7 Ways to Hack Canned Cinnamon Rolls

Nothing is better than the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning. But when you don't want to put in the effort of making freshly yeasted dough, you can customize canned cinnamon rolls into breakfast treats that'll make everyone think you're a baking genius.

Tip: These hacks work best with the kind of canned cinnamon rolls that you can unroll.

1. Make Them Fresh and Fruity

Tuck some chopped fresh fruit tossed with a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar into the rolls and you've covered two food groups (fruit and cinnamon rolls, am I right?!). Chop up an apple, pear, or persimmon, or add a handful of fresh or (well-drained) defrosted frozen blueberries and mix with one tablespoon of brown sugar and one teaspoon cinnamon. Unroll the dough, gently press the fruit inside, and re-roll. Then, simply bake according to package instructions. If you're feeling super fancy or super fruity, you can even spoon a little extra fruit on top of the rolls as they bake.

2. Pantry Pump-Up

Dive into your pantry and pull out the last little bits of spices, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips to mix into your cinnamon rolls. Unroll the dough then add a sprinkling of cardamom, raisins, and toasted sliced almonds; nutmeg and chocolate chunks; or chopped dates and toasted chopped walnuts. Roll the dough back up and bake as directed.

3. Better with Bacon

Make it a complete breakfast by adding a slice of bacon to each roll. It's the perfect combination of sweet and salty (if you've ever had a maple-bacon doughnut, you'll know what I mean). Par-cook the bacon for a few minutes first, until just before crisp, so your rolls aren't swimming in bacon grease and the bacon has a bit of bite. Take your not-quite-crisp bacon, lay it flat on your dough, roll up, and bake following package directions.

4. Monkey Around

You can turn cinnamon roll into monkey bread—a finger-food breakfast dish that's perfect for sharing, or just for eating by yourself in front of the TV. This is basically pull-apart bread, with a delightful cinnamon twist. If you really want to up the ante, you can stuff each roll with a bit of cream cheese. Take an 8-ounce block and cut it into enough small pieces to give you one per cinnamon roll. Using three cans of cinnamon rolls, flatten each roll and place a piece of cream cheese in the center, then wrap the dough around and pinch to seal. (If you're not using cream cheese, simply form each cinnamon roll into a ball). Toss the balls into a lightly greased Bundt or tube pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40 minutes, until golden. Drizzle with the icing packets that come with the rolls.

5. The Pie's the Limit

Turn cinnamon rolls into cinnamon-roll pie crust. Thinly slice your dough into about ½-inch-thick rounds. Then, lightly roll and press them, flat-side down, evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate, making sure there are no spaces. Prepare your favorite pie filling, like Apple Pie Filling, Peach Pie Filling, or Sweet Potato Pie. Pour it on top of the rolls, and bake according to the recipe.

6. Waffling Around

No need to turn on the oven for this hack. Just pull out your waffle iron. If your waffle iron isn't non-stick, grease it up the way you would if you were making regular waffles. (Need a non-stick waffle iron? Try this $30 Target best-seller.) Place a rolled-up cinnamon roll flat-side down in the hot waffle iron, close the lid, and cook until golden and crisp. For a special treat, top these breakfast hybrids with Cinnamon Syrup, Chocolate Syrup, or frosting (see the next tip).

7. Fantastic Frosting

Sometimes the frosting that comes with store-bought rolls can taste, well, a little store-bought. Take a few extra minutes to make your own icing, resulting in a game-changer. Start with basic Cream Cheese or Chocolate Frosting, or branch out with Eggnog Frosting or Maple Buttercream Frosting.

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