GIANT Cinnamon twists are made with a rich buttery dough filled and twisted with sugar and cinnamon. Topped with a shiny sugar syrup glaze and drizzled with vanilla icing.
The baking craze continues while in quarantine. Cinnamon rolls with a twist (literally) are so fun and easy to make. I can’t believe I used to DOUBLE the recipe! My kids loved them and it was always great to share with my wonderful neighbors. If you’re looking for something amazing to bake up this weekend, try these GIANT Cinnamon Twists.
Making the Dough
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- Add eggs to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat well.
- Mix in sugar and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-size saucepan melt the butter. Add milk.
- Heat mixture to 110℉. Pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture. Mix well.
- Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture until the yeast has softened then stir in the yeast.
- Add 2-3 cups of flour and mix until smooth.
Rising the Dough
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6- Continue to add flour 1 cup at a time at low speed until smooth. The dough should be smooth and somewhat sticky.
- Place dough in a very large bowl that has been lightly oiled.
- Cover with a cloth and let rise until the dough has doubled in size.
- Using a dough scraper, gently remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface to rest for a few minutes.
- Melt butter then set aside.
- In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon
Shaping Giant Cinnamon Twists
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6- Roll out each half of the dough (on a lightly floured surface) into a large rectangle that is 24 x 13 inches.
- Spread half of the dough with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with all for the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Fold the top half of the dough over the sugar and cinnamon. I like to brush off any remaining flour.
- Cut the dough into 1-inch strips.
- Take each strip and twist the dough.
- Tie the twisted dough into a knot.
Place the knot on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or that has been brushed with butter. I can fit 9 twists per baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips of dough.
Cover with a clean, dry towel and allow to rise for about 45-60 minutes or until the dough feels like a marshmallow when gently pressed.
Glazing
- While the cinnamon twists are rising, prepare the sugar glaze. Mix 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon corn syrup in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Lightly brush the warm glaze over baked cinnamon twists. This step puts a shiny glaze all over the cinnamon twists.
Icing Drizzle
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4- While the rolls are baking prepare the icing by mixing 2 cups of confectioners sugar with 1/4 cup of milk.
- The icing should be thin enough to drizzle off the whisk or spoon. Set aside.
- Once the twists have completely cooled drizzle glaze over each cinnamon twist
- Allow glaze to set completely.
Giant Cinnamon Twists
Giant cinnamon filled twisted knot rolls. Covered with a sugary glaze and icing drizzle
Prep Time 53 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings 24 Twists
Calories 267 kcal
Ingredients
Roll Dough
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
- 5-6 cups flour
Sugar Cinnamon Filling
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Clear Glaze
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Icing Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Roll Dough
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In the large bowl (6-quart) of a mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and salt. In a medium-size saucepan melt butter. Add the milk and heat until the milk is lightly warmed about 110 degrees. Remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture. Mix until combined. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and let stand for about 2 minutes to soften the yeast. Whisk into the milk mixture. Add 6 cups of flour and beat until dough is smooth. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough is smooth and slightly sticky or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Place the dough in a very large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size. About 45-60 minutes.
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Gently remove the dough from the bowl. Let rest a few minutes. Roll the dough into a 24 x 13-inch rectangle. Spread the lower half of the dough with butter and sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Fold down the upper half of the dough over the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 1-inch strips. Twist each strip of dough then tie in a knot. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with the clear glaze. When the rolls have cooled drizzle with sugar glaze using a fork.
Cinnamon sugar filling
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Melt butter then set aside. In a small bowl stir the cinnamon and sugar together. Set aside until ready to use.
Clear Glaze
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Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before brushing on baked twists.
Icing Glaze
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Combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a medium-size bowl. Mix well. The glaze should drizzle from the spoon or whisk.
