It’s nearly the weekend, hooray! All week I’ve been thinking about making something a little more indulgent to enjoy for breakfast the next few days. Pancakes are my usual weekend go-to but I found myself wanting to switch things up and inject a little variety. It’s been ages since I’ve made cinnamon rolls, and those immediately came to mind. Soft, gooey and sweet – pretty much my favorite “dessert parading as breakfast” ever. Unfortunately, I had neither the time nor the motivation to whip a batch up in the past day or two.
The good news is, I found a pretty awesome alternative in these cinnamon swirl cream biscuits. From start to finish they took me just over 30 minutes to have on the table and there’s nothing tricky about the process. You’re basically making a biscuit, but instead of cutting butter into the dry ingredients, you use heavy cream. And while I typically stress about overworking the dough when I make biscuits, you’re actually instructed to knead the dough briefly in this recipe – they’re nearly foolproof π A mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon comprises the filling and when the biscuits emerge from the oven they’re topped with a simple icing.
These definitely don’t have the same texture as a yeast roll so I won’t try to tell you they do. That said, they’re among the lightest, most tender biscuits I’ve ever had. Add the sweet filling and icing to the equation and Shane and I both found them a worthy competitor to the more time-consuming yeast version. These biscuits were wonderful warm from the oven, and frankly, I think the two of us could have made quick work of the whole batch. We exercised a little restraint though, and the following day I found they were nearly as good if you reheated them in the microwave briefly, so you could even make the biscuits a day in advance if you’re pressed for time.
Cinnamon Swirl Cream Biscuits
from Cook’s Illustrated, May/June 2000
{Note: the recipe calls for a 10-inch pie plate but I don’t have one and used a 9-inch without a problem.}
Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Filling/Topping
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon egg white
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 425 F with a rack in the upper third.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add 1 1/4 cups of the cream and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl to your work surface, leaving behind any dry, floury bits that weren’t incorporated. Add the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time (you probably won’t need all of it), until those dry pieces are moistened. Turn out and add to the rest of the dough. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.
Roll the dough into a 9×12 rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the surface of the dough. Starting at one of the long sides, roll the dough into a cylinder (I wound up adding a little flour under the dough because it was sticking). Cut the cylinder into 8 equal pieces. Press down on one side of each piece to flatten slightly, then transfer to a 10-inch pie plate. Repeat with all pieces.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown. Meanwhile, whisk the egg white, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the biscuits when they emerge from the oven. Serve warm (I thought they were still good on the second day, I just microwaved them for 10-15 seconds first).
Um…no, no, I cannot make these as I would not stop at just one. But thanks for the offer anyone. How about you make them and I come over for one? Wow do they look wonderful!
ohh, these look great!! And for less than half the time of regular rolls — I think we have a weekend winner π
Delicious! I love how quickly these come together!
These were great, thanks for making them!
I love that these are a quick bread, and appear to be relatively quick. No yeast, proofing, etc. They look amazing!
Hmm looks so good!
I would love nothing more than to dig into a warm and soft gooey cinnamon roll in the morning, but breakfast time is too early to work and be patient with yeast. These look absolutely fantastic! They are going on my “to bake” list π
I am not a baker, but how you have me thinking about getting one of those Pillsbury tubes and making some cinnamon rolls that way. I think the thought of that may keep me awake tonight.
These look adorable and delicious.
The only thing holding me back from making cinnamon rolls at home is the waiting time. But 30 minutes? Totally doable! I want these in my life.
Oh Tracey, these look sooo good. Can you be by tomorrow morning with a dozen or so of these for breakfast? thanks! =)
This is a very fun weekend breakfast, I usually stick to my “on the go” breakfasts, even on the weekends because they are usually packed to the brim with stuff to do. I am now craving these though, I can’t wait to try this dough!
These would be perfect for breakfast tomorrow for the in laws but i’m not sure they would last very long π I would have to make a triple batch! they look great!
I haven’t baked cinnamon rolls in ages. I’ll have to change that sometime soon. Beautiful photos, as usual.
I haven’t baked cinnamon rolls in ages. I’ll have to change that sometime soon. Beautiful photos, as usual.
These look wonderful. I’ve been wanting to try sweet biscuits for a while and this recipe looks incredible.
These look irresistible! I love that they are biscuits…it’s nice for something a little different than the rolls.
They look good and so cute!
Cinnamon Rolls are a favorite here, but I never have the motivation to do them from scratch. I could totally do this though!
When I want cinnamon rolls I want them STAT. Love this quick version.
I meant to pick up some canned cinnamon rolls for my kid to make for breakfast tomorrow but forgot so I think he’s going to make these instead. They seem simple enough. And they look awesome!
I can’t remember if I’ve made these or not. I bet I did at some point, but clearly I need to do it again. =) They look really yummy, and would definitely work well when the girls are clamoring for breakfast.
Goodness, I love a good cinnamon bun!
These are to die for! And they’re perfect for impatient people like me who don’t like to deal with yeast!
These look and sound fantastic! Both of my sons are home for breakfast tomorrow and these will be the featured breakfast item. Found your site just recently and thoroughly enjoy it. Thanks so much for your time and tips:)
Oh my gosh… can I have this for dinner?
Oooh, this is the recipe for me – cinnamon buns that don’t take hours to make! Perfect.
Cinnamon rolls are pretty much heaven. I’m a little embarassed to say I’ve never made them. I like the idea of a quick version. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t eat just one. Haha.
I love these easy to bake yummy rolls! They are great for holidays!
I put all the ingredients in my food processor,and pulse till the dough has come together…
It is so much easier to work with…and takes less half the time… Thank you for sharing this great recipe!