Easy Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

These almost homemade small-batch cinnamon rolls with a creamy cream cheese frosting are the perfect weekend breakfast treat.   Easy enough to make in the morning for fresh warm rolls or you can prepare the dough the night before and pop in the oven while you make coffee.  No mixer needed; you can make these in the middle of the night if you are suddenly hit with a cinnamon roll craving!

This small batch cinnamon rolls recipe fits nicely in a 6-inch cake pan and cooks perfectly in a conventional or countertop oven.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Alternate Cinnamom Roll Icing without Cream Cheese
• Instructions
• 📖 Recipe
• utensils and bakeware needed
• How to freeze cinnamon rolls
• Tips
• Comments

Ingredients

• Pillsbury Grand Biscuits:  The 10.2-ounce package make 4 perfectly sized cinnamon rolls.
• Cream Cheese:  I use an 8-ounce brick of full fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Half is used for the cinnamon filling and half for the frosting.  It’s perfectly fine to use a low-fat cream cheese. Bringing the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing will ensure a nice smooth filling and frosting.  I don’t recommend using a whipped cream cheese.
• Butter: I use salted butter.
• Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar lightly packed into a measuring cup.
• Vanilla Extract: McCormick is my go-to brand and is easy to find in most grocery stores.
• Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar, it mixes easy and helps to make a nice smooth creamy frosting.
• Cinnamon: Use the freshest and best ground cinnamon. My go to cinnamon is a Vietnamese variety from Morton & Basset. These are cinnamon rolls so you want a nice smooth cinnamon flavor.

The quantities needed are listed in the recipe card.

Alternate Cinnamom Roll Icing without Cream Cheese

¼ cup butter, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ¾ tablespoon milk

Start with room temperature butter and cream until smooth, add in ½ the powdered sugar and mix well, then the milk and vanilla mixing as you go, and last add in the remaining sugar and mix until everything is smooth and creamy. if you want a thinner icing just add a few drops more milk.

Instructions

Open the biscuit and knead the dough together to form a small rectangle. Roll out the dough to about a 6 x 10-inch rectangle.

In a medium bowl mix together 4 ounces of the cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, ground cinnamon, and ½ cup brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to stir and smash the ingredients until smooth.

Spread the cinnamon filling over the rolled out biscuit dough.

Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 4 even sections. It's a little lopsided, but that just adds the charm, right.:-). Before cutting I scored the dough to make sure to cut evenly.

Place rolls into a parchment-lined 6-inch cake pan. Bake at 375egrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. If you are making this the day ahead, at this point you can cover and place it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

While the rolls are baking make the frosting. In a medium bowl mix the powdered sugar, butter, and cream cheese together. Use a wooden spoon to mix until smooth, about 1 minute.

When the cinnamon rolls are baked, remove from oven and let cool down to warm before spreading the frosting onto the top of the cinnamon rolls.

utensils and bakeware needed

• 6-inch Cake pan: my go to are these cake pans from NordicWare. You can also bake the cinnamon rolls in a small casserole dish or 6 inch cast-iron skillet.
• Rubber Spatula: I have these spatulas from Heirloom Living in multiple sizes. The small size is great for my small batch baking recipes.
• Pastry board, or cutting board to roll out the dough.
• Sharp Knife to cut the dough.
• 2 bowls, one for the frosting and one for the filling.
• Wooden Spoon for mixing the ingredients.
• Rolling pin to rollout the dough. if you don't have a rolling pin then use a glass lightly floured to roll out the dough.
• Measuring cups and spoons.

How to freeze cinnamon rolls

Baked cinnamon rolls should be frozen un-frosted.  After cooling wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag.   When ready to eat, heat the rolls in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds in 15-second intervals.

The frosting is so easy to make, I suggest mixing it up fresh. However, if you want to freeze the frosting then portion it out in individual servings and freeze separately from the rolls.  When ready to frost heat in the microwave for a few seconds before spreading over the warm cinnamon roll.

Tips

• Butter and cream cheese should be room temperature.
• Use a stir and smashing motion when mixing the filling and frosting to get a smooth consistency.

If you enjoy these small batch cinnamon rolls you might like to try my raspberry cream cheese muffins.