Nutrition Facts
Giant Cinnamon Twists
Amount Per Serving (1 Twist)
Calories 267
Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Cholesterol 36mg12%
Sodium 229mg10%
Potassium 65mg2%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 289IU6%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This is a revision of a previous post from 2011. Nutrition, photos, recipe corrections, and a printable recipe card have been added.
I am not sure i understand how you tied your knot. Once they are twistEd, do you juSt cross them over and pull through once? Thank you sO much – these look delicious And i can’t Wait to try Them.
Twist the strip of dough then I loop it around a couple of my fingers and just tie a loose knot. One end of the strip should come through the center and one end will be on the bottom. You can play with it a bit. The end pieces can be tucked under if you want to do that. It’s hard to describe. I’m sure whatever knot you come up with looks great.
THANK you for another fantastic recipe. We had these this evening after our dinner of Pork Chile Verde (another delicious recipe from your blog). I'm so glad you're blogging again. I LOVE the recipes you share and also the beautiful photographs.
I cut the recipe down to just 1/4 and got 18 good size (not giant) twists. I did half with cardamom filling to satisfy my Scandinavian taste. I brushed them with a cardamom simple syrup that I made previously and then drizzled them with the icing.
DELICIOUS and great texture!
I love your Scandinavian twist. I love cardamom, so I'm going to have to try your version. Thank you so much for your kind comments. Happy cooking!
I am in love with your recipes…no joke this blog has taught me how to cook and my family is forever grateful to you! I have a question about storing these rolls just to clarify….I want to make them a week in advance of a party I am having and freeze them and then thaw them out. Should I wait to glaze and frost them when they have thawed the day of the party, or can I glaze them and freeze the glaze right on the roll as well? Does that make sense? I just am imagining thawing the roles and having the frozen glaze turn them to goo….not the icing, but the glaze… Anyway, if you had time to answer this I would be so grateful. Thanks again for this beyond amazing blog.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. You have made my day. You can do either way. If you glaze and ice them before freezing, simply thaw at room temperature uncovered. Remove any plastic. If they are thawed while being, covered then the rolls will sweat and the icing will turn to goo. You can also just wait to ice and glaze them after thawing. I guess it depends on the amount of time you have. I hope I answered any questions. Best of luck.
Hello, thank you for this awsome recipe, I tried this and loved it, so I want to do it again 🙂 just one question, last time I used royal icing to ice the twists, but with only one egg I had way too much icing, so I wanted to try your milk icing this time. Anyway I just wanted to ask, does the icing solidify once spread? Or does it stay "liquid"?
Many thanks for your help. Have a good evening.
It does solidity, but if it is covered air tight it will liquify. Just make sure you drizzle the icing on when the rolls are completely cool and it will look more like the royal icing. The icing has a softer bite than royal icing.
I LOVE this site! Thank you! Your posts and instructions are great & you're funny! Cannot wait to make this!
Thank you so much. Please come back!
Looks so good
What is the best way to store the leftovers? Can they be frozen? If so, before or after baking?
I freeze them in plastic containers. Don't stack them or the icing will stick. Thaw uncovered for about 30 minutes. They will be fresh and nice like the day they were baked.
My pleasure 🙂
Janet…thanks for all the kind words! Thank you for not being selfish and sharing your knowledge and experience with us!!!
Hi, I am back 😉 This is also wonderful, we loved it so much!!! Here it is, how it came out for me 🙂 I hope that you do not mind that I am posting your recipes (with my photos and my text), I am writing on Serbian, so that even those people who do not understand english, can try these beautifull recipes of yours 🙂 Offcourse, I always put a link back to your site. Here it is, if you wish to see how good you taught us 🙂 http://www.kuvajmo-blogovski.com/2014/01/26/cimet-tvisteri-fantasticno-pecivo-sa-cimetom/
I went to your blog and your pictures are beautiful. You are a fabulous baker. Thank you so much for translating the recipe what a great service. Serbian – Wow! You are amazing. Thank you for sharing your blog and photos.
