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Glazed Cinnamon Buns are fluffy, gooey, glazed cinnamon buns made with pecans and homemade cream cheese icing. These make ahead cinnamon rolls are tender, flaky and the BEST! Perfect choice for breakfast or brunch.
It’s a miracle! For a girl who has been dough challenged her entire life, it is truly a miracle that I am finally able to make homemade glazed cinnamon rolls!
When I say dough challenged, I’m really not exaggerating on that. Talk about an endless string of failed attempts.
But now, after much failure, I can say that I have won! My Glazed Pecan Cinnamon Rolls recipe is easy to make and comes out perfect every time!
What that translates into is that if I can nail cinnamon buns, so can YOU!!
What Are Glazed Cinnamon Buns?
Whether you call them cinnamon buns or cinnamon rolls, there is no denying they are the ultimate guilty pleasure when it comes to breakfast recipes.
Tender, flaky layers of cinnamon roll dough swirled with tons of cinnamon, sugar and (in this recipe) pecans. Then slathered in a homemade cream cheese icing.
When it comes to fluffy pecan rolls, it gets no better than this!
Why these Pecan Rolls are the BEST
- These are the perfect make ahead cinnamon rolls. That means you can save yourself the extra time for when you need it most.
- Fluffy layers of dough swirled with cinnamon, sugar and pecans then topped with homemade cream cheese icing. Beat that!
- These are a great way to feed a crowd on busy mornings. Also the perfect easy holiday brunch recipe.
- These buttery gooey homemade cinnamon rolls of happiness are super easy to make and worth the time invested in them.
To make these overnight cinnamon rolls, you will need:
- Milk – Whole milk or 2% is best. I wouldn’t recommend using skim or fat free milk for this recipe.
- Instant Yeast – Quick rise or instant yeast helps the cinnamon buns rise faster.
- Salt – Needed for enhancing the flavors.
- Butter – No low fat substitutions, please.
- Eggs – Needed to stabilize the dough.
- Vanilla Extract – Flavor.
- All purpose flour – Foundation of our cinnamon roll dough.
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, either is fine. Perfectly sweet!
- Cinnamon – You can’t have cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon, right?
- Pecans – Brings a nutty crunch to homemade cinnamon buns.
- Cream Cheese – The base of homemade cream cheese icing.
- Powdered sugar – Perfectly sweet and needed for glazed cinnamon buns.
How to Make Glazed Pecan Cinnamon Buns
Start by warming up your milk. Pour milk into a microwave safe bowl and microwaving on High for 30-40 seconds. Your milk should feel like warm bath water, not too hot to the touch.
Transfer your milk to a large mixing bowl, mix together with 1 teaspoon of sugar and then sprinkle the yeast on top.
Add in the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt and once you have that all combined slowly start stirring in your flour.
If you have a stand mixer, grab your dough hook and mix dough on medium for about 7-8 minutes. Your dough should be a nice ball, not too sticky.
If you do not have a stand mixer, turn your dough out onto a floured surface and kneed by hand for those 8 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl sprayed with nonstick spray, cover it with a tea towel and stash it away in the corner of your kitchen for the next 1 hour and 45 minutes to let that dough rise up again.
Once the Dough Has Rested
When your dough has rested, move your dough to a flat floured work surface large enough to accommodate all of the dough rolling that is needed.
Once you have the dough rolled out into approximately 15 x 10 rectangle, cover the dough with the butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and lastly the pecans, leaving a 1/4 inch border clean at the far side of your dough.
Gently press the brown sugar and pecans into the butter and then gently roll that all up into a tight tube.
Cut into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife and move to a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the pecan cinnamon buns for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until the roles are just lightly browned and then remove from the oven.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
While your cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar.
I usually add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until I reach the consistency that I like then glaze your cinnamon rolls.
Pro Tips for Perfect Glazed Cinnamon Buns
- Don’t overheat your milk. Your milk should be between 105-115 degrees F. If your milk is too hot, it will likely kill your yeast and your cinnamon rolls won’t rise. Your milk should be warm to the touch but not HOT. If you feel your milk is too hot, simply let it sit for a few minutes to cool down before adding it to your work bowl.
