2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls that are Better than Cinnabon
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Saturday morning, I posted a picture on Instagram of one of these mind-blowingly good and insanely easy 2 ingredient dough cinnamon rolls. It doesn’t seem fair to go too long without sharing the recipe because drumroll, please…
For the first time in my life, I actually got over 50 likes on a picture! I know some of you are rolling on the floor laughing because your wedding pictures got more than that, but I’m honestly that small time.
No seriously, please follow me… 😛
Okay, these cinnamon rolls use the two-ingredient dough, plus three ingredients for the filling, and five for the frosting. All things considered, that’s pretty good, right? Let’s do a quick run-through before I set you loose on this recipe.
Recapping 2 Ingredient Dough
The two ingredients in 2 ingredient dough are self-rising flour and plain Greek yogurt, and they’re used in a 1:1 ratio. You fold them together to combine and work them slightly to build gluten. This helps to mimic the texture of a yeast dough, while the yogurt adds tang similar to yeast.
While you can use full fat, I use the non-fat version to keep the calories down. This is a habit from WW (the artist formerly known as Weight Watchers) where non-fat, plain Greek yogurt is a “Zero Point Food.”
If you don’t have self-rising flour handy, you can make your own (courtesy of the King Arthur Flour blog):
- • 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- • 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I use pink Himalayan sea salt for everything)
3 Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Filling
The filling is just as easy. Part of the reason this recipe beats Cinnabon is that it takes an hour TOPS. If you’re speedy or you have help, it could be closer to a half-hour. All you have to do for the filling is melt some butter and mix together cinnamon and sugar.
I used pure cane sugar, and I try to get the Morena brand whenever I find it at Aldi (I’ve also seen it at Kroger). If you’re baking vegan, this is the sugar you want because it’s not bleached using bone meal like traditional granulated sugar.
Obviously this recipe is NOT vegan, but I generally feel better about using this kind of sugar in all my recipes.
And if you want to use brown sugar instead for a deeper flavor, I encourage you to go for it. The molasses adds in moisture that makes the filling gooey while also imparting a dark, bitter note that balances out the sweet.
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls
Whether you are making these 2 ingredient cinnamon rolls or any other recipe, I hope you’ll come back here at least to reference the icing because it’s THAT GOOD. It is also THAT SIMPLE.
Consider that this small batch cinnamon roll recipe makes 6 cinnamon rolls. So, why on earth would you waste food making a large bowl of icing?
We’re keeping it simple.
You’ll soften 1 ounce of cream cheese and beat it up with a fork in a cereal bowl to increase the surface area available to the powdered sugar. Then, you’ll SLOWLY spoon in 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time, whisking it until there are no clumps.
Once you’ve added in about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, you’ll add in a pinch of salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then, it’s just a matter of whisking in milk to thin it out to a glaze consistency. So simple.
My Little Secret Ingredient
Now, I know I gave you the link for my favorite brand of pink Himalayan sea salt. It’s the bomb, and I use it in just about everything from eggs to cupcakes.
But I have one other salt that I like to bring out for special occasions. This is a 3 ingredient recipe helper that intensifies flavors, adds a little “what is that flavor?” and boosts my baking to the next level.
Take a small container and mix together:
- 1 part Fleur de Sel sea salt
- 1 part espresso powder
- 1 part dark cocoa powder
I keep a little jar of this on hand to sprinkle on top of vanilla ice cream, brownies, cookies, or whatever. In this case, I grabbed the mortar and pestle and ground 1/2 of a teaspoon of my mix into a very fine powder to flavor my cream cheese frosting.
Obviously, this is unnecessary if you’re just looking to whip up some pretty-darn-good, quick, and easy 2 ingredient cinnamon rolls. However, if you’re looking to beat Cinnabon in a flavor contest, this is the key.
Making 2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
For a small batch of rolls that serves 6 (at 222 calories each), you’ll start by mixing together 1 cup of self-rising flour with 1 cup of non fat Greek yogurt. Once it’s combined, turn it on onto a floured work surface and fold it over itself 13 times.
Roll it out into a 6″ x 12″ rectangle, and then brush it with a tablespoon of melted butter. Yes, use the whole thing! Then, using a smaller dish, mix together 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with 1/4 cup pure cane sugar.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over your rectangle of dough, and using your hands, spread and pat it to make sure the whole area is evenly and thoroughly coated. Working from the long side, tightly roll your rectangle into a log.
Cut it into 6 even slices and place them into a small, buttered pie plate, like this one. I used my husband’s late grandmother’s vintage Pyrex. It’s the best for small batches like this. The link above is for a similar but modern 9.5 inch pie plate.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350ºF and cool slightly before frosting them. I’ve already walked through the frosting, so let’s get to the recipe card, huh?
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Small mixing bowl x 2
- 9-inch casserole dish or pie plate
- Rolling pin
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup non fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup pure cane sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 1 ounce cream cheese room temperature, softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pink himalayan sea salt
- ¼ cup skim milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and lightly butter your pie plate or casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together the self-rising flour and Greek yogurt until combined. Turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Press it down and fold it 13 times, rotating a quarter turn with each fold. Roll it out into a 6-inch by 12-inch rectangle.
- Brush the dough with all of the melted butter. Then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar evenly over the entire rectangle. Working from the long side of the rectangle, roll it tightly into a log. Cut into 6 even rolls.
- Place the rolls into your prepared dish, and bake for 15-20 minutes until very lightly browned.
- For the frosting, break up the softened cream cheese with a fork, pressing it against the sides of the bowl and scraping it down to soften it further. Sprinkle in the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking it in until no lumps remain. Then, flavor with vanilla and salt. Finally, thin it out but gently and slowly whisking in the milk.
- Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for 5 minutes before dressing with your frosting. Serve immediately after adding the icing.