I love these buns, I have made them about 10 times now. I always make 1/2 recipe dough and whole recipe cinnamon mixture. Usually I get about 12 to 15 buns depending on how I roll out the dough. They are easy to make the night before just put the finished buns in the fridge overnight. They need about 2 hrs rise time in the morning and then bake, fresh cinnamon buns for breakfast. This is a great fail proof recipe, thank you Janet.
Thank you so much for the suggestion. I love the thoughts of baking fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I'm so glad you love the recipe. Happy baking.
These are beautiful! I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow!
Hooray! Please let me know how they turn out for you.
Hey Janet,
Just wanted to let you know in case anyone else asked this question to you in the future, that freezing the rolls before letting them rise the second time worked perfectly. It took about 3 hours for them to rise when I took them out of the freezer but it was so awesome. All I had to do on the day of the shower was let them rise and cook. They were perfect. Thank you again for this recipe!!!!!!
Hi Janet,
I am looking for a recipe like this however, is there a way to substitute some potatoes instead in this? I was told and from my experience they will stay more moist for a longer duration.However, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. Any ideas?
Also question #2:
My hubby's family's has over 60+ members and that is only his brothers and sisters and their children. Many family members are allergic to gluten. I am really trying to find recipes, like this one, that are delicious and beautiful that I can make for them. However, we've found MOST "Gluten Free" recipes to be absolutely dreadful, hard, and dry. We've found only one boxed mix for gluten-free brownies that were absolutely delicious but I hate making anything boxed. Cooking and Baking from Scratch is the way for me and I need some help and guidance. Think you are up for the challenge?
Made these…oh heaven. I did use the 1 1/2 cube instead of cups and they seemed to turn out. Thanks for the yum.
I can't see where I stated 1 1/2 cups. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup, so you are right 1 1/2 cubes of butter. Mmmmm now I want some.
Is it 1 1/2 cups of butter, of 1 1/2 cubes? The picture looks like cubes.
Janet,
I am making these tonight first time. I just hope they look as good as yours. I have made the crispy Bread and love it!! I have that sitting on my counter for the morning.
Love your blog and receipes!! Always checking to see what else you have cooking.
THANK YOU!!!! Tara
I´m doing it right now! but i don´t think that will end well! hahahahaha it seems that my dough wont grow! tell you later!
=D
ps: i´m in love with you blog!
Janet,
I am DYING to try these rolls but I have a question.
First, let me say, I am terrified of making anything with yeast.
But, your pictorial makes it seem like I could do it, so, I am going to try!
My question is what type of yeast do you use? Is it the instant (?) or the
active dry yeast (?) Those are the 2 options, right? I'm just getting into baking.
I apologize for being such a novice.
Thanks in advance for your response!
Remember, yeast is your friend. Don't be afraid. I use SAF instant yeast 99.9% of the time for baking yeast breads. If you only have active dry yeast, that's ok. Make sure you dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Let the yeast and water mixture sit for about 10 minutes. The yeast should begin to foam up. That means it's good yeast and ready to go. Just follow the instructions and you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck. You can do it!!
Wow, thank you for you're awesome comments. Pat yourself on the back for being such a fabulous baker.
I'm so glad the rolls turn out for you. Whew that is always a relief for me. You were the baker so it was you that made them work. Thanks for the comment.
You could try putting the rolls in the refrigerator overnight, covered with plastic wrap then removing and if they need more rising time, let them sit out until risen then bake. I have never tried it. Let me know if you do and how it works. Thanks.
Janet – I just wanted to say thank you again!! Last night @ 11pm I was pulling the last pan of gorgeous rolls out of the oven and talking to my mom who had recently found a recipe for cinnamon rolls and had made them several times. I made them also a few weeks ago with no success (very unhappy at wasting ingredients and time) Your site with all the beautiful pictures made me feel that surely success would happen and of coarse it did : )
I cant wait to try other recipes
Thank you again for sharing your time and effort with the rest of us. I'm a huge fan and will give you all the credit!
