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Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls with maple frosting
Tender, flaky, buttery and sweet, and loaded with cinnamon.
Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls are some of the best sweet rolls I’ve ever had. I first made these cinnamon rolls in January, 2011. Ree’s original recipe was developed with the idea that you’ll share entire pans of these cinnamon rolls with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, etc.
As developed, the original recipe makes 7 or 8 disposable foil pans filled with sweet cinnamon rolls, depending on how thick you cut each roll. Needless to say, there are plenty to share, and enjoy!
Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls are one of the easiest yeast roll recipes I’ve ever made.
Have you ever tried making cinnamon rolls only to have them not rise properly, over-proof due to vague instructions or turn out to be a total disaster, waste of time and money? If you said yes to any part of that question, I encourage you to try this recipe.
The recipe seems completely foolproof and very forgiving, and each and every roll comes out of the oven filled with deliciousness.
I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe.
What makes Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls so good?
Our resized cinnamon roll recipe makes three 9-inch pans with 10 rolls each.
Another reason Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls are so good is the unique maple frosting recipe.
In addition to the fantastic cinnamon filling, another stand-out feature of this recipe is the maple frosting. Made with powdered sugar, maple extract, milk, butter and a little brewed coffee, this frosting is generously drizzled over warm rolls.
Just one tablespoon of strong brewed coffee gives the frosting a unique flavor that blends perfectly with the cinnamon. I never would’ve thought to combine coffee and maple extract, but it really works.
The addition of baking powder and baking soda is unique in a yeasted dough.
To achieve a soft sweet-bread texture and yeasty flavor you’ll find in a true cinnamon roll, this recipes uses yeast, baking powder and baking soda. It’s very unusual for a recipe to call for three leavening agents, but it really works for these rolls! ย This bold combination of leaveners means the rolls only need 30 minutes of rise time after shaping into spirals.
Also, a lower oven temperature ensures they have enough time to rise high before the tops set. The end result is soft, puffy, flaky rolls that are not at all chewy. They practically melt in your mouth!
Can you freeze Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls?
I have not tried freezing these rolls before baking. However, I have frozen multiple pans of these rolls after they were baked but before they were frosted, with great results.
Can these cinnamon rolls be made ahead?
This cinnamon roll dough can be made up to 3 days ahead. Keep the dough well covered in the refrigerator and check it at least once a day. Punch the dough down if needed to keep the size under control. With a very short rise time of 30-minutes for the finished rolls, this a great recipe to make ahead and bake when needed.
Can you double this recipe for cinnamon rolls?
Yes, this recipe can easily be doubled so you have plenty of rolls to share. If you double the recipe, place the dough in a large pot or Dutch oven to rise in the refrigerator overnight. The sweet dough grows a good bit, and needs room to expand.
Thanks for PINNING!
Pioneer Womanโs Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- instant read thermometer
- rolling pin
- 3 (9-inch) cake pans
Ingredients
For the cinnamon rolls:
- 2 cups whole milk (16oz)
- ยฝ cup vegetable oil (4oz)
- ยฝ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- 1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 4 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour separated (586g)
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder heaping
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted for greasing pans
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (6oz)
- โ cup granulated sugar (135g)
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the maple frosting:
- 4 ounces powdered sugar sifted (1 cup or 115g)
- ยฝ teaspoon maple flavoring
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
- pinch of salt
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a small sauce pan. Warm over medium heat just until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 95-100ยฐF (lukewarm) on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Cool, if needed, until the milk reaches 95ยฐ to 100ยฐF on an instant read thermometer.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk mixture and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir until combined (you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or use the dough hook of a stand mixer). Cover and let rise for one hour in a warm location. The mixture should be bubbly and puffed.
- In a small bowl or 1 cup measure, combine the remaining ยฝ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together until blended. Add the flour mixture to the dough and mix until all flour is incorporated. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for a day or two, if desired. If rising for more than a day, watch the dough and punch down if needed to prevent overflowing.
