Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

These biscuit cinnamon rolls are quick and easy, laced with spice, and lavished with buttermilk cream cheese icing. A shortcut recipe when you want the taste of homemade cinnamon buns but don’t have the time—or the yeast.

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated | The Quick Recipe | Boston Common Press, 2003

If we were the poetic sort of home cook, we’d pen a long, meandering ode out of respect for the indulgence these biscuit cinnamon rolls bring to even lazy weekend mornings. We’re not poets, though, so we’re simply going to reassure you that these little lovelies are quick, easy, gooey, sticky, sweet, and certain to please. And they’re relatively instant gratification compared to their more classic yeast-raised counterparts. Do with this information what you will.–David Leite

Why our testers loved this

Tester Bonnie D. loved that these were “a quick and easy alternative to the traditional cinnamon roll,” while tester Greg C. was delighted that the finished rolls were “soft and chewy” with plenty of crispy, caramelized edges.

Notes on ingredients

• Buttermilk–The buttermilk in the recipe lends a pleasant tang to the dough and also helps to tenderize the dough for softer, fluffier biscuits. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own following the method outlined in the FAQs.
• Cream cheese–We highly recommend full-fat cream cheese to give you the richest and creamiest frosting possible. Do make sure it’s at room temperature before mixing or you may have difficulty getting a smooth frosting.

How to make this recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat a round 9-inch nonstick baking pan or cast-iron skillet with butter.
2. Make the brown sugar filling. Combine the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons granulated sugar with the spices and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and mix to combine.
3. Make the buttermilk biscuit dough. Combine the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, stirring with a wooden spoon to create a shaggy dough.
4. Knead the biscuit dough just until it comes together. Pat it into a 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Drizzle with butter then sprinkle the brown sugar filling over the dough and press it in.
5. Roll the dough into a log. Cut the dough log into 8 even pieces and slightly flatten each roll.
6. Bake the biscuits. Place the biscuits in the prepared pan, brush with butter, and bake until golden brown. Cool slightly before removing from the pan.
7. Make the frosting. Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk together, then sift in the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until the frosting is smooth. Drizzle over the cinnamon biscuits.

FAQs

Helpful tips

• The frosted biscuits are best served the day they are made but can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 1 to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or a warm oven until heated through.
• Don’t overwork your dough when kneading. You want it to just come together as smooth dough.
• Use a serrated knife to slice your biscuit dough. It won’t squish the dough as much as a regular knife.
• If your dough seems very sticky and soft, try refrigerating it for 20 minutes so it can firm up a bit.
• For easier cleanup, slip a piece of parchment paper under your cooling rack when glazing the buns.

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