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.Â
Fridge:Â 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:Â 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
- â…“ 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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Christine says
Made this with my daughter for Christmas Morning. We prepared everything on Christmas Eve and refrigerated overnight. On Christmas morning I realized that we forgot to use the brown sugar and that my husband bought baking soda instead of powdered sugar (don’t ask). I went ahead and sprinkled the brown sugar on top of the balls and popped them into the oven. Without powdered sugar, we omitted the glaze. The house smelled amazing as our girls opened their gifts. We enjoyed these very much and my girls want them again for New Years day. They were much better than I was expecting. Rather than tasting like a biscuit with cinnamon and sugar, it tasted like a really delicious coffee cake. We did not miss the glaze at all. Highly recommend!
Ashley says
Thanks Christine! My husband often comes home with unexpected things when I send him shopping! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Carole says
Made these for the breakfast club at school, only difference is we added raisins and the kids just love them! Huge Hit!!! Thank you for the awesome recipe.
Ashley says
I’m so glad! Thanks Carole!
PJ says
I was wondering what to make for sunday brunch tomorrow and the link for these popped up on my FB feed, so cinnamon bites it is 🙂 was thinking Id really spruce it up by adding bacon – either baking it with the rolls or sprinkling on top after they have cooked. Either way I’m drooling thinking about these morsels of cinnamon luciousness!
Ashley says
Baking would be awesome with these! I hope you like them!
Theresa says
I was wondering if you think I could replace the butter with coconut oil? Or may half butter and half coconut oil. What do you think?
Ashley says
Do you mean to substitute the butter in the biscuits or melted on top? Or both? To be honest, I’ve never baked with coconut oil. I’m not sure how flaky the biscuits would be if you used coconut oil in the biscuit dough, it might work! As for the top, I’m not totally sure how it would work, but I don’t think it would change things too much. Sorry I can’t help you more!
Sarita says
Can i prepare these say friday afternoon and bake them saturday morning?
Thank you.
Ashley says
That sound be fine! I’d just make sure you cover them well and leave off the melted butter til you want to bake.
Bianca says
What milk do you recomend using foe the recipe?
Ashley says
As a rule, I use 1% for everything. But any kind of milk would work, even non dairy milk!
Dana says
I love cinnamon buns too and these look so cute!!! and much easier for small snacks, or if you’re having people over.I often bake GF now so I will try this with my gluten-free flour mix. I love that these are quick and easy too!
Thanks for sharing, I’m sooo looking forward to giving these a try!
Ashley says
Thanks Dana! They went over really well here!
Paula says
This looks wonderful and I want to try this ~ it’s definitely something my family would like. Melanie, can you tell me what the icing sugar that the glaze calls for? Thanks!
Ashley says
Thanks Paula! Icing sugar is just powdered confectioner’s sugar 🙂
SANDI says
WHAT IS ICING SUGAR AND HOW DO YOU MAKE IT?
Ashley says
Icing sugar is a powdered sugar. I’m not sure how you would make it. If it’s not something you have available you can always swap out the glaze for one you’re more familiar with.
Gia says
This looks so good!!
Pinned it: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/246079567114829465/
Ashley says
Thanks!
Val says
These look marvelous! Thank you for the recipe!
Val
Ashley says
Thanks Val!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
What a brilliant way to make monkey bread so much quicker and easier! This looks fantastic … my tummy is grumbling!! 😀
Ashley says
Thanks Shelley!
Faith says
Can you use canned biscuit dough and say pinch off and roll into small balls ? What time and temperature alterations would be needed ?
Ashley says
You could definitely use canned biscuit dough! I wouldn’t make any changes to the baking time or temp at all 🙂
Kim S says
I just made this using the large buttermilk dinner rolls in a can. I cut them in half, then cut the halves into 3 equal triangles. Followed the rest of the recipe, but used heavy cream (because I had some to use up) and a splash of vanilla with the powdered sugar for the glaze. Came out perfect and delish!! Quick and easy peasy! Now..to not eat half the dish myself 😉
Ashley says
I’m glad you liked them!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Definitely could devour a massive bowlful of these cinnamon roll bites right now.. they look like the ultimate delicious sweet snack food!
Ashley says
They are so good fresh out of the oven! Thanks Thalia!
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
Ashley this is an awesome idea! I love cinnamon rolls but I love hand-held, bite-sized versions of desserts even more. I’ll have to pin this and try it one chilly afternoon for sure! 😀
Ashley says
Definitely! They’re so quick and easy 🙂
Shinee says
I love cinnamon rolls, and these mini ones are just too cute!
Ashley says
Thanks Shinee!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Girl, you are making me hungry and I am in bed and tooooo lazy to go get food right now 🙂 These bites look decadent and amazing!
Ashley says
Hahaha, I hate it when that happens! I’m also browsing at the wrong times! Lol. But thanks 😉
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These are adorable, Ashley! I am a sucker for cinnamon rolls and mini bites coated in cinnamon and brown sugar is such a fun idea! Love that they come together easily too!
Ashley says
Thanks Kelly! I think the easy part is my favorite part. Lok
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
My goodness, restrain me before I dive into this whole dish! I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon rolls, but I love these little bites. I would probably snack on these all day!
Ashley says
Ashley, I can’t believe you’re not a fan of cinnamon rolls! I can’t say the same, but these are definitely up there 🙂
Melanie @ Garnish & Glaze says
Such a good idea to use a biscuit dough! I love cinnamon rolls but they take so long to make so this is perfect.
Ashley says
Thanks Melanie! Sometimes you just can’t wait! Lol
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
Oh yes! They look so good. Seem fairly simple too. Love cinnamon.
Pinned.
Have a great Wednesday Ashley!
Ashley says
Thanks so much Melanie! They are super simple — I love anything warm and cinnamony that I can make ahead and bake in the morning!