These Cinnamon Roll Bites are soft, fluffy, buttery, and coated in cinnamon sugar before baking until golden brown. Instead of rolling out the dough, spreading the filling, and slicing individual cinnamon rolls, you simply scoop the dough into little balls, dip them in butter, roll them in cinnamon sugar, and bake them in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
If you've made my Dollywood Cinnamon Bread Copycat, these will remind you of it! Both have that buttery cinnamon-sugar coating and soft, pull-apart texture that makes it hard to eat just one.
I made these using the dough from my Quick Rise Cinnamon Rolls, but I let the dough rise for a full hour before shaping it. After the little dough balls get coated in butter and cinnamon sugar, they rise again in the pan before baking. The result is soft, pull-apart cinnamon roll bites with a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating and a simple drizzle of frosting over the top.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No rolling or slicing. You don't have to roll the dough into a rectangle, spread it with filling, roll it into a log, or slice individual rolls.
- Soft and fluffy. The dough gets a full first rise before being shaped into little balls, giving them a tender cinnamon roll texture.
- Buttery cinnamon-sugar coating. Each piece is dipped in melted butter and rolled in a combination of brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. To make them even quicker, dip 3-5 balls into the butter at a time, then roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture at the same time.
- Easy to make. A 1-tablespoon cookie scoop makes portioning the dough quick and easy, but you can totally shape them by hand, too.
- Perfect for sharing. They bake together in one 9x13-inch pan and are easy to pull apart and serve while they're warm.
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Tips and Tricks
- Use a 1-tablespoon scoop. I used a small tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to portion the dough, and it made shaping all of the bites really easy. You can also pinch off pieces of dough and roll them by hand.
- Dip in butter before the cinnamon sugar. The melted butter helps the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick to the dough and gives the bites that delicious buttery coating.
- Use a combination of brown and white sugar. I like using both because the granulated sugar gives you that classic cinnamon-sugar flavor while the brown sugar adds a little caramel flavor.
- Give them a second rise. Once the coated dough balls are in the pan, let them rise for about 30 minutes. They'll become noticeably puffy before they go into the oven.
- Drizzle the frosting while they're warm. The frosting melts slightly when it hits the warm cinnamon roll bites and settles into all of the little spaces between them. Bonus points if you accidentally drop the bowl of frosting like I did while drizzling and it pools into one spot. I had to lift the pan and tilt it to allow the icing to spread, haha. No matter what you do, they'll taste amazing---trust me.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Milk – Adds richness and moisture to the dough and helps create a soft texture.
- Butter – Adds buttery flavor and helps keep the dough tender.
- All-purpose flour – Provides the structure for the dough.
- Instant yeast – Helps the dough rise and become light and fluffy.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the dough.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
- Water – Helps bring the dough together.
- Egg – Adds richness and contributes to the tender texture.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Granulated sugar – Gives the coating its classic cinnamon-sugar flavor.
- Brown sugar – Adds a deeper caramel flavor and helps the coating become golden and slightly gooey as it bakes.
- Ground cinnamon – Adds warm cinnamon flavor.
- Butter – Coats each dough ball so the cinnamon sugar sticks.
Frosting
- Powdered sugar – Creates the sweet base for the simple drizzle.
- Butter – Adds richness and buttery flavor.
- Milk – Thins the frosting to a consistency that's easy to drizzle.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bites
Step 1: Make the cinnamon roll dough. Prepare the dough from my Quick Rise Cinnamon Rolls. The dough is made the same way, but instead of using the quick-rise method, you'll let it rise for about 1 hour.
Step 2: Let the dough rise. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Step 3: Prepare the cinnamon sugar. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Melt the butter in a separate bowl for dipping.
Step 4: Portion the dough. Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough. You can also pinch off pieces by hand.
Step 5: Coat the dough balls. Dip each dough ball into melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated.
Step 6: Arrange in a baking dish. Place the coated dough balls in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Step 7: Let the bites rise. Cover the pan and let the dough balls rise for about 30 minutes, or until puffy.
Step 8: Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cinnamon roll bites are golden brown and baked through.
Step 9: Make the frosting. While the bites are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and milk until smooth.
Step 10: Drizzle with frosting. Drizzle the frosting over the warm cinnamon roll bites. Serve warm.
Cinnamon Roll Bites FAQs
Yes! That's exactly what I did. I used the same dough from my Quick Rise Cinnamon Rolls, but instead of making traditional rolls, I portioned it into small balls and let it fully rise.
They have a similar buttery cinnamon-sugar flavor and pull-apart texture. My Dollywood Cinnamon Bread Copycat uses bread dough that's coated in butter and cinnamon sugar before rising and baking. These bites use homemade cinnamon roll dough, along with both brown and granulated sugar in the coating.
Absolutely. I used a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop because it made the process faster, but you can simply pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls.
The first rise gives the dough time to become light and fluffy. The second rise happens after the dough balls are shaped and coated, giving them time to puff up before baking.
You can, but I prefer a combination of the two. The granulated sugar gives the coating that familiar cinnamon-sugar flavor, while the brown sugar adds a little extra caramel flavor.
They're best served warm with the frosting drizzled over the top. They make a fun breakfast or brunch treat and are especially easy to share since everyone can pull off a bite.
More Cinnamon Recipes
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Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 large egg
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup butter melted
Frosting
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. You can also heat the milk and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl for 90 seconds. Stir until butter is completely melted. Cool until it is warm, NOT hot.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; mix well. Add water, egg, and the milk mixture; mix well.
- Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.
- Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Melt the butter in a separate bowl.
- Gently punch down the risen dough. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough into pieces (or shape by hand). Note: You'll end up with 45-48 balls of dough. You can make them smaller if you'd like.
- Dip each dough ball in melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated. To make them quickly, dip multiple balls at once.
- Place the coated dough balls in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, or until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and milk until smooth.
- Drizzle the frosting over the warm cinnamon roll bites and serve.
Notes
- I use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough, but you can also pinch off pieces and roll them by hand.
- Make sure the dough balls are well coated in melted butter and cinnamon sugar before placing them in the pan. This is what gives the bites their delicious buttery, caramelized coating.
- The dough should be puffy after the 30-minute second rise before baking.
- Bake just until the bites are golden brown and cooked through. Start checking around 20 minutes since oven temperatures can vary.
- Drizzle the frosting over the bites while they're warm so it melts into all of the nooks and crannies.
- These are best served warm, when the centers are soft and fluffy and the cinnamon-sugar coating is still slightly gooey.
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