When I was a kid, my mom’s brothers, sisters, their spouses, and kids would all come home about once per year. Every year they asked my Nana to make them her cinnamon rolls because they could never find ones as good as hers. I always liked them really well but never knew why no one could find them.
I grew up and moved to Kansas City to go to college, where I visited the biggest mall I had ever seen in my entire life! The Bannister Mall was huge to me – we didn’t have a mall in my hometown so it’s not like I had anything much to compare it to. There was a full-on, sit down, serve-you-wine-if-you-want, open air restaurant smack dab in the middle of the mall! Somewhere down in the mall was a food court, something I had never heard of at the time (1985), and in that food court was a Cinnabon. I hadn’t had one of my nana’s cinnamon rolls for some time and I was very excited, especially since there was a very long line waiting to get one. I was mesmerized by the young woman behind the counter who was making them….YOU COULD ACTUALLY WATCH THEM MAKE THEM……yeah, I was a country bumpkin. The odd thing was, theirs looked so different! First off, they were huge and then when we got it, I tasted mine. Hmmmm……interesting……..sort of like a very thick piece of cinnamon toast and icing. I really liked it, but it wasn’t nana’s.
You must know, until today, I have never had another like hers unless she made it. No one makes them like she did. They are very different. She made her crust – she didn’t buy it like me – but they tasted pretty much the same. So, here goes and if you don’t like bready things, this might be right up your alley.
Mini-Cinnamon Rolls
You will need:
1 tube of Pizza crust – thin – I use Pillsbury Pizza crust
¼ Cup melted butter
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Lay down wax paper on a clean counter and spray with non-stick spray.
Roll out the pizza dough and stretch it out a bit.
Brush melted butter on top of crust.
Liberally sprinkle brown sugar all over crust.
Sprinkle as much cinnamon on top of brown sugar.
Roll it up. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight is good.
Slice it in 1 inch pieces.
When finished, it should look like this:
Put each piece in a cupcake paper:
Place in muffin cups in a muffin tin.
Bake somewhere between 15 – 30 minutes at 350 F. While baking mix up the icing.
Watch the rolls and take them out of the oven when golden brown. As soon as they come out, spoon a little icing over the top of the rolls.
Leave in tins for 5-10 minutes then move to wire cookie rack to cool completely. This will take more than an hour.
At first, the bottoms are stuck to the muffin cups but as they cool, they will release. They are small, not bready, and while tender they will not be soft. But they are what I grew up on and they bring me comfort on days like this!
They will for you too!
I guess there’s always one. I don’t understand why people have to act like that.
Yummm. I love cinnamon rolls. I make mine basically the same way you do, except I use crescent rolls. I just pinch the seams. I did notice last time I was at the store that they now have crescent roll sheets that are not pre-cut! That excites me!
Maybe I will try that! I have some cresent rolls in the fridge now.
Ignore people like that my friend I am so sorry someone as nice as you had to have this happen to you!
On a nicer note I am in love (legit) with your mini rolls, too cute!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
You are so sweet to me! But I must say, one roll of pizza crust made 1 and 1/2 dozen little rolls and they were all gone quickly!
Such an interesting recipe – I’ll have to try it.
Hang onto your other blog whatever you do. Caregivers need all the help and encouragement they can get.
Lillian
lillianscupboard.wordpress.com
Thank you Lillian, I really appreciate your comment. I feel much better today – I think I was just flustered and frustrated yesterday! 🙂
The recipe looks interesting and I’m sure I will try it soon, although as “thrifty” as I tend to be, I’ll probably make the pizza crust from scratch. 😉
PLEASE do not give up your other blog. It has been a livesaver for me and I’m sure for many others. You do a great job with it. I don’t usually read the comments, but will from now on and if she comes back, I’ll have to say something to her. Taking Care of Mom and Dad is priceless.
Thanks for everything you do!
Oh Debbie – you are so sweet. I think I was just frustrated yesterday although – every time I post something she DOES do that. I’m not going to give it up. Thanks for the encouragement and thank you for the excellent review. If I knew how to make pizza dough – I might do that too!
I LOVE anything teeny tiny 🙂 and I also LOVE cinnamon rolls! These look sooo good!
Thank you! We enjoyed them. I like teeny tiny myself! : )
I sure do love cinnamon buns! Never made them in muffin tins tho!
Thanks for dropping by Angie – they are great! My family of whom most are not bready or icing people, love these! and when all the kids are here it’s easy to hand them out!
Do you use the regular size muffin pan for those?
You can use either! If you want small ones roll it tighter and it will fit just fine!
This sounds like a great way to indulge in a cinnamon roll without having the huge ones that are so popular now! In response to pamasaurus ….. let’s face it, you can wrap a sneaker in crescent roll dough and it’d be yummy! (and yes, i’ve made cinnamon rolls with crescent roll dough before)
Yes you can Sally! Thanks for coming by and please come again!
Has anyone tried with the new Pillsbury Gluten Free Pizza dough? Always looking for tasty GF recipes also.
Cathy, I can’t find the GF Pizza dough at our stores yet but you know as soon as I do – I will make it and post!
Uh oh what is the icing recipe
Jk I see it now lol
Some times I can look at something and still not see it! Thanks for coming by Chrissy!
Hi! I will have to try these! I used to go to Bannister Mall all the time. The smell from the Cinnabons wafted throughout… I almost ALWAYS had to get one before leaving. Funny, it has all been torn down for years and just Friday they announced they are creating an office park in that area.
No kidding? I haven’t been there since the late 80’s – boy that dates me, doesn’t it? That was the biggest place I had ever seen at the time. Just a country girl going to college! Thanks for dropping by patty, please come again!
Ok call me stupid , but I wanted to copy this and it did not work, is there somewhere else I can copy this recipe, sounds great…….
No – Susan you aren’t stupid at all! There is no way to copy the recipe. I had to do that because there were certain sites stealing my entire blog post by copying and pasting to their site and then pretending as if it was theirs. I am having a print icon put in but the person told me it may be a few weeks before they got to my job. So sorry!
So much easier than from scratch, and so cute! Thank you for linking up to Simple Supper Tuesday.
I am going to try your recipe, but just wanted you to try mine, I use frozen bread dough, thawed, usually in the microwave. I roll it out, put plenty of butter on it, just as if I were to make garlic bread, lots of softened butter, then the brown sugar and cinnamon. Put them in a 9 x 9 greased pan let them raise for about an hour covered. When you take em out, turn them upside down on a cookie sheet after they cool for about 15 min. (You will find your grannys sticky rolls, You can glaze or you can add nuts to the bottom of the greased pan before you start if you like.
Thank you Linda! I will be sure to try that as I keep frozen dough in the house at all times. Both rolls and loaves are kept in the freezer so this will be something great to use very soon!
thats what I have been doing for years,, or just throw the makings for dough in the bread maker,, and bingo-in no time , you have your dough with no mess, I have some pizza dough that has to be mixed up, so , I am going to try that today,, you all have made me hungry now,,,
Great Doris! Please let me know how you like it!
I’m not sure anything in the world smells quite as good as a freshly baked cinnamon roll. Yum!!
Got some in the oven right now! Can’t wait to taste them!!
Oh YAY!! Please tell me what you think – we love them!
Making the cinnamon rolls now…will post a pick when they are done
How did it go Larissa?