Giant Cinnamon Rolls

ByHeather Tullos
43 Comments
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It doesn’t get much more indulgent than Giant Cinnamon Rolls the size of your hand! You can make this coffee house favorite right at home! Let’s learn how.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

School started this week which means that there are actually a few hours a day where the house is QUIET. I took full advantage and jumped right into yeast bread baking.

There’s this coffee house that I visit with a coworker when we just need a change of scenery and they are fab-o for a whole bunch of reasons. But their giant cinnamon rolls top the list. Whenever we go work there we share one, and then buy them all and take them home to loved ones because they are So. Dang. Good.

I have some cinnamon roll game of my own and have shared it with you before. It hasn't been that long since we made Croque Monsieur Rolls. Remember those? YEAHHH.

Also very popular are my Blackberry Sticky Buns.

How to make a Giant Cinnamon Roll

And here’s my secret: The only things I change here are the frostings and the fillings. The dough is PERFECT. It’s soft and sturdy at the same time. It can hold up to ham and cheese or blackberries or insane amounts of brown sugar and butter. So I knew this dough would also be perfect for GIANT Cinnamon Rolls.

How to make Giant Cinnamon Rolls

You can totally use this exact same recipe to make normal sized cinnamon rolls. Even the bake time remains the same. The difference is the WAY YOU ROLL.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

So for standard cinnamon rolls (or sticky buns or whatever), after the initial rise when you roll out the dough, you are going to make a rectangle, fill it, and roll the long side away from you. For giant cinnamon rolls, you are going to make a rectangle with the SHORT SIDE closest to you. Fill it, and then roll it away.

You’ll have a short, fat roll of filled dough that you will then cut into just 6 pieces.

These Giant Cinnamon Rolls are no freaking joke.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

The frosting has one little thing that’s different from other breakfast bun type frostings I have made in the past and that’s the addition of almond extract. That’s a tip straight from the coffee shop lady. Don’t skip it.

If you are curious about the addition of corn syrup, know that it gives your frosting a perfect hint of shine and adds some extra spreadability. Sweet and pretty is how I like my frosting. Light corn syrup will get you there.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

If you love coffee house favorites, you should also check out this Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe. 

Giant Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Yield: 6 Giant Cinnamon Rolls; 12 servings

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rise Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

These big cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy with the best cinnamon brown sugar filling and DREAMY cream cheese frosting. It has literally never failed me! Learn how to make the best Giant Cinnamon Rolls and be a breakfast hero.

4.7 Stars (27 Reviews)

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup Milk
  • ½ cup Warm Water, (read your yeast packet for temperature suggestions)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast, 1 envelope
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
  • 4-4 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour, **see note**

For the Filling

  • 5 tablespoons Butter, softened
  • ¾ cup Brown Sugar, packed (light or dark)
  • 3 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
  • pinch of Salt

For the Frosting

  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
  • 2 tablespoons Milk, or Cream
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract, For the Frosting
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
  • pinch of Salt

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the milk.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Then whisk in the egg plus egg yolks. Add the salt, 2 cups of the flour, and the butter / milk mixture. Stir with a sturdy spatula until combined.
  3. Add the last 2 cups of flour and work it in with your hands, kneading the dough in the bowl for around 8 minutes, only adding more flour if the dough seems too sticky or wet. It should be soft, pliable, and shiny from the butter in the dough.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a large oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or until it doubles in size.
  5. Line a 9 X 13 baking dish with parchment paper. When the dough has doubled in size lay it on the prepared work surface and roll it out to about 16 X 12, with the SHORTEST side closest to you.
  6. Make the filling by mixing together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. It will be clumpy. Sprinkle the filling all over the dough, going all the way to the outside edges. Start rolling the dough away from you and cut into 6 equal pieces. Lay the pieces in the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise for another 11/2 hours.
  7. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  8. Bake the risen rolls for 25-30 minutes. They will be golden.
  9. While the buns bake, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add in the milk or cream, vanilla and almond extracts, and the pinch of salt. Then add in the light corn syrup. Beat on high until smooth.
  10. Spread the frosting generously over the hot cinnamon buns.

Notes

    Add only the LEAST AMOUNT OF FLOUR you can manage. You will definitely need the first 4 cups, but only add additional flour if your dough seems too sticky and wet. Humidity will play a role in how much flour you need and too much can make your rolls tough.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1017Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 416mgCarbohydrates: 176gFiber: 6gSugar: 30gProtein: 23g
© Heather Tullos
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

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43 Comments

  1. Hi so I'm wondering if I can leave out the almonds I am highly allergic to almonds so can I just use the vanilla or do I have to add almond extract

    Reply

    2. @Lewis Crow, I am a professional basket and I have a secret for you! Almond extract isn't made from almonds at all, but from PEACH PITS! You can use it without worry of allergies!

      Reply

  2. Tried my hand on these myself and they came out perfectly. I did make the dough in the bread machine and no problem. However, it does depend on the order of how you put ingredients. For example, I put all the wet ingredients in first before the dry ones including yeast.

    Anyway, they turned out really well and big.

    I also subbed Agave syrup for Corn syrup as not a big fan of Corn Syrup all that much.

    Reply

  3. These are absolutely amazing and the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made! I doubled the frosting and used 3 tsp of homemade vanilla bean extract and 1 tsp almond extract. What a perfect frosting for a delicious cinnamon roll. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  4. These were awesome! I did use bread machine to make the dough (as my house isn't warm enough for dough to rise properly), turned out great! thank you.

    Reply

  5. I found this recipe last year. I've been obsessed with the perfect cinnamon roll. And I finally found it ! These are perfect ! I even made some extra , stored them in the freezer and when microwaved it was like they were just baked ! I never bookmarked the page and have spent so much waisted time this whole past year trying every recipe all over again to find this one. I can't tell you how excited I was to have stumbled on it again. And I look forward to trying many more of your recipes. I'm confident they will be just as perfect !! Thank you so much for the perfect cinnamon roll !!

    Reply

    1. I have never used a bread machine! So I really have no idea. If you try it, and it works, please let us know! Thanks, Gail!

      Reply

    3. @nicole, I've made my cinnamon roll dough in the bread machine, but the rise times are a bit different. It is so easy to make with a kitchen aid that after doing it a few times in the bread machine I prefer to use the kitchen aid.

      Reply

  7. Made these yesterday and they are fabulous! I am making a stacked cake with cinnamon rolls so I wanted to see if these would be firm enough if I did giant springform pan rolls and they came out wonderfully. Total baking time was 30 without foil and then I covered with foil for additional 10 minutes due to the fact that I they were really wedged into a 9" springform. I will be making 4 pans and stacking into a tired cake. Icing with the corn syrup turned out smooth and shiny and tasty, thank you!

    Reply

    1. OMG HOLLY! I hope you will come back with photos of this cake! A link to your Instagram or something? I am very excited to see your creation.
      Thanks so much for the feedback!

      Reply

  8. Soooo excited I found this recipe today!! Making them today for a dinner date my hubby and I have with friends this evening! Thanks Heather!

    Reply

  10. super great! turned out fabulous. could have done without the almond ex. I wasn't a fan of that taste. but truly everything came out perfect and delicious.

    Reply

  11. I am in the last step now, waiting to put into the oven to bake.... I decided to make a caramel sauce to put into the bottome of the baking dish &then put chopped almonds on top of that before putting the chut rolls in the pan to proof. When they are done I am planning on flipping the pan over onto a cookie sheet 🙂 fingers crossed! Also I didnt realize I was out of milk so I used vanilla coffe creamer. The dough tasted good!

    Reply

    1. You can try it! I haven't tested the recipe that way but it does work well with other similar cinnamon roll dough. If it works be sure to let us know!

      Reply

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