This month the Daring Bakers kept our creativity rolling with cinnamon bun inspired treats. Shelley from C Mom Cook dared us to create our own dough and fill it with any filling we wanted to; craft tasty rolled treats, cinnamon not required.
I went with the classic buttery cinnamon roll that has lots of pockets for the delicious gooey butter-cream cheese icing to drip down into!
I had to dust off the bread maker to start with - the last time I used it was at least five years ago, mainly because I've learned to make dough with my Kitchen Aid mixer.
It's a good thing the recipe tells the order to put the ingredients into the bread maker, because I sure didn't remember! It made a beautiful dough and I got more slices than the recipe called for:
After covering with a dish towel and rising for almost an hour, the rolls were enormous and were fairly mushed into my pan. Next time - two pans!
I remember now why I don't make these very often - they're so incredibly irresistible and my arteries harden just looking at them. With coffee in the morning? Nothing better.
They're definitely Texas-sized and have the big ole taste to go with it. Dense, soft and tender with that wonderful icing.
These Buttery Cinnamon Rolls are going back into my once a year (maybe twice a year) file instead of once a decade file and will be wonderful for the holidays!
Just a tip - don't try to warm the egg to room temperature by warming it between your stomach and shirt. No matter how carefully you hold it, it will bust and decorate your shirt in egg. That may have happened to me.
Other than the egg-breaking incident, Buttery Cinnamon Rolls are definitely worth the time to make and your family will love you for it!

Buttery Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, buttery, perfect cinnamon rolls!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ½ (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup chopped pecans (optional)
- ½ (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoon teaspoons milk
Instructions
Place the following ingredients into the pan of your bread machine: water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle and choose Start.
When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into about a 17×10 inch rectangle. Spread rectangle of dough with softened butter.
In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough.
Beginning with the long edge, roll up dough as tightly as possible without the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture coming out the sides.
Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9×13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
I’ve seen similar recipes that use the entire packet of pudding, but it seems to turn out perfect just using half.
I warmed the water and milk in the microwave until it was very warm (not hot) to the touch. Too warm will kill the yeast.
I didn’t use the pecans.
I roll mine a little looser – that way there are those wonderful crevices for the icing to soak into. Frost while the buns are warm.
I refrigerate leftovers because of the butter-cream cheese icing. If serving from the refrigerator, microwave them for 22 to 25 seconds (depending on the strength of your microwave).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 6g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
I love how soft and fluffy these look, and instant vanilla pudding in the dough? Wow. No wonder they are good!
I had to giggle at your egg mishap! Here's a tip I learned for bringing eggs to room temperature quickly: put then in a drinking glass, fill it with lukewarm water to cover the eggs, and let them sit 5-10 mins. No danger of getting egg on your shirt 😉
Thanks Korena! We sure have enjoyed these - maybe a little too much!
Great tip about the eggs. I'll use that instead of trying to hatch them under my shirt....
LOL about the egg! I hope it wasn't too difficult to clean up!
That aside, those cinnamon rolls look SO amazing. Like... want one right now amazing. Like... might just have to make another batch amazing! Thank you so much for baking along with me this month!
Thanks Shelley! Shirt all washed and good...
You did a great job presenting this challenge!
Yes, they are irresistible, aren't they! Yours look amazing!
Thanks, Marcellina. Looking forward to trying your recipe - they look great!
The last photo - soooooooooooooooo yummy and tempting!
Thanks Tamara! Sady, they're all gone....
Your Blueberry Rolls at cake-cookie-pie.blogspot.com are beautiful!