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Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites (No Dough Required!)

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Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites: Using only a few easy-to-find ingredients, you can make these bite sized cinnamon rolls in less than an hour.

Soft, sweet, and filled with cinnamon, these make ahead mini cinnamon rolls make the perfect addition to Mother’s Day brunch, sleepover parties, and even as after school snacks.

Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites pin image.

What Makes these So Great

  • No specialty ingredients: You probably already have all four of the ingredients in your pantry right now!
  • Kid-Friendly: This is a fantastic starter recipe for kids who are just learning to cook and bake.
  • Taste: All that deliciously sweet cinnamon roll flavor in a tiny, bite-sized treat.
  • Texture: The doughy interior, slightly crisp exterior, and sumptuous dipping sauce take these mini cinnamon rolls to the next level.

Ingredients for no dough cinnamon rolls.

What You’ll Need:

Ingredients:

Supplies:

Step-by-Step Directions:

To make things even easier for you, I created a simple photo guide below. For all measurements and a more detailed guide, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Start by Preparing Your Ingredients:

Step 1 – Butter the wells of a mini muffin tin. 

Step 2 – In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. 

Step 3 – Stack a few pieces of sandwich bread together and use a bread knife to remove the crusts. Repeat until all the bread crusts are removed.

Step 4 – With a rolling pin, flatten out each slice of bread. 

How to make mini cinnamon bites steps 1-4.

Create the Mini Cinnamon Rolls:

Step 5 – Brush both sides of the flattened bread slices with melted butter. 

Step 6 – Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on one side of the bread.

Step 7 – Fold the edges of the bread into thirds. (Much like folding a letter to put into an envelope.) This will create a rectangular shape with a pocket of cinnamon sugar in the center. Gently press down on the edges with your fingers to seal it all together. 

Step 8 – Gently roll up the bread pocket along the short side, creating a mini cinnamon roll. If desired, sprinkle with additional cinnamon and sugar.

Step 9 – Place the mini cinnamon roll in the prepare mini muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining bread slices

How to make mini cinnamon bites steps 9-13.

Bake Until Perfect

Step 10 – Bake the mini cinnamon rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden brown. 

Step 11 – Cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. 

Make the Icing Dip

Step 12 – Combine the powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, Stir until well combined. 

Step 13 – Add vanilla extract and stir again. 

Step 14 – Set aside until serving.

Making a simple powdered sugar glaze for dipping.

Dipping a mini cinnamon bite in a glaze.

Essential Tips:

Don’t skip these tips – read them before baking to avoid any potential mistakes.

  • Confused at all? Watch the video to see how to make them for yourself.
  • Make the filling process go faster by laying out several slices of bread at once and preparing them assembly line style.
  • When rolling out the bread slices, make sure you get them as thin and smushed down as possible.
  • Keep your bread crusts to make bread crumbs or to use in another recipe.
  • You can also sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the mini cinnamon rolls before baking for a little extra sweetness.
  • When making the icing, start with just a little bit of milk, and add more if it is too stiff. You want the icing to be thin enough for dipping the cinnamon rolls, instead of thick like a traditional glaze.
  • Icing is best made right before serving.

Mini cinnamon roll bites on a white plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use another type of bread, like wheat or nut grain?

I’ve only tested this recipe with white bread and wheat bread. Unfortunately, as much as I prefer wheat bread, I found that it tends to be denser and isn’t able to roll flat enough for the cinnamon rolls to hold their shape.

Can I Use Biscuit Dough Instead of White Bread?

Biscuit dough won’t work the same way the bread will, as it is designed to bake and stay soft. It will still be quite tasty, but if you want that deliciously crisp exterior, bread slices are the way to go.

Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?

You can definitely use brown sugar to make the cinnamon sugar mixture. The flavor will be slightly different, but still delicious.

Mini cinnamon bites piled high.

How to Store Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites

Make ahead/Leftovers: After baking, let your cinnamon rolls cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

To Reheat: Place the cinnamon rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and crisp in the oven at 300˚F for 5-10 minutes.

To Freeze: Cool your baked cinnamon rolls completely, then freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag or hard sided storage container for up to one month.