To make the cinnamon rolls:
- Grease 3 (9-inch) cake pans with melted butter, set aside.
- Heavily flour a large, clean work surface. Lightly punch down the dough and scrape out onto the countertop. Using floured hands, and a floured rolling pin, press and roll the dough into a rectangle at least 30-inches wide and about 18 to 20-inches deep. The dough will be very thin.
- Brush 12 tablespoons of melted butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the 30-inch side farthest away from you.
- Sprinkle โ cup of sugar over the butter layer, followed by the ground cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a log starting at the 30-inch side closest to you. Gently pull the dough toward you, then tuck and roll, and repeat, keeping it pretty tight as you go. Next, pinch the seams to seal.
- Using a ruler as a guide, cut the rolls into (30) 1-inch slices. You can use a large, thin, sharp knife to cut the rolls, or a long piece of dental floss works very well, too. Place the rolls, cut side down, into the prepared pans.
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF.
- Let the rolls rise in a warm location for 30 to 40 minutes. Once risen, the unbaked rolls should be puffed and smooth. To ensure the rolls have risen properly, gently press the edge of a roll with a knuckle. If the dough does not quickly and completely fill back into the depression, the rolls are ready. Bake atย 375ยฐF until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer the pans to a rack to cool while preparing the frosting.
To make the frosting:
- Using an electric mixer or whisk, combine the frosting ingredients and blend until smooth. The frosting should be thick, but pourable. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Feel free to go little crazy and donโt skimp on the frosting. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results bring the chilled rolls to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Unfrosted rolls may be kept at room temperature.
Nutrition
Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls were originally published on Saving Room for Dessert in January 2011, and updated December 2019
Susan
The recipe for the cinnamon rolls looks amazing. Iโm going to try it later today. Have you tried using bread flour? What are you thoughts on this?
Tricia Buice
Hi Susan. I have not tried bread flour but I bet it will work fine. The rolls may be a little softer, which is hard to imagine since they’re already so squishy soft! Enjoy ๐
Marissa
I made these for Christmas and they were pretty good but I made them the day before and then heated them up the morning of (Christmas morning is about presents not slaving away in the kitchen!) I read comments on other pages sharing this recipe that said itโs fine to bake, cool, and ice them and then leave in the fridge and just reheat before eating. I do not recommend. The icing soaked completely into the rolls making them soggy and saturated with sugar. Kids still devoured them but they werenโt my favorite.
With that being said, would you recommend fully baking and cooling them then reheating and adding icing before serving, or instead storing them in the fridge/freezer โrawโ and then defrost/bake/ice when ready to eat? I am by no means a baker and I donโt know if option 2 will kill the yeast. Thank you!
Tricia Buice
Hi Marissa. I also don’t think heating these rolls with the icing on top is a good idea. Yes, I recommend baking and cooling, then reheating and icing before serving. Additionally, you can form the rolls and place in pans. Refrigerate the unbaked rolls until the next morning. Allow the rolls to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour before baking. Bake, ice and enjoy.
Sierra Sparks
I forgot to let the dough rise before adding the flour and baking powder and some mixture letting it rise now before refrigerating over night do you think it will still be okay
Tricia Buice
Hi Sierra. I’m not sure but believe it should be fine. Let us know how they turned out for you!
Rebekah
I’m a baker and have NEVER tried an overnight recipe because I’m an impatient baker…is it seriously necessary? I’ve omitted it before but I want to try a new one out for my customers and don’t like to wait…Lol!
Tricia Buice
I don’t know Rebekah because I haven’t tested this recipe without proving overnight. I just plan ahead and really love the idea of having a step done the day before.
Stephanie Calahasen
My first time making cinnamon buns and they turned out delicious! I followed the recipe except I used real maple syrup for the icing instead of extract and I didn’t use coffee. This will be my go to recipe?
Tricia Buice
Wonderful Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed these rolls. They are addictive for sure ๐
Jay
If my dough didnโt rise , does that mean I mixed it too long ?
