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The aroma of cinnamon rolls baking away in the oven is one of the more delightful and enjoyable small pleasures I can think of.
Especially on one of the first chilly days of the season.
I’m obsessed with cinnamon rolls and even more than that, obsessed with dreaming up new flavor twists to the classic cinnamon roll.
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So today I’ve partnered up with Red Star Yeast, my go-to brand of baking yeast, to bring you 3 fun & simple flavor variations for cinnamon rolls. I’ve also included a step-by-step video with tons of tips & tricks!
Learn how to make 3 easy cinnamon roll flavors:
All three recipes are listed in individual boxes at the bottom of this post!
Sprinkle of Science
Cinnamon Roll Baking Tips
The Dough
I’m using the same basic base for each flavor: my Ultimate Simple Dough recipe!
You can actually use this dough to make anything from dinner rolls to pizza and sandwich bread, but they’re also perfect for cinnamon rolls of any kind!
If you’re intimidated by baking with yeast dough, don’t be. This Ultimate Simple Dough recipe was designed to be as foolproof as possible! Especially if you make it with Red Star’s Platinum Yeast, which is so easy to use. It actually strengthens and improves your dough to create super fluffy rolls!
There are even more tips for making homemade dough in that Ultimate Simple Dough recipe post, so be sure to check it out.
The Filling
Each filling varies slightly depending on the flavor you’re following. But what I’ve found is that the more butter + cinnamon the better! That makes for the most gooey and flavorful rolls possible. But feel free to get creative experimenting with the filling. As opposed to the base dough, the filling is a little more forgiving!
Rising
To get started, make a batch of that Ultimate Simple Dough and let it rise once.
After you assemble and shape the rolls, cover them and let them rise again for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The time required will depend in part on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen.
Making Ahead
Cinnamon rolls are best served fresh and still warm from the oven. You can get away with storing them for a day, covered at room temperature, then re-warming them before serving.
If you want to prepare the rolls ahead of time to bake off in the morning, here are the directions:
Refrigerate assembled and shaped rolls after they have risen for 20 minutes. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. If freezing, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight.
Loosen the plastic wrap and allow to finish rising and lose its chill at room temperature until an indentation made with your finger into the dough remains. Preheat the oven during this period then bake as directed.
Serving
Serve the banana bread and caramel apple rolls warm or at room temperature. The sticky pecan rolls must be served warm or the pecan topping begins to harden. Let the pecan rolls stand for 2 to 3 minutes after baking before placing a tray or serving plate upside down onto pan. With oven mitts on, carefully turn tray and pan over. The pan will be hot!! Let pan remain 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls before pulling the pan away.
Caramel Apple Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Ultimate Simple Dough
For the filling
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought
For the topping
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Generously grease two 9-inch pie pans or one 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 9 by 15-inch rectangle.
- Brush the butter all over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the far edge. Sprinkle the sugar mixture all over the buttered dough. Add the apple pieces in an even layer. Drizzle the caramel all over.
- Roll the dough up tightly then press the seam to seal. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the ends off, and then slice 11 to 12 equal pieces.
- Loosely cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffy. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Drizzle the caramel over the warm rolls. Serve!
Click here to print the recipes!
Sticky Pecan Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Ultimate Simple Dough
For the sticky caramel topping:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup (100 grams) pecan halves
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup (55 grams) chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter, melted
Instructions
Make the topping:
- Generously grease two 9-inch pie pans or one 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the corn syrup. Pour mixture into baking pan(s). Sprinkle with pecans halves.
Make the rolls:
- In a small bowl combine all filling ingredients except the butter.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 9 by 15-inch rectangle.
- Brush the butter all over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the far edge. Sprinkle the filling all over the buttered dough. Roll the dough up tightly then press the seam to seal. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the ends off, and then slice into 12 equal pieces. Place in prepared pan(s).
- Loosely cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffy. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before placing a tray or serving plate upside down onto pan. With oven mitts on, carefully turn tray and pan over. Let pan remain 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls before pulling the pan away. Serve warm.
Hi I just came across your site and love these baking challenges! Would this challenges be open globally? Or only restricted to US?
I can really imagine some of the asian flavours I can play with!
May I ask – what is so new about “platinum” yeast and previous regular yeast?
Hi Larisa – it’s made with dough enhancers that increase oven spring and the total volume of your recipe for tall fluffy rolls! You can learn more here: https://redstaryeast.com/platinum/
love these cinnamon roll recipes, have never thought of making them from scratch before so this is wonderful inspiration, thank you!
Hello Tessa!
I LOVE all of your recipes and the way you give instructions! I tried to print off the different recipes using your basic dough, but was only able to get the Sticky Pecan to print. The others don’t have any tabs to print and when I try to just print the pages anyway, it comes up blank.
Hi Tessa,
When I try to print the roll recipes only the sticky pecan recipe comes up – cannot get the banana nor the caramel apple recipes to come up so that I can print them.