Cinnamon Knots
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Cinnamon Knots are made from bread dough that’s shaped into a knot and coated with butter and cinnamon-sugar. They’re easy to make and taste just like cinnamon rolls with a quick icing drizzled on top. A great pastry for breakfast or dessert.
*This post is brought to you by Rhodes Bake-N-Serv. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Dessert Now Dinner Later possible.
All about that Cinnamon Swirl
I think we can all agree that the reason why we LOVE cinnamon rolls is for the cinnamon-sugar filling swirled-up inside of the dough. (And also maybe the cream cheese frosting on top.)
The obsession over that cinnamon-swirl has inspired me to make cinnamon roll cake and cinnamon loaf cake.
Cinnamon Breads
While cakes are delicious, I really love cinnamon rolls. Nothing beats fluffy yeast bread with sweet cinnamon-sugar; like in my cinnamon swirl bread and cinnamon twists recipe.
These cinnamon knots are just another version of beloved cinnamon rolls — in a fun new shape!
For the Yeast Dough
Although yeast breads taste amazing, they require extra effort to make, and I’m a sucker for a good shortcut.
I love to use Rhodes rolls for bread desserts like this! They taste homemade and are baked fresh in your oven. All you have to do is thaw, rise, and bake.
The dinner rolls are just the right portion to make these cinnamon knots. If you want even bigger knots, use the Texas size rolls.
Ingredients
Using pre-made dough keeps the ingredients list pretty short. To make these cinnamon knots you will need:
- Rhodes Rolls
- Butter — I prefer salted butter for this recipe to balance the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Thaw the Rhodes rolls on a silicone-lined sheet tray covered with sprayed plastic wrap at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. They should be thawed, but still cold enough to easily handle them.
- Melt butter in a bowl.
- Whisk together the cinnamon and sugars in a separate bowl. Set aside.
Rolling and Tying the Knots
How do you shape a cinnamon knot? These cinnamon knots may look fancy because the tails are not sticking out, but they are still really simple to shape.
- Roll a ball of Rhodes dough into a 10-inch rope.
- Criss-cross the ends creating a loop.
- Wrap the top piece around the back, and through the center of the loop, creating a single knot.
- Wrap the end of the piece coming through the center around towards the back. Then pull the end from behind up and over, tucking the tail into the hole in the center.
Repeat with all remaining rolls.
Coating the Knots with Cinnamon-Sugar
Once you’ve shaped all the knots:
- Dip each knot in the melted butter; coating all sides.
- Then dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture; coating all sides.
Place the dipped knots back on the tray spacing them a few inches apart. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let dough rest for 15-20 minutes until risen slightly.
Baking and Icing
Bake the cinnamon knots at 350˚F for 15-20 minutes or until baked through. (To an internal temperature of 190-200˚F.) NOTE: The dough may brown only on bottom.
Since these cinnamon knots are already covered in sugar, icing is optional, but a tasty addition nonetheless.
To make the icing: Whisk together the melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk, to desired consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls and enjoy! These cinnamon knots are best eaten immediately.
Storing
Store leftover cinnamon knots in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Nuke leftovers in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften the bread.
Make them today!
As you can see, with just a few simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you can create a delicious pastry that is sure to impress.
So what are you waiting for? Try making these cinnamon knots today and take your breakfast to the next level!
If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!
Cinnamon Knots
Ingredients
- 12 Rhodes Rolls, thawed but still cold
- 6 Tbsp (100 g) butter, melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Icing:
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp milk, or more, if needed to reach desired consistency.
Equipment
Instructions
- THAW ROLLS: Place frozen Rhodes rolls on a silicone-lined sheet tray. Alternately grease pan with cooking spray. Cover the frozen rolls with sprayed plastic wrap. THAW at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. They should be thawed, but still cold enough to easily handle them.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Melt butter in a bowl. Whisk together the cinnamon and sugars in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- TIE KNOTS: Roll a ball of dough into a 10-inch rope. Shape the rope into a knot: Criss-cross the ends creating a loop. Wrap the top piece around the back, and through the center of the loop, creating a single knot. Wrap the end of the piece coming through the center around towards the back. Then pull the end from behind up and over, tucking the tail into the hole in the center. NOTE: See photo tutorial in the blog post for help with shaping. Repeat with all remaining rolls.
- Dip each knot in the melted butter; coating all sides. Then dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture; coating all sides. Place the dipped knots back on the tray spacing them a few inches apart. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let dough rest for 15-20 minutes until risen slightly.
- Bake the cinnamon knots at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes or until baked through. (To an internal temperature of 190-200℉.) NOTE: The dough may only brown on the bottom.
- FOR THE ICING: Whisk together melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to desired consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls and enjoy! Best eaten immediately, while still warm.
2 Comments on “Cinnamon Knots”
Made these today, thawed overnight in the fridge. SO GOOD!
I had to bake at 400 since my oven was in constant use today, worked perfect at 15 mins. I had a bunch of other stuff going on and forgot these guys for almost 75 mins after I shaped/dunked them and left them to set up. They got pretty big but baked up pillowy soft with a crunchy/caramelized cin. sugar outside. I also fudged up on the icing, didn’t mix it well enough so it was a little runny and lumpy..also poured on HOT rolls not thinking. Still created a yummy glossy outer glaze.
I dont think id call them a dupe for Cin. Roll they do have a lighter fluffier texture. Super good!
Also good if you are making a million things, cleaning, chasing the dogs and generally sidetracked – a pretty forgiving recipe.
So glad things worked out, all things considered. Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe Katie!