Cheat's Cinnamon Rolls
These Cinnamon Rolls are ridiculously easy to make and ready in under 45 minutes. They taste amazing and are topped with luscious cream cheese frosting.
Servings 12
Ingredients
- For the cinnamon rolls:
- 3 350g/12oz rolls of pre made croissant dough, I used Jus-Rol x6 croissants
- 2/3 stick (75g) unsalted butter, softened, but not melted
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- For the frosting:
- 6 oz (170g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 stick (56g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) icing/powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and spray a 10 inch round pie dish with cooking spray. You can also use a 9x9 inch square pan - I would also line with grease proof paper if using a metal pan.
- Place the sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl and gently mix to combine the two. Leave to one side.
- Have your butter ready - make sure it's very soft. I would usually use a lot more butter, but since croissant dough has quite a lot of butter in, you don't want it drowning in butter and becoming a soggy mess!
- Work with one packet of croissant dough at a time - place a large silicone mat on your work top, or flour the worktop. I find a silicone mat much easier, no flour required and the dough did not stick at all.
- Gently unroll the croissant dough so you have the longest edge facing you. Lightly spread butter over the dough and then spoon 1/3 of the sugar mixture over the dough. Spread the sugar out with your spoon until it covers the dough.
- We're going to roll it short ways to make a very large, but short cinnamon roll, so turn yourself 90 degrees (left or right, it doesn't matter) so one of the short sides of the roll is at the top, Gently, but tightly start to roll it towards you. Once you have a giant cinnamon roll, take a very sharp knife (or dental floss) and slice the large roll into 4. My rolls were around 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Place the rolls into your prepared pan with the swirls facing up. Repeat with the remaining two packs of croissant dough until your pan is full of 12 gorgeous cinnamon rolls.
- Place in the oven for 23-27 minutes, until golden all over and risen. Mine took 25 minutes.
- Leave to cool for at least 45 minutes, before making the glaze. Place the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract into a large bowl and beat until fluffy, around 2 minutes on medium speed with a hand mixer. Add in the icing sugar and mix on a low speed until the mixture comes together.
- Once the mixture comes together, turn up the speed and beat on medium speed until you have a smooth, pourable glaze.
- Spoon or pour the glaze all over the cinnamon rolls and dig in!
- Alternatively, you can bake the cinnamon rolls the day before and make the frosting. Leave them to cool and then cover in cling film overnight. Make the frosting and place in a jug. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge. In the morning, get the frosting out of the fridge and leave to come to room temperature. When ready to serve, divide the cinnamon rolls onto plates and microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Pour on cream cheese glaze and dig in!
- Cheat's Cinnamon Rolls will keep covered in the fridge: with frosting for 2 days, without frosting, for 4 days.