I Tried the Internet’s Most Popular Copycat Recipe of Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnabon — the mall food-court staple — has unwavering fandom. In addition to their heavenly scent, Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are beloved for their jumbo size, fluffy texture, and thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Unsurprisingly, there are countless copycat recipes on the internet, and Jo Cooks’ Copycat Cinnamon Roll recipe is by far the most popular. So when we decided to battle off four of the best cinnamon roll recipes as part of our recipe showdown series, we knew we had to include it. Here’s my honest review.

Get the recipe: Jo Cooks’ Cinnabon Copycat Rolls  

This Cinnabon copycat recipe has the shortest rise time of the four recipes we tested, which means you could make these cinnamon rolls in less than three hours, or you can prep them for an overnight rise and wake up to freshly baked goodness. If you do roll and fill these cinnamon rolls for an overnight rise, keep in mind that you’ll need 45 minutes to bring them to room temperature before baking.

Like most of the other cinnamon roll recipes I tried, this one does require a stand mixer. The dough, which is enriched with eggs and butter, mixes up easily, and after a quick one-hour rise, you’ll roll it out and fill it. You’ll spread softened butter over the dough, then top it with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll them up, slice them, and arrange them in the pan, then pop ’em in the fridge if you’re baking in the morning, or let them rise at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

These cinnamon rolls get nice and puffy after their second rise, but baking requires an eagle eye. The recipe claims “cooking times vary wildly” and gives a range of 20 to 40 minutes. Mine took 30 minutes, but I think I may have over-baked them.

This recipe’s icing — a combination of butter, cream cheese, and sugar — was equal parts sweet and tangy. It was my favorite icing of the bunch.

I really wanted to love these cinnamon rolls. The dough was easy to work with, I appreciated how quickly they could be made, and they were slathered with the best-tasting frosting of the bunch. But the rolls simply didn’t match their fluffy bouncing appearance. They came out dry, and I missed the robust cinnamon filling I was expecting from a Cinnabon copycat recipe. But I certainly won’t shy away from making these again in the future — especially given their ease and lush frosting.

1. Double the filling amount. If you decide to give this recipe a go, consider doubling the filling. I really loved that this filling started with softened rather than melted butter, but doubling the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture would have made for more flavorful rolls.

2. Take advantage of that overnight rise. Yes, you could make these all in one go if you’re an early riser, but a slower overnight rise will add flavor to the dough. Plus, the overnight rise makes these rolls feel even easier.

3. Bake for less time. Err on the side of underbaking for a gooey Cinnabon-like experience and start checking them at 20 minutes.

Rating: 8/10

Have you tried Jo Cooks’ Cinnabon Copycat Rolls yet? Tell us what you thought!