OMG!!!! I am soooo happy. They turned out just like yours. I have never had anything turn out when I've used yeast. They are big, beautiful, delicious, Rolls : )
I cant wait to share with my friends.
THANK YOU!
I have a question……After making the dough – do you have to bake them the same day??? or is their anyway to bake the next morning?
Thank you Mayzie. Another option that my son's love: Instead of sprinkling with cinnamon & sugar try cheddar cheese then roll and twist. Great for a sandwich or hot with a bowl of soup or Chili. Yum.
The first time I made these I didn't half the recipe and I made half the dough into dinner rolls (Um, A-MAZ-ING)Since then I usually do half the recipe, and they turn out great! But pretty much I love these things. There are few things in life that are better. 🙂
Yes, Annie, you can definitely half the recipe. Start with 5 cups of flour and if the dough seems sticky slowly add more flour until it is a smooth consistancy. The original recipe makes about 40 twists. Good luck.
Janet
I am Annie from Pakistan. I like this recipe you have here. Do you think I could halve the ingredients to make half the amount? I do not have Kitchen-aid and only a pair of hands to rely on so kneading 10-12 cups of flour is going to be quite a mammoth task. If I can reduce the quantity by half, would all the ingredients reduce by half automatically? How much flour should I add? 5 or 6 cups?
How many twists did your batch make? Thanks, Annie
Sorry I forgot to finish my thought. I'm thinking about lowering the baking temperature to 350 degrees instead of 375. That might solve the problem.
A twisted loaf…what a great idea. Hmmm you could try lowering the temperature of the oven so that they bake completely. I don't know how much of the dough you are putting into the pan, but try only filling the pan 1/3 full???? Let me know what works. I wonder if making into a pull-a-part like monkey bread would work??
Janet, I have made these a few times and LOVE them. I have tried to make them into a twisted loaf, to give away but I am having trouble with baking time. What would you do?
Oh no. I better start posting low cal recipes.
My kitchen is currently FULL of these… and last week I made your mint brownies… and gained several lbs.
You're the best, Marilyn. Thanks so much.
I'm so excited you posted this, I've eaten the twists, prior to rolling at your house! Love your blog Janet, I come back to recipes on it all the time.
Thanks, Amanda.
I'd love you to stop by any time Joni. I hear you should be having a baby soon. Congratulations! You better post pictures of FB.
Um, I think I just drooled a little . . . maybe a lot. . . . those things look soooo good!
Those look SO good! If I lived by you, I'd be on your porch drooling for one right now :). Ok, I'll stop being lazy & just try to make them sometime soon.
Boy, would I LOVE a recipe for great Chocolate Babka! You know I was thinking after I posted the recipe that I should give another indication for the temperature. Yes it is Fahrenheit. Just stick you finger in the milk. It should feel warm, but not hot. The egg mixture will cool down the milk slightly so that it's not too hot for the yeast. You can do this. Breads are a piece of cake. Just remember. Yeast is my friend, yeast is my friend….
Good luck with your luncheon. it sounds awesome. I'm so jealous. Let me know when you want a Mormon at that luncheon. What a great combination – Jewish-Muslim-Mormon. We really have so much in common. Religiously speaking. I'll fly in for the occasion.
Thank you. Plates are from Williams-Sonoma.
You are not going to believe this!
All I can say is great minds think alike.
This is really close to Chocolate Babka- I saw a recipe online on SmittenKicten. And I was hoping to impress some Jewish friends I have made here who have invited me over for lunch to have some friendly Jewish-Muslim chat.
I have never attempted bread making before and your clear instructions on the first & second rise will probably clear all misconceptions I have about it.
Just one question: 110 degrees would be in Fahrenheit I believe. And if i don't have a temperature reader, any idea on how I can test it by just dipping the baby finger in it?
Thank you so much.
Aisha
Thank you for your recipes, great blog:)
plates are very cute:)