Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls

Soft and tender Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls covered in cream cheese frosting. This easy recipe will show you how to make just six perfect cinnamon rolls. And you don’t even need a stand mixer or dough hook to make the dough.

Hello heaven 👋🏻

Meet my Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls, complete with lashings of cream cheese frosting. This simple recipe makes just six perfect cinnamon buns filled with sweet cinnamon sugar. The best part? You don’t even need an electric mixer.

If you’ve never attempted to bake bread or work with yeast at home, this easy recipe is the perfect place to start.

why you will love this recipe

• It makes just 6 cinnamon rolls
• You don’t need an electric mixer to make the dough
• They’re soft, sweet and brimming with cinnamon
• There’s cream cheese frosting involved

recipe testing

My husband and I have been known to hunt down a Cinnabon whenever we can on our travels. And my copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are one of my most popular recipes.

So when a reader reached out to me and requested a cinnamon roll recipe for our new Small Batch series, I couldn’t wait to oblige. As a family of three, I understand firsthand that 12 rolls can be too many. And let’s be real, baked goods like these really are best on the day they are made.

So I took my tried and true Cinnamon Roll recipe and scaled it down to make just six soft and fluffy buns filled with cinnamon sugar. I adjusted the recipe to ensure the rolls are nice and light, even without using a stand mixer or a dough hook.

I increased the quantity of cream cheese frosting, because it really does take these rolls to a whole new level of deliciousness. A little more cinnamon and a little less butter, and voila, the perfect Small Batch Cinnamon Roll recipe.

Let’s break it down

1. Make your dough.
2. Let it rise.
3. Roll it out.
4. Smear with butter.
5. Cover in cinnamon sugar.
6. Roll it up.
7. Slice into six rolls.
8. Let them rest.
9. Bake.
10. Smother with cream cheese frosting.

how to make the dough

This lovely soft dough is made using instant dried yeast. But it’s not hard or scary, I promise! You don’t need any fancy equipment. Let’s break it down into a few easy steps.

• Start by blooming your yeast: Add warm water to a small bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top and set it aside to do it’s thing. After a few minutes, you can check if the yeast has reacted. It should start to bubble around the edges and go a little frothy. This is how you know your yeast is alive and ready.
• Warm milk and butter: Add milk and butter to a heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds, just until the butter is completely melted and the milk is warm. If it’s a bit hot, leave it to cool slightly for a minute or two.
• Begin making your dough: In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, salt and egg. Then add your milk and butter mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just to combine. Add flour and yeast mixture (water and all) and mix until it comes together to form a soft dough. It’ll be sticky – this is ok.
• Knead dough by hand: Lightly flour your bench and your hands. Turn the dough out onto your bench and start to knead. Sprinkle with flour, where needed, to prevent it from sticking. But try not to add any more flour than absolutely necessary so your dough stays tender. Continue to knead for 1 minute or until you have a soft, smooth dough. Shape into a ball.
• Leave to proof: Lightly spray a medium-sized mixing bowl with oil. Gently place your dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature to rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

how to roll and shape the dough

Now comes the fun part! It’s time to roll out your dough, smear it with butter, sprinkle over heaps of cinnamon sugar and roll it up!

• Roll out your dough: Lightly flour your bench and your rolling pin. Take the dough out of your bowl and knead gently just to release the air. Then, roll out the dough into a long rectangle, approximately 6.5 inches x 15 inches. Trim the edges if you like.
• Add butter and cinnamon sugar: Gently smear softened butter all over dough using a butter knife (or just your fingers) going right to the edges. Combine sugar and cinnamon and generously sprinkle all over the butter.
• Roll it up: Tightly roll up your dough, from the short end, then cut into 6 rolls using a serrated knife. Place rolls into an 8-inch round cake pan, leaving space between each roll to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

time to bake

• Time to bake: Bake your rolls in your preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• Make cream cheese frosting: Add butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Or if your cream cheese is soft enough, you can just use a spatula to give it a good mix. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.
• Frost rolls: Smear two-thirds of the cream cheese frosting over the buns while they’re still warm. Then, dollop a little extra frosting on each bun when you are ready to serve. 

my secrets for perfect cinnamon rolls

1. Roll from the SHORT end. It’s mean less rolls but more layers. And try to roll them tight.
2. Use softened butter. While many recipes opt for melted butter, I find softened butter works better and ensures the filling doesn’t leak out the bottom of the buns.
3. Choose brown sugar. Instead of caster sugar, I opt for brown sugar in the filling to really enhance the buttery cinnamon flavours.
4. Frost twice. I frost my rolls once while they are warm from the oven (it’ll melt and become a glaze) and then I add a little extra when serving.
   

frequently asked questions

more small batch recipes

• Double Chocolate Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Baked Cheesecake
• Chocolate Brownies
• Banana Muffins

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.

Let’s Bake

Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls

Yield Makes 6 cinnamon rolls 1x

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

Prep: 150 minutesCook: 25 minutesTotal: 2 hours 55 minutes

Six soft and tender Cinnamon Rolls made from scratch.

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Ingredients

Cinnamon rolls

• 60 ml (1/4 cup) warm water
• 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 35 grams (2 tablespoons) caster sugar or granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 245 grams (1 and 3/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

Cinnamon sugar filling

• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 45 grams (1/4 cup) brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream cheese frosting

• 15 grams (1 tablespoon) butter, softened
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Set aside an 8-inch round cake pan. Add warm water to a small bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top and set aside to let it bloom.
2. Add milk and butter to a heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave until butter is completely melted and milk is warm, stirring every 15-20 seconds. If the milk mixture is hot to the touch, leave to cool for a minute or two. Check that your yeast has started to bubble a little on the edges, and go a little frothy.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, salt and egg. Then add milk mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just to combine.
4. Add flour and yeast mixture (water and all) and mix until it comes together to form a soft dough. It’ll be sticky – this is ok.
5. Lightly flour your bench and your hands. Turn the dough out onto your bench and start to knead. Sprinkle with flour, where needed, to prevent it from sticking. Continue to knead for 1 minute or until you have a soft, smooth dough. Shape into a ball.
6. Lightly spray a medium-sized mixing bowl with oil. Gently place your dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature to rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
7.  Take the dough out of the bowl and knead gently just to release the air. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle, approximately 6.5 inches x 15 inches. Trim the edges if you like.
8. Gently smear softened butter all over dough using a butter knife (or your fingers) going right to the edges. Combine sugar and cinnamon and generously sprinkle all over the butter.
9. Tightly roll up your dough, from the short end, then cut into 6 rolls using a serrated knife. Place rolls in prepared cake pan leaving space between each roll to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting.
11. Add butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. If your cream cheese is soft enough, you can mix the frosting by hand using a spatula or wooden spoon
12. Smear two-thirds of the cream cheese frosting over the buns while they’re still warm. Then, dollop a little extra frosting on each bun when you are ready to serve. 

Notes

Cream cheese: You can use spreadable cream cheese or the brick style for this recipe. I do recommend using full fat version.

Cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed on the day they are made.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 roll Calories: 439 Sugar: 24.5 g Sodium: 197.1 mg Fat: 20.3 g Carbohydrates: 57.1 g Protein: 7.5 g Cholesterol: 84.2 mg

Nutrition information is a guide only.

Author: Jessica HolmesCategory: BreadCuisine: American

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Jessica Holmes

Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.