This TikTok Cinnamon Roll Hack Makes the Most Decadent From-a-Can Rolls

Bryce Jones
·3 min read
6

While waking up to the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls is the ultimate Saturday morning delicacy, not everyone has the time (or energy) to go full-on pastry chef and make them from scratch at 7 a.m. Luckily, that isn't necessary. Thanks to a simple "TikTok made me do it" trend, you can recreate pastry chef-level cinnamon rolls with store-bought, from-a-can ingredients—even if you ~roll~ out of bed at noon.

Search "cinnamon roll hack" or "TikTok cinnamon roll" on the app, and you'll find a plethora of users upgrading their store-bought rolls themselves. The hashtag #cinnamonrollhack has nearly 23 million views, and creators and commenters alike have given it stellar ratings. One creator even said they would never make cinnamon rolls any other way.

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Jason Donnelly

The key step of this enhanced recipe calls for adding heavy whipping cream to the baking pan after placing and spacing out your pre-made rolls. You don't have to get specific with the measurements; just make sure you coat the bottom of your dish. Next, melt a stick of butter and combine it with a cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon (the consistency should be on the thick side—not thin enough to drizzle). Spread the mixture on top of the rolls, cover your pan with foil so it doesn't burn, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. That's it! Be prepared for the cinnamon rolls to come out of the oven much larger than when you put them in—choose a baking pan with a little room for growth.

When shopping for your cinnamon rolls, opt for a jumbo-sized version (like Pillsbury Grands) so they can absorb all the extra, buttery goodness. Most videos recommend using two cans. For the icing, you can simply drizzle on the included pre-made packets after the rolls come out of the oven. If you feel like putting in a little more effort, the creator in this video adds butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to the store-bought icing and uses a hand mixer to combine.

Since the hack has taken off, a few riffs on the original recipe have also circulated—and they don't disappoint. This TikTok with over 260,000 likes shows the baker swapping out the heavy whipping cream for Starbucks caramel macchiato creamer and adding caramels and pecans on top for more texture. "I'm so excited to try this with the pumpkin spice in the fall and the strawberry one in the winter," one user commented. McCormick Spices even got in on the trend, incorporating lemon extract to the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon mixture and icing. Some made skeptical comments about the added lemon flavor, but the taste tester insisted it was the right move.

Now the next time you're invited to a potluck, housewarming party, brunch, etc., you'll know how to impress the crowd with minimal effort. You can probably get away with calling the cinnamon rolls homemade, too—no one needs to know. Or, of course, make a batch for yourself on a lazy Saturday morning. You deserve it.