Tricia Buice
I don’t think that would cause the problem Jay. Perhaps your yeast is too old, or the milk was too hot and killed the yeast. Hard to say but hope you’ll try again. These are phenomenal rolls!
Arline Bringhurst
My first go round didnโt rise either. I switched from instant yeast to regular, bought new baking powder and soda and the it was perfect the second go round. However, I think the real culprit was that just turning on the light in the oven and putting the dough in it didnโt make it warm enough. Then I found that my new range and a โproofโ feature. Worked like a charm.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Arline. So glad you enjoyed them. We appreciate the feedback.
Ronnie
I made these cinnamon rolls and OMG, theyโre so good, I half this recipe, because Iโm not to great when it comes to baking, but if they can look like yours after they came out of the oven. Which they did, ANYONE can make these. They were all eaten the same day, so tomorrow Iโm going to make the full recipe and see how long they will last. Thanks very much for this recipe. I have it saved to my Pinterest account.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Ronnie! Haha – always make a full recipe because somebody somewhere will eat them!
michele even
top notch first time making cinnamon rolls and working with yeast the glaze is a knock out.
Tricia Buice
Terrific Michele! So happy you enjoyed these cinnamon rolls. They’re addictive!
Yasmin
Is the dough when first mixed ( oil, sugar, milk, flour and yeast) supposed to be extremely shaggy and a little watery before itโs proofed ?
Tricia Buice
Yes it is Yasmin. Keep going – it will be fine.
Jennifer Casarella
I’m trying this tonight. What’s the point of adding the rest of the flour, soda, salt, powder after an hour? Am I missing some baking wisdom I’m not familiar with… totally possible. I’d rather just be done with it and go to beed.
Tricia Buice
Hi Jennifer. This allows the yeast to start working before adding the remaining leaveners and flour. Many bread recipe start like this. Hope you enjoyed!
Holly
I would have given this recipe a five but….. one ingredient was amiss. First, let me say these (*modified version) cinnamon rolls were the most soft, delicate, deliciously doughy Christmas morning treats. Every Christmas my family gets excited for cinnamon rolls first thing. The maple was so surprisingly tasty. The whole family agreed, these are the best cinnamon rolls Iโve ever made.
But I didnโt make it exactly how the recipe said.
I substituted butter for vegetable oil (we donโt use vegetable oil at our house)
And cinnamon is a VERY strong spice. The recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons!!! ? (thatโs literally almost a third of a bottle of cinnamon.thatโs just far too much IMO). I substituted 1.5 tsp, mixed it directly in the sugar. Then I poured the melted butter in the sugar mixture and mashed it all with a fork, then spread it on the rolled out dough (rather than doing layers of butter, sugar, then cinnamon.
All in all, this recipe is amazing. Iโd highly recommend!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Holly. However, I wonder if you tried with with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon before commenting that it’s too much. That about is divided between 3 pans of rolls so it’s not at all overpowering. Maybe next time you’ll give it a try ๐
Sheena
I think the 3 tbls is perefect but I recommend only using Saigon cinnamon and fo you think it would be ok to pour heavy cream over them before baking? Thanks for great recipe.
Tricia Buice
Hi Sheena. I don’t know about pouring heavy cream over them before baking. I’ve never tested that method. Let us know if you give it a go!
Jamie
We recently made the cinnamon rolls and I am actually making them again today. Iโm just wonderingโฆ Are the measurements for the icing correct? It just doesnโt seem like enough to spread generously as the recipe suggests.
Tricia Buice
Feel free to increase the icing by half if you want Jamie. We don’t usually smother them in icing. If you prefer more than a glaze, I would do 1 1/2 times the icing recipe or double it. So good!
Marianne Trimmer
I agree! I doubled the icing. ?
Annie
Is it possible to do this without the thermometer? I donโt own one and I could find one at the store. Iโve been dying to make cinnamon rolls tho.
Tricia Buice
Sure Annie – no worries. Just do your best and I’m sure it will be fine.
