Muffin-Tin Cinnamon Rolls
Bake cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin for tall, individual rolls with crisp edges, gooey centers, and built-in portion control.
- Total time
- 2 hr 27 min
- Bake
- 19 min
- Yield
- 12 rolls
- Level
- easy
The quick answer
Cut the rolls a little taller and drop one into each greased muffin cup so it rises up rather than out. The tin gives you individual, bakery-tall rolls with extra crisp caramelized edges. Bake at 350°F for about 18–20 minutes, and cool 5 minutes before lifting each roll free.
A muffin tin turns cinnamon rolls into neat, self-contained portions. Each well cradles a single roll so it climbs upward instead of spreading sideways, giving you a taller spiral with more caramelized edge and a soft, gooey middle. There's no wrestling rolls out of a shared pan and no ragged edge pieces — everyone gets their own perfectly shaped roll. It's a smart format for serving a crowd, packing lunchboxes, or simply getting more of those crisp, sugary edges that people fight over.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cupwarm whole milk (about 110°F) — warm, not hot
- 2¼ tspinstant yeast — one packet
- ¼ cupgranulated sugar
- ⅓ cupunsalted butter, melted — cooled slightly
- 1 egglarge egg — room temperature
- 4 cupsall-purpose flour — plus more to dust
- 1 tspfine salt
Filling
- ½ cupunsalted butter, very soft
- 1 cuppacked brown sugar
- 2 tbspground cinnamon
- ¼ tspfine salt
Vanilla glaze
- 1 cuppowdered sugar
- 2 tbspmilk — plus more to thin
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the sugar. Let it sit until foamy.
Surface looks foamy and smells yeasty.
Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, and egg. Mix in the flour and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead until smooth and elastic, by stand mixer or by hand.
Dough is smooth, tacky but not sticky, and springs back when poked.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled.
Dough has doubled in size.
Generously butter every cup of a 12-cup muffin tin, including the top rim so the tall rolls release cleanly.
Roll the dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Spread with the soft butter, then sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the edges.
Roll up tightly from a long edge and cut into 12 rolls, cutting them slightly taller than usual. Drop one roll cut-side up into each muffin cup.
Each roll sits snugly and stands upright in its cup.
Cover and proof until puffy and rising above the rims.
Rolls dome above the muffin cups.
Bake at 350°F until golden with crisp edges.
Tops are golden brown and the edges look caramelized.
Cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around each roll and lift out. Whisk the glaze and drizzle over the warm rolls.
Rolls release cleanly and the glaze sets to a soft sheen.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Assemble the rolls in the buttered muffin tin, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to finish proofing, then bake.
- Storage
- Store the loose rolls in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Reheating
- Microwave a single roll 15 seconds to soften the crumb and warm the center.
- Freezing
- Freeze baked, unglazed rolls up to 2 months. Thaw, warm, then glaze. Their compact shape freezes and packs neatly.
Substitutions
- Active dry yeast (bloom it in the warm milk first) instead of instant yeast
- Cream cheese frosting spooned over the tops instead of vanilla glaze
Troubleshooting
- Rolls stuck in the tin
- Butter the cups and the top rim generously, and cool the rolls only 5 minutes before loosening — waiting too long lets the sugar glue them in place.
- Rolls spread flat instead of standing tall
- Cut the rolls a bit taller and fit them snugly in the cups so they're forced to rise upward rather than out.
Tools I reach for
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- Stand Mixer with Dough HookKneads enriched dough hands-free until smooth and elastic.
- Digital Kitchen ScaleWeighing flour is the single biggest fix for dry or dense rolls.
- Rolling PinRolls the dough into an even rectangle for tidy spirals.
- Pastry BrushBrushes melted butter evenly across the rolled dough.
- Saigon (Vietnamese) CinnamonThe boldest, sweetest cinnamon for a deep filling flavor.
Frequently asked questions
- Why bake cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin?
- The cups force each roll upward, so you get taller individual rolls with more crisp caramelized edge and easy, mess-free portions.
- How do I stop them sticking?
- Butter every cup and the top rim well, line with paper liners if you like, and lift the rolls out after a short 5-minute cool.
- Can I use paper liners?
- Yes, though you'll lose a little of the caramelized edge. Buttering the tin directly gives the crispest sides.
Nutrition (estimate): 1 roll (of 12) · ~380 kcal. Nutrition is an automated estimate and will vary with brands and exact quantities.
Food safety: don't taste dough containing raw flour or raw egg. Refrigerate anything with cream cheese frosting, and reheat leftovers until piping hot.
Frostings & glazes to pair
- Vanilla Bean GlazeA glossy, pourable vanilla bean glaze that sets into a thin sweet shell over cinnamon rolls, sweet buns, and scones.
- Classic Cream Cheese FrostingThe tangy, silky-smooth cream cheese frosting that melts into warm cinnamon rolls and defines the bakery-style classic.
- Heavy Cream GlazeA rich, pourable glaze made with heavy cream for a luxuriously smooth, slightly caramel-tinged finish on warm rolls.
Helpful guides
- How to Proof Cinnamon Roll DoughHow to proof cinnamon roll dough perfectly — how to tell when it's ready, the best warm spots, overnight cold proofing, and over- vs under-proof signs.
- How to Store & Freeze Cinnamon RollsHow to keep cinnamon rolls fresh at room temperature, in the fridge, and in the freezer — including baked and unbaked rolls.
- Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Dry? (And How to Fix It)The real reasons cinnamon rolls turn out dry — over-baking, too much flour, and over-proofing — plus exactly how to fix each one.
More cinnamon rolls to try
- Classic Homemade Cinnamon RollsSoft, fluffy, bakery-style cinnamon rolls from scratch with a gooey brown-sugar filling and cream cheese frosting.
- One-Hour Cinnamon RollsWarm, frosted cinnamon rolls from scratch in about an hour using extra yeast and a single warm rise — no overnight wait.
- Overnight Cinnamon RollsAssemble the night before, refrigerate, and bake fresh in the morning — a slow cold proof for deeper flavor and effortless mornings.
- Sheet-Pan Cinnamon RollsA big-batch cinnamon roll recipe spread across a half-sheet pan — two dozen soft rolls that bake evenly and feed a crowd.