These Cinnamon Roll Bites are the easiest way to get that amazing cinnamon roll flavor, and they’re ready from scratch in just 40 minutes! They’re a delicious treat, perfect for a lazy morning, or a yummy pick-me-up in the afternoon!
Cinnamon, sugar, and butter just make everything better, am I right?
We love a traditional cinnamon roll, especially as the days get cooler and all you want is some fresh, hot, sugary bread straight from the oven to warm you up!
I’ve already shared the BEST Cinnamon Buns recipe with you, but I just love these little bites.
This is one of the easiest recipes I’ve made for cinnamon roll treats, so it’s a win-win!
This easy treat is perfect for the holidays, to have them as part of your sweet breakfast spread, or just to snack on!
These bites are very similar to what I use in my Monkey Bread recipe, except the balls are cooked in one layer and there’s no yeast required (less waiting!).
Not using yeast in this recipe means this biscuit dough comes together in 5-10 minutes max, but the flavor and texture are still amazing.
You can even make the dough balls the day before, quickly finish them up, and bake them fresh in the morning.
All of this gives you more time for sleeping and spending time with family on busy holiday mornings, with a warm, cinnamon treat for all your not-so-hard work.
That sounds like a pretty good deal to me 😉
If you love the delicious cinnamon flavors here, you’ll love my Maple Glazed Apple Crisp Cinnamon Buns and this Healthier Cinnamon Roll Baked Pancake with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup.
Ingredients Needed:
- Flour: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or a mix of both will all work well too.
- Baking Powder: a quick-rising agent that will work fast so these bites are on your plate promptly!
- Salt: to enhance the warm, sweet flavors in these sweet treats.
- Butter: unsalted butter is best in this recipe. Make sure it’s cold from the fridge before using it for the biscuits. You’ll need to melt some for the cinnamon sugar coating.
- Milk: whole milk, lower-fat milk, or even dairy-free milk is fine here to help bind the biscuit dough and the glaze.
- Sugar: use a mix of brown and granulated sugar to get a slightly caramelized flavor for the coating.
- Cinnamon: ground cinnamon is the star of the show here.
- Icing Sugar: icing sugar, or powdered sugar, is the base of the sweet glaze.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bites
This recipe couldn’t be easier! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Make the dough: stir together the dry ingredients, then add the butter until crumbly. Add just enough liquid so the dough comes together.
- Make cinnamon sugar: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.
- Coat dough balls in the melted butter, then coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place them in the pie plate.
- Bake. Bake until the biscuits are cooked and the butter/sugar mixture is bubbling in the bottom of the pan. Drizzle with glaze before serving.
Cinnamon Roll Bites FAQs
Prep these cinnamon roll bites and keep them in the fridge or freezer, ready to be baked later on.
Fridge: Wrap the little balls of dough tightly in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to one week. Biscuit dough stores perfectly in the fridge, so this is a great recipe to prep ahead for a weekend brunch or treat.
Freeze: You can roll your biscuit balls, coat them in sugar, place them in the pan, cover them with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze them completely. Once frozen, the balls can be stored in a Ziploc bag for easier storage. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter in a single layer for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking as directed. You may need to increase the cooking time by up to 5 minutes.
Keep cinnamon roll bites in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Make sure they’re fully cooled to room temperature before storing them.
Yes! Cool to room temperature and then cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake, covered, for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Tips and Notes
- Aluminum Foil: If you’re using a pie plate smaller than 10″, place a piece of tin foil in the oven under the plate to catch any possible drips.
- Yield: A single batch will make around 25 bites. You can double it to make enough for a larger crowd, but make sure the dough is the right consistency before making the dough balls.
Cinnamon Roll Bites Variations
- Biscuit dough. You can use store-bought biscuit dough for this recipe if you prefer. It’s an even quicker, easy way to make them, you don’t need to make any changes to the recipe!
- Flour. I’ve made this recipe with 100% whole wheat flour before, and it turns out great! It’s a great way to add more fiber.
- Dairy-Free. You can easily make these Cinnamon Roll Bites dairy-free. Simply swap the butter for non-dairy margarine and the milk for almond or oat milk.
- Flavor the glaze. Add some vanilla extract, lemon juice, or orange juice to the glaze to give it more flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these yummy cinnamon bites with a Cold Brew Coffee or a Peppermint Mocha Recipe for a sweet breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up.
You can even have these cinnamon roll bites for a delicious dessert. Serve them warm and gooey with a scoop of ice cream. Try my Butter Pecan Ice Cream or this Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
More Easy Dessert or Sweet Breakfast Recipes to Try
Cinnamon Roll Bites
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Biscuit Dough
- 2 cups flour (whole wheat, all purpose, or a mix)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold butter
- ¾-1 cup cold milk
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup butter, melted
Glaze
- ⅓ cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk just enough to bring the glaze together
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add them to the bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until butter is in pea-sized pieces.
- Stir in the milk gradually, adding just enough so that the dough comes together. Bring the dough together in a ball with your hands (if you accidentally add too much milk and it becomes sticky, just add a little more flour).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10-inch pie plate or baking dish, or line it with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1″ balls. Dip the balls in the remaining melted butter, coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place them in the pie plate.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the dough balls in the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked and the butter/sugar mixture is bubbling in the bottom of the pan.
- Make the glaze by combining the icing sugar and milk in a small mixing bowl.
- Remove the balls from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before drizzling the glaze over the balls. Serve hot or cold.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Kirsty says
Worked first time, just the perfect afternoon treat I needed
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kirsty! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Pat says
Hi Ashley, these cinnamon balls
sound nice and easy to make. I do a lot of baking but never baked
bread or buns. My favorite baked goodies are cinnamon rolls. I am going to try your recipe on the first day it rains here. If I wreck them it would be ok. Thank you for sharing your receipes. These look delicious
Pat
The Recipe Rebel says
Enjoy Pat!
matilda says
can I use yeast instead of baking powder?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Matilda! I haven’t tested this out using yeast but I am not sure how it would work due to you won’t be activating it any way. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Sherry says
I doubled the recipe, followed the directions for baking the following day. I don’t know why but the bites just crumbled, not biscuit like at all. They could have been sweeter, too.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Sherry. It’s hard for me to say for sure what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you but typically biscuit dough will be crumbly after baking due to the butter not getting incorporated into the flour correctly or overworking it. Those are two common reasons. For us the cinnamon sugar mix worked perfectly for making them sweet but you can definitely adjust according to your taste.
gigi says
are they supposed to be a cakey texture and also how long do they have to cool?!?!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! The texture will be dough like, biscuit like, or bread like. You’ll cool them for a few minutes. Enjoy!
gigi says
Heyy Ash! How many bites would it make if i doubled the recipe? PLEEEEEASE let me know as soon as possible!!!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
It’s going to be roughly 50 bites.
gigi says
please answer as soon as possible, THANKS!