When ready to enjoy, defrost in the microwave at 20% power in 30 second increments until just barely thawed. Then reheat according to the instructions above.

Layers of cinnamon inside a mini bite.

If you liked my mini cinnamon roll bites, you’re going to love my Easy Candied Pecans. Sweet and crunchy, and only needing 6 ingredients, they’re always a hit at parties and holiday gatherings.

Or you can check out my other recipes here.

Yield: 16 mini rolls

Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites (No Dough Required)

Mini cinnamon bites piled high.

Treat your taste buds with crispy and delicious Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites. Made with pantry staples, it's the perfect recipe for brunch, breakfast, or a last minute sweet tooth.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Rolls

For the Icing Dip

Instructions

  1. Prepare Your Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Prepare a mini muffin tin by buttering each well. 
  2. In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. 
  3. Stack a few pieces of sandwich bread together and use a bread knife to remove the crusts. Repeat until all the bread crusts are removed. 
  4. With a rolling pin, flatten out each slice of bread. 
  5. Create the Mini Cinnamon Rolls: Brush both sides of the flattened bread slices with melted butter. 
  6. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on one side of the bread, and then fold the edges of the bread into thirds. (Much like folding a letter to put into an envelope.) This will create a rectangular shape with a pocket of cinnamon sugar in the center. \
  7. Gently press down on the edges with your fingers to seal it all together. 
  8. Gently roll up the bread pocket along the short side, creating a mini cinnamon roll. If desired, sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar on top.
  9. Place in the prepare mini muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining bread slices.
  10. Bake Until Perfect: Bake the mini cinnamon rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden brown. 
  11. Cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. 
  12. Make the Icing Dip: Combine the powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, Stir until well combined. 
  13. Add vanilla extract and stir again. 
  14. Set aside until serving.

Notes

Remember, the step-by-step photos and FAQ in the recipe post are there to help you if you feel stuck at any point.

  • Confused at all? Watch the video to see how to make them for yourself.
  • Make the filling process go faster by laying out several slices of bread at once.
  • When rolling out the bread slices, make sure you get them as thin and smushed down as possible.
  • Keep your bread crusts to make bread crumbs or to use in another recipe.
  • As much as I prefer wheat bread, I found that it doesn't get flat enough for this recipe.
  • You can also sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the mini cinnamon rolls before baking for a little extra sweetness.
  • When making the icing, start with just a little bit of milk, and add more if it is too stiff. You want the icing to be thin enough for dipping the cinnamon rolls, instead of thick like a traditional glaze.
  • These can be made in advance and frozen: Heat in the microwave at 20% power and 30 second increments until just barely thawed. Then crisp up in the oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes.
  • Icing is best made right before serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

How much did you love this recipe?

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© Leslie @ playdatesparties.com
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

This recipe was originally published on September 1, 2011. It has been updated with new photos, step by step instructions, helpful tips, and FAQs.

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About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. Living with metastatic breast cancer since 2022, she is determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

Comments

  8. Leslie says

    @AndreaLeigh – Definitely try them, and let me know if you do!

    @Kelsey – They were very tasty, especially with the glaze…mmmmm!

    @Kathryn Michelle – One of the best things about this recipe is that you probably do have most of the ingredients on hand. Happy baking!

    @Kathryn – Cinnamon and sugar is such a classic and tasty combination…it's no wonder you find it in almost every pastry recipe!

    @Ladybehindthecurtain – I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I can't! If I get the chance, I'll check your linky out!

    Reply

  11. Laurie says

    Yum! Can’t wait to try these! I’ll once again reach cool Mom status 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday! Pinned, tweeted and fb shared 🙂 Have a great week!
    ~Laurie

    Reply

  19. Mother of 3 says

    Oh I totally forgot about these; we used to make such a similar treat and we all just LOVED them; though didn’t think to serve with dipping sauce like that. Yum! Pinned.

    Reply

  23. Angela says

    That looks delicious. I made homemade cinnamon rolls for New Years Day but they were so much work that I don’t anticipate making them again. It’s nice to know there are easier options out there.

    Reply

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