I Tried TikTok's Cinnamon Rolls And They Were Way Too Sweet
Growing up without a baker in the family, baked goods came from an Entenmann's box, a professional bakery on the holidays, or a tube of ready-to-bake refrigerated dough. Occasionally on the weekends, we peeled then popped open a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, devouring the eight count of icing-clad sweets right off the baking sheet, a tradition I proudly shared with my children.
I may be the last one to the party, but after finally watching the TikTok cinnamon rolls hack that's circulated for almost a year, it was impossible to resist trying the recipe myself. Although I am an avid baker now and have made several versions of cinnamon rolls from scratch, the nostalgic taste of this easy-to-make version can always be found in my refrigerator.
While users have gotten creative since the first TikTok cinnamon roll hack was uploaded, I tested what appears to be one of the OGs from mississippi_kween but added the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon topping people suggested on subsequent videos. Using Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls, I enlisted the help of hungry teenagers to make this experiment as thorough as possible.
Although every comment I read raved about the rolls, I found them too sweet, especially for breakfast. While I enjoy the occasional glazed donut or pain au chocolat, the additional sugar topping on the rolls offsets the balance of flavor and makes the dish cloyingly sweet, like adding too much maple syrup to pancakes.
How I made them
The secret behind TikTok's cinnamon rolls lies in the addition of heavy cream. The rolls soak up the cream as they bake, becoming massive, pillowy, and supposedly reminiscent of Cinnabon, although I can't confirm this. While they look and smell appetizing, eating Cinnabon at the mall before trying on clothes isn't appealing.
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For a package of five Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls, I used ½ cup of heavy cream, covering the bottom of a square, greased pan. To make the sugar topping, I combined ¼ cup of melted butter with ¼ cup of packed brown sugar and ground cinnamon to taste. Although the sugar topping seemed excessive, since I never thought the OG lacked sweetness, I followed the recipe by placing a generous dollop on each roll. Other TikTok preparations add nuts or soft caramels to the topping or swap the cream for flavored coffee creamer, which I thankfully passed on since that seemed more fitting for Buddy the Elf.
For me, a good recipe has a balance of flavor and texture. After 30 minutes, the cinnamon rolls expanded substantially, soaking up all the cream, but they looked doughy and undercooked, so I baked the rolls for five more minutes until the edges were golden brown. I allowed the cinnamon rolls to cool before frosting them with the provided icing since I knew from experience that frosting the rolls too soon would melt the icing into the dough, and I wanted a sweet layer on top.
More of a dessert than breakfast
Judging on appearance, the hack makes the cinnamon rolls look more bakery-made à la Cinnabon, as they puffed up tremendously and required a spatula to remove them from the pan. But since this version requires a plate and fork, it feels more homemade. While they are more tender than the original recipe, they lack the contrasting textures I expected. Instead of layers of filling spiraled around pastry that you can pull apart, the rolls were doughy without any crusty edges.
Hot from the oven, I found that the additional butter and sugar mixture made them too sweet, and some of my taste testers agreed. I tried two bites and had to put the fork down. Interestingly, when I tasted the buns later in the day, I found them more enjoyable at room temperature. Once cooled, the cinnamon rolls tasted less sweet, and I preferred the firmer texture, although I still think the extra sugar topping is unnecessary.
I would try the recipe again, only adding heavy cream to the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and baking them uncovered to improve the texture. Since the texture improves over time, this hack requires at least an hour and a half to bake and cool to get the desired results. While this copycat Cinnabon roll hack didn't create ones as good as a homemade recipe, it can be a good solution for busy weekends or overnight guests, saving the real thing for special occasions like Christmas morning.