Recipe Review

I Tried the Viral Cinnamon Hawaiian Roll Hack and It’s Pure Genius

Apple Mandy
Apple Mandy
Apple Mandy is a food writer and recipe tester based in New York. She has written for local and international publications, including Insider, The Spruce Eats, VeryWell Fit, SELF, Time Out, The Manual among others, and currently tests recipes for Simply Recipes. Before moving to NY, she lived in Hong Kong for 10 years and worked in editorial roles for companies, including South China Morning Post. She also lived in Shanghai, where she started her food-writing career critiquing restaurants and interviewing chefs including British author and cook Fuschia Dunlop and French chef Alain Passard of three-Michelin-starred L'Arpège.
published Apr 13, 2023
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There’s nothing better than a traditional homemade cinnamon roll. The rich yeasted dough is soft and fluffy, oozing with gooey cinnamon sugar swirl. In making cinnamon rolls, yeast plays a big part as it is what contributes to a tender and doughy texture. But yeast needs lots of time to rise properly.

If you love cinnamon rolls but simply don’t have the time to make them from scratch, don’t worry. I found a way to enjoy homemade cinnamon “rolls” without kneading dough or waiting hours for the yeast to rise.

When I came across this simple cinnamon “roll” hack from TikTok, I got excited. It looked super easy and only required 15 to 20 minutes. Since I had most of the ingredients, all I needed were King’s Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Here’s how it went. 

How I Used Hawaiian Rolls to Make Semi-Homemade Cinnamon “Rolls”

First, I horizontally cut the sweet rolls into half. I mixed the soft butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with a spatula, and spread half in the middle of the rolls and half on top. I even spread the mixture on the sides of the rolls. I then baked the rolls for 12 minutes at 375°F. 

While the rolls were in the oven, I made the icing mixture by mixing powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and milk until it had a smooth consistency. Once the cinnamon rolls were done, I dunked them in the icing. (Though you can eat them on their own too.)

Credit: Apple Mandy

My Honest Review of the Hawaiian Roll Cinnamon Rolls

While I was making this recipe, I was surprised by the amount of sugar used. I’m not used to having that much sugar. But when I tried the rolls, I was definitely reminded of the flavors of a traditional cinnamon roll. Even though the bread came in a different form, the rolls were still irresistibly sweet and pillowy-soft. Plus, I like the fact that it’s sort of bite-sized so that you can pull them apart.

I admit it — there’s never enough time in a day to accomplish everything I want. This is an easy solution for making cinnamon rolls that delivers quick, delicious results with a pinch of nostalgia. 

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