6 Ways to Dress Up Our Best Cinnamon Rolls for the Holidays

Roll with it.

There's perhaps nothing better on a frosty morning than a cup of coffee and a freshly baked cinnamon roll. That's why we're rolling out — and riffing on — our most popular cinnamon roll recipe. Get the top-rated cinnamon roll recipe and six crave-worthy variations, perfect for the holidays.

By Nichole Aksamit

cinnamon bun feature

Not simply cinnamon rolls, these are cinna-nom-nom-nom-rolls.

Simple, versatile, and so darn delicious, Clone of a Cinnabon is the top-rated, most-saved, and most-reviewed sweet roll recipe on Allrecipes.com. We're serving it up here with the best tips and techniques from the Allrecipes community, plus six tasty twists (see "Variations We Love" below) that will have you and your holiday guests blissing out in no time.

Get the recipe: Clone of a Cinnabon

"As soon as I take them out, I flip the pan over, which allows all of the yummy cinnamon drippings to recoat the rolls." — Jennifer Woodard.

cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

Variations We Love

1. Maple & Bacon Rolls

Substitute 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter for 1 Tbsp. of the butter in the frosting. Make candied bacon: Cook 4 slices chopped bacon in a large skillet until nearly crisp. Stir in 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and cook, stirring, until crisp. Drizzle frosted rolls with maple syrup and top with candied bacon.

bacon cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

2. Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

Replace 1/4 cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder, and replace 1 Tbsp. of the milk with red food coloring. Sprinkle frosted rolls with white or red sparkling sugar.

red velvet cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

3. Peppermint Mocha Rolls

Add 1/4 tsp. instant espresso powder to the warm milk. Reduce flour to 4 cups and 3 Tbsp. and add 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour-yeast mixture. Omit cinnamon and add 1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder and 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips to the filling. Add 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract to the frosting, and sprinkle frosted rolls with 1/3 cup crushed peppermint candies.

peppermint mocha cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

4. Peanut Butter & Jelly Rolls

Substitute 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter for 1 Tbsp. of the butter in the frosting. Drizzle frosted rolls with strawberry syrup.

peanut butter and jelly cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

5. Pistachio & Pomegranate

Add 2/3 cup chopped pistachio nuts and 1 tsp. ground cardamom to the filling. Make pomegranate syrup by bringing 11/2 cups pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup; tint with red food coloring, if desired. Drizzle frosted rolls with pomegranate syrup.

pistachio and pomegranate cinnamon buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

6. Caramel-Pecan Sticky Buns

Cook 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted into a smooth sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 Tbsp. whipping cream and 1/4 tsp. Salt. Remove from heat. Pour into bottom of prepared baking pan and sprinkle with 3/4 cup chopped pecans before adding the rolls. When baking, put an extra-large foil-lined baking sheet on the rack beneath the rolls to catch any drips. Invert buns onto serving platter immediately after baking. Omit the frosting.

sticky buns
Photo: Andy Lyons.

For taller, rounder rolls Let rolls rise and bake in greased jumbo muffin cups, which maximize height and limit spread.


Check out our collection of Christmas Baking Recipes.


This article originally appeared in the December/January 2020 issue of Allrecipes Magazine.

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