cinnamon flavor and the perfect amount of warm frosting on top! Watch out Cinnabon!
So I am going to confess a secret to you all here today. Up until yesterday, I had never made a cinnamon roll from scratch. I’ve made the cinnamon rolls you get in the freezer section and the rolls you pop out of the scary tubes in the refrigerated section of the grocery store but I had never, not one time, made a cinnamon roll from scratch!
MAMAW’S CINNAMON ROLLS
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I decided this had to happen because I knew that they would be amazing made from scratch and big and fluffy and fantastic. I decided to start looking at recipes to do some research. I looked at my friend’s grandmother’s recipe that she sent me that looks amazing but I was looking for something a little more simple for my first time out of the gate and then it hit me!
I have the recipe for Mamaw’s Rolls! Mamaw was my great-grandmother and she is famous for her gigantic rolls!!! My cousin came out to visit a couple years ago and she taught me how to make the rolls. Mamaw used this same recipe to make pita bread so I thought I can surely use it to make cinnamon rolls. Now, I remember eating a lot of the amazing food Mamaw made, she was a Lebanese grandmother in Virgina, so she could cook, but I don’t ever remember her making cinnamon rolls. I am VERY confident that if asked to she would have made them with this dough, so, they are now called Mamaw’s Cinnamon Rolls. 😉
I love how huge and fluffy they turned out! They taste better than a Cinnabon cinnamon roll so if you’re looking for a copy cat recipe you’ll like these better. My husband ate two straight away after they were frosted!! I had these made in 1 hour flat and I think I could get faster the more times I make them. I’d say 15 to 20 minutes of that is inactive time, waiting for the dough to rise so they’re actually pretty fast to make! I will be making these now on the weekends for a special treat. I think my days of playing with the scary popping tube of cinnamon rolls are done for good!
Want more cinnamon roll recipes?
- Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
- More breakfast recipes…
Tools used to make this Mamaw’s Cinnamon Rolls recipe
Baking Dish: This baking dish is a must-have for any home cook. I actually have 3 of them in my cupboard, and each dish comes with a lid for storing leftovers or taking your dishes on the go.
Stand Mixer: I don’t know what I’d do without my stand mixer. I use it for just about everything…and I mean everything! Cakes, cookies, mashed potatoes, and shredding chicken!
Mixing Bowls: These mixing bowls get used just about every day at my house. The grip handle makes them easy to hold and the pour spout makes them perfect for batters!
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Mamaw's Rolls dough up until the dough rises
- flour for working the dough
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter softened
- ¼ cup cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- grease a 13x9 baking dish with butter or cooking spray, set aside
- sprinkle flour on your work surface
- once Mamaw's dough has risen and doubled in size punch it down and turn it out onto the floured surface
- form it into a log shape and then pat down to form a rectangle
- roll out the dough to 16 inches by 20 inches
Cinnamon Filling
- in a medium bowl mix the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until an even paste if formed
- very carefully spread the cinnamon filling over the dough to all the edges but one long edge
- starting from the long edge with the filling to the end start to carefully roll towards the edge with no cinnamon until you make a long log
- cut the end of the roll off so that you end up with a flat edge on either end.
- cut 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch slices
- pick up each roll and carefully tuck the edge with no cinnamon under the bottom of the roll and set it in the baking pan
- repeat with all the rolls (if you have extra you can bake them off in a cake pan)
- place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown
Cream Cheese Icing
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking start your icing
- place the cream cheese and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy
- add in the confectioners' sugar on slow speed until incorporated
- pour in the vanilla extract and then beat until light and fluffy
- as soon as the cinnamon rolls are done place 1 teaspoon of the icing onto each roll and spread it so that it melts into the cracks of the cinnamon swirl
- allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for 5 to 10 minutes but not all the way then frost them with the remaining cream cheese icing
- enjoy!
Jade says
First time I’ve tried cinnamon rolls and oh boy, what a delicious treat! Thanks for this great recipe!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you Jade!! Now you know why I love them so much!
Tammy says
I made the Mamaw Cini.. rolls today and loved them…Thank you for sharing such. A great recipe… I also made just 1 roll out of the recipe also before making the cini.roll.It was excellent…
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you so much Tammy!!
melinda says
Can you make them the night before and put in the fridge until morning?
Aubrey Cota says
You will want to follow the freezing instructions if you do not plan on making them the same day that you prepare the dough.
Ruth Ann Ryan says
Mamaws roll recipe makes 32 rolls.
When making Mamaws Cinnamon Rolls do we use the whole or half recipe? Seems like a lot.
Aubrey Cota says
I use the whole recipe.
Vera Mifflin says
Do you have a Pecan Roll Recipe using Maw Maws roll dough? Using your roll recipe for Thanksgiving.
Aubrey Cota says
Not currently, I’ll have to work on that.
Janet says
I was interested in MaMaw’s recipe for Cinnamon Rolls, did not see the ingredients listed… ?
Aubrey Cota says
https://realhousemoms.com/mamaws-rolls/ you will find the recipe to the rolls there. Once you have completed the uncooked portion of that recipe you can refer back to this one for the rest of the ingredients.
andrea says
Why give half a recipe,wheres the dough ricipe?????
Julie @Real Housemoms says
Hi Andrea. There’s a link to the dough recipe within the recipe card. It’s says “Mamaw’s Rolls” and when you click on that link you’ll get the dough recipe. Hope this helps! 🙂
Esther says
Hi in the video it doesnt show you add butter to the floor mix, but in the recipe for the dough it has 6 T of butter melted. Is therw butter added??
Esther says
Nevermind the 6T butter is melted on rip if I’m making biscuits. Lol
Julie Kotzbach says
Hi Esther! The dough recipe uses vegetable oil. The butter listed in the dough recipe is to brush on top of the rolls.
Liz says
Looks good. Thank you.