- Make sure the butter used in your cinnamon bun filling is room temperature. It makes spreading the butter so much easier.
- Don’t forget to flour your rolling pin and work surface so that your dough doesn’t stick. I also find using a glass cutting board helps too.
- You want to make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. If you scoop out a measuring cup of flour directly from the bag, you will pack in way too much flour which will result in too much flour. To avoid this, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled and then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. Now you have the perfect flour measurement!
How To Know Your Yeast Is Activated
This right here is where your dreams for perfect cinnamon rolls can all go wrong. #talkingfromexperience
This cinnamon bun recipe calls for instant yeast which means it doesn’t need to be proofed with liquid. Adding the instant yeast to the warmed milk with a bit of sugar is all it needs.
Make Ahead Cinnamon Rolls
These pecan cinnamon rolls are perfect to be made ahead of time which is a great time save when the holidays roll around.
Simply follow the instructions all the way through to placing the cut rolls into the baking pan and then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
The next day you can remove the cinnamon buns from the fridge, unwrap and let the rolls come to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Then cook as instructed.
How To Store Cinnamon Buns
Leftovers can be kept tightly covered and stored for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
More Easy Breakfast Ideas
- 2 Ingredient Bagels
- Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls
- Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches
- Ham and Cheese Savory Scones
- Ham and Cheese Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Enjoy!
If you’ve tried this Glazed Cinnamon Buns recipe, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you it came out in the comments below.
Share a photo of your creation on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM or save it to PINTEREST and tag #AWICKEDWHISK. I can’t wait to see your work!
Glazed Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Bun Dough
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 8 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups all purpose flour
Cinnamon Bun Filling
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Cinnamon Bun Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Start by warming up your milk. Pour milk into a microwave safe bowl and microwaving on High for 30-40 seconds. Your milk should feel like warm bath water, not too hot to the touch. Transfer your milk to a large mixing bowl, mix together with 1 teaspoon of sugar and then sprinkle the yeast on top.
- Add in the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt and once you have that all combined slowly start stirring in your flour.
- If you have a stand mixer, grab your dough hook and mix dough on medium for about 7-8 minutes. Your dough should be a nice ball, not too sticky. If you do not have a stand mixer, turn your dough out onto a floured surface and kneed by hand for those 8 minutes.
- Move your dough to a mixing bowl sprayed with nonstick spray, cover it with a tea towel and stash it away in the corner of your kitchen for the next 1 hour and 45 minutes to let that dough rise up again.
- Once it does, transfer your dough to a flat floured work surface large enough to accommodate the dough rolling that is needed. Once you have the dough rolled out into approximately 15 x 10 rectangle, cover the dough with the butter and then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and lastly the pecans, leaving a 1/4 inch border clean at the far side of your dough.
- Gently press the brown sugar and pecans into the butter and then gently roll that all up into a tight tube. Cut into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife and move to a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the pecan cinnamon buns for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until the roles are just lightly browned and then remove from the oven. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While your cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar and I usually add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until I reach the consistency that I like then glaze your cinnamon rolls.
Notes
- Don’t overheat your milk. Your milk should be between 105-115 degrees F. If your milk is too hot, it will likely kill your yeast and your cinnamon rolls won't rise. Your milk should be warm to the touch but not HOT. If you feel your milk is too hot, simply let it sit for a few minutes to cool down before adding it to your work bowl.
- Make sure the butter used in your cinnamon bun filling is room temperature. It makes spreading the butter so much easier.
- Don't forget to flour your rolling pin and work surface so that your dough doesn't stick. I also find using a glass cutting board helps too.
- You want to make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. If you scoop out a measuring cup of flour directly from the bag, you will pack in way too much flour which will result in too much flour. To avoid this, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled and then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. Now you have the perfect flour measurement!
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in December of 2017 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in April of 2020.
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