Quick and easy, no yeast, no rise cinnamon rolls made with biscuit dough instead of yeast dough. These high altitude tested biscuit dough cinnamon rolls are soft, tender, fluffy, and ready to eat in about an hour.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for almond cream cheese scones, cinnamon raisin scones, and cardamom orange cinnamon rolls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. Unlike my original cinnamon roll recipe which uses a traditional yeast dough, biscuit dough cinnamon rolls are made with a simple dough that uses baking powder for the rise instead of yeast. The dough comes together fast, and the rolls are ready to bake immediately, with no kneading or proofing the dough first.
Beginner Friendly. If you’re new to baking and feeling intimated by making cinnamon rolls with yeast dough, you’ll love the ease of biscuit dough cinnamon rolls, which are basically like cinnamon scones that are shaped like cinnamon rolls. These are exactly what I used to make years ago when I was learning how to bake, and wasn’t quite ready to try making yeast dough.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s recipe should work at low altitudes without adjustment, though.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Flour + Corn Starch. The all purpose flour gives the dough structure and strength, while the corn starch lowers the protein content for a more tender, fluffy texture.
- Sugar. You’ll need some granulated sugar for the dough, brown sugar for the filling, and powdered sugar for the icing.
- Baking Powder. This is the leavening agent used instead of yeast, so the rolls puff up and rise as they bake.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Butter. Use very cold butter for the dough, and melted butter for the filling. The butter adds flavor, as well as a tender texture.
- Milk + Cream. Whole milk moistens the dough to bind it together, and the high fat content of heavy whipping cream makes a smooth, luxurious icing for the rolls.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Cinnamon.
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. Add the milk and vanilla, and stir into a moist, shaggy dough.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top of the dough, too. Gently roll or press the dough out into a rectangle, measuring about 9×14 inches.
Fill and Shape the Rolls
- Brush the 2 tbsp melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon, lightly pressing the sugar into the dough.
- Roll the dough up into a log, then cut it into 9 equal portions.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish, or line it with parchment paper, and arrange the rolls cut side up in the pan.
- Freeze the rolls in the pan while you preheat the oven.
Bake and Ice the Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Take the pan of rolls out of the freezer and put them straight into the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190 F, or until there is no raw dough visible if you insert a knife between two rolls.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the icing.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth, then spread over the hot rolls. Serve immediately.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For a soft, just-baked texture, leftover rolls can be rewarmed in the microwave for about 30 seconds on 50% power.
Yes, you can make the dough, assemble the rolls, cover the pan, and refrigerate the unbaked rolls overnight. In the morning, just bake them straight from the refrigerator.
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Biscuit Dough Cinnamon Rolls
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 10 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. Add the milk and vanilla, and stir into a moist, shaggy dough.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top of the dough, too. Gently roll or press the dough out into a rectangle, measuring about 9×14 inches.
Fill and Shape the Rolls
- Brush the 2 tbsp melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon, lightly pressing the sugar into the dough.
- Roll the dough up into a log, then cut it into 9 equal portions.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish, or line it with parchment paper, and arrange the rolls cut side up in the pan.
- Freeze the rolls in the pan while you preheat the oven.
Bake and Ice the Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Take the pan of rolls out of the freezer and put them straight into the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190 F, or until there is no raw dough visible if you insert a knife between two rolls.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the icing.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth, then spread over the hot rolls. Serve immediately.
I was very hesitant about this recipe. Should I waste my time??? I did and it was not a waste. These turned out amazing. I did add extra brown sugar and I used my own frosting recipe. The star of the show was absolutely the cinnamon roll itself. This recipe will be saved and used again.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Tried these this morning. The dough reminded me of a scone the way it came together. They were a big hit and nice surprise for my daughter on a Saturday morning. Pulling off traditional cinnamon buns on a whim is impossible, so making these little yummies is a wonderful alternative. Thank you Heather!
So glad you loved them! Yes, biscuits and scones are made from the same type of quick, shaggy dough.
Excellent recipe. I just drizzled the icing rather than using all of it. The family loves this and we’ll be making them again.
My family loved this recipe. I’ve already made it twice.
Would it be possible to prepare these overnight and then freeze or refrigerate until the morning?
Yes, you can definitely assemble them, cover the pan, and keep it refrigerated overnight, then bake them straight from the fridge in the morning.