Misty West
I’ve always been intimidated by yeast bread/roll recipes.. I’m 53 and can cook just about anything from scratch other than that and have never tried.. As one of my New Years resolutions I would like to master yeast breads and rolls without fear.. I came across the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Homemade cinnamon rolls with maple frosting. With some fear I dove into the recipe and ingredients. I actually had the ingredients on hand except for the yeast.. Of course.. The recipe was so easy. I very proudly mastered the art of making cinnamon rolls.. They turned out beautiful and huge! I look forward to trying more recipes.. Much thanks from a neighboring Okie..
Tricia Buice
Fantastic Misty! So happy you tried these rolls. They are so good, and very forgiving. Hope you have great success with all your bread recipes this year. Baking is a satisfying endeavor. It’s good for the soul!
karen
These were wonderful for our Christmas morning, thank you.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Karen!
Kim Salama
Do you really mean โmixโ or โstir?โ
Versus KNEAD???
Tricia Buice
Hi Kim. Yes, no kneading – just mix or stir.
Kathy umlor
I made the cinnamon rolls for Christmas and they turned out perfect!
Tricia Buice
Great Kathy! So glad you enjoyed them, too.
Sara
Canโt wait to try this recipe! Do you think I could use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Tricia Buice
I don’t know Sara as I have not tested it using coconut oil. Let us know if it turns out for you!
Sara
Iโm in the process of making these and Iโm so excited! My dough is in the fridge for overnight. I have a question. Would I be able to shape the rolls one day, store them overnight in the 9โ pan and then bake them the following morning? Or should I bake them, store them and then reheat them? I donโt need them until Christmas Eve!
Thank you!
Tricia Buice
Hi Sara. I would roll them and store overnight, and bake in the morning. Hope you enjoyed!
Stacy
Hi!
Iโm going to refrigerate these for 3 days.
Can I add the last 1/2 cup of flour and the powder,soda,salt after I mix in the 4 cups of flour. Or, should I wait until I go to roll them out? I wanted to roll them and cut them out the night before so I can let them warm up to bake in the morning. Do you think that would work?
Tricia Buice
Hi Stacy. You should follow the directions and add the last 1/2 cup of flour after the mixture has risen for an hour. Then refrigerate until ready to roll out. Good luck!
Michelle
Can I bake them without having them overnight in the refrigerator? Iโve made these twice before with it overnight in the fridge. They are amazing!! But my daughter and her friend are waiting patiently to start rolling them tonight ๐ what do you thinkโฆ?
Tricia Buice
Hi Michelle. The dough needs time to rise properly. You can leave it out at room temperature until it doubles in size. Not sure how long this will take as it depends on how warm your kitchen is, etc.
Tessa
The dough seems incredibly wet after mixing in the last 1/2 cup of flour with other leavening ingredients. Is it just a more wet dough because of the oil? Will it dry out to be able to work after being refrigerated?
Tricia Buice
It’s a wet sticky dough, but add another 1/4 cup of flour if you feel you need it Tessa. I’ve made these rolls more times than I can count and never had trouble rolling them out, adding the filling and rolling up into a cylinder. Good luck! Have a wonderful holiday!
Brandy
If I am making the dough ahead of time, do I let it rise first then put it in the fridge or just directly into the fridge after combining the flour with the milk mixture?
Tricia Buice
Just put the dough directly into the refrigerator Brandy. No need to wait for it to rise. So easy!
Brandy
Can you use canola oil instead of vegetable?
Tricia Buice
Sure – any neutral tasting vegetable based oil will work great. Enjoy!
Chelsea Hamilton
Hi Tricia,
If Iโm making this ahead too, can I roll them out and add the filling and the let them rest in the fridge? Was hoping to just pop them in the oven Christmas Morning!
Tricia Buice
I think that will work fine Chelsea. Let us know if you tried this method!
pauline
good recipe easy to make it’s a keeper thank you.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Pauline!