Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast Breads & Pastries Cinnamon Rolls 7 Cinnamon Roll Recipes for Breakfast or Dessert By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 17, 2023 Close Photo: Michael Piazza Cinnamon rolls are the best way to eat dessert for breakfast. These sticky-sweet pastries are full of cinnamon and sugar, covered in icing, and best served warm. Though we think classic cinnamon rolls are pretty delicious, there are plenty of ways to change up their flavor — we love to add pecans, apples, cardamom, or butterscotch. Here are some of our favorite takes on the tasty treat. 01 of 07 Cinnamon-Apple Babka Cinnamon-Apple Babka. Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Imagine a gooey, buttery cinnamon bun twisted together with the flavors of apple pie — that’s what you get with this utterly decadent babka. Serve it as an afternoon snack, dessert, or brunch offering. Get the Recipe 02 of 07 Orange-Cardamom Morning Buns Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman These fragrant morning buns are a great way to wake up. They're soft and tender, made with dough that's spiked with a hint of honey and vanilla extract. Honey goes into the buttery filling as well, which is flavored with orange zest, cardamom, and lots of cinnamon. Get the Recipe 03 of 07 Cinnamon Roses Michael Piazza This simple yeasted dough is soft and tender, yielding golden, tear-apart rolls. For the best “bloom,” tightly roll the dough, and use unflavored floss to cut roses; it pinches the rolls less than a using a knife. Get the Recipe 04 of 07 Butterscotch Sticky Buns © Con Poulos "Over-the-top, sticky, gooey goodness — or, as I like to call it, 'love.' " That's how pastry chef Catherine Schimenti describes the thrilling moment she first dipped a warm cinnamon-swirled sticky bun into sweet-salty butterscotch sauce. Schimenti flavors the sauce with a splash of Scotch. "I love adding glamour to old-school desserts," she says. Get the Recipe 05 of 07 Classic Cinnamon Rolls © Tina Rupp When pastry chef Deborah Racicot used to make her fluffy cinnamon rolls at New York City's Gotham Bar and Grill, her customers would go wild for them. And so did her colleagues: Racicot gathered up every bit of leftover dough, smeared it with cinnamon butter, and baked it. She says there wasn't one staffer who didn't dive right in. Get the Recipe 06 of 07 Glazed Cinnamon Rolls with Pecan Swirls © Matthew Armendariz Baking these cinnamon rolls in big batches makes the effort worth it — they take time but are so satisfying. Get the Recipe 07 of 07 Iced Cinnamon Bun Scones © Dana Gallagher This cinnamon bun-inspired take on a sweet scone will be your new favorite breakfast pastry. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit