10 Cinnamon Roll Flavors You Have to Try
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Cinnamon rolls are such an institution in Sweden that October 4 is a national holiday to celebrate the baked goods. While Swedish cinnamon rolls are a bit less sweet and lighter than the ones you may be used to, their goodness extends no matter what style of roll you choose.
While the classic cinnamon roll recipe is fantastic, there are a lot of other decadent varieties out there. Adding a new topping or changing out a piece of the recipe takes plain cinnamon rolls to a whole new level. Keep reading to discover 10 cinnamon roll flavors you have to try!
1. Triple Berry Cinnamon Rolls
Imagine a regular cinnamon roll, but add blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries on top. This triple-berry cinnamon roll adds a punch of fruit flavor to the mix. These fruits all taste good on their own, taste good with sugar frosting, and taste good on top of a cinnamon roll.
They also give an incredible range of color to cinnamon rolls. A mix of reds and blues really pops against the plain background of the dough. This makes them a great choice to be served at a fancy dinner party or any event where you want to punch up the appeal of regular cinnamon rolls.
The best part about this particular flavor is the potential to change it up. Instead of using all three berries, you can use one or two instead.
Try mixing and matching the flavors to see what you like best. Sometimes, all you need is a blueberry or a strawberry cinnamon roll. However, other times, you might want all blueberries with just a few pieces of strawberry.
2. Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls and gingerbread are two delicious treats. They are also rather similar, as they share many of the same ingredients. Because of this, imagining both at once may produce similar memories.
This is why gingerbread cinnamon rolls are a great twist. Having the cinnamon rolls fully embrace the ginger taste of gingerbread adds a whole new dimension to them.
This recipe is great because it isn’t too different from the traditional recipe. This means that if you are already able to make cinnamon rolls at home, you will have no trouble switching up that recipe to make gingerbread cinnamon rolls. All you will have to do is make a few changes to what you already do to your homemade cinnamon rolls.
3. Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
Salty and sweet flavors go incredibly well together. You can see this on a variety of different treats, and new exterminations in this flavor arrive every year. In fact, there are scientific reasons why this flavor combination perfectly suits a food craving.
This is why a salted caramel cinnamon roll works so well. Salted caramel already brings a wonderful mix of salty and sweet. This is then enhanced even further by the spices from the cinnamon roll, which add dimensions to the flavors on display.
The end result is a combination like no other. It has two different types of familiar flavors that you wouldn’t normally imagine together. However, once together, your taste buds will thank you.
4. Oreo Cinnamon Rolls
Oreos seem to make everything better. You can add them to ice cream, cheesecake, and even other cookies. It seems like a flavor pairing with Oreo cannot go wrong.
Cinnamon rolls are another perfect example of this combo. The taste of Oreo cookies is amazing when mixed into the dough of a cinnamon roll.
For this recipe, you use cream cheese filling to replicate the interior of an Oreo. Then, you incorporate the cookie into the dough. To give it a dramatic finish, sprinkle crushed Oreos on top of the individual rolls.
5. Nutella-Filled Cinnamon Rolls
Nutella is just amazing. It brings the flavor of chocolate and hazelnut in an incredibly decadent package. With this in mind, just imagine what it could do to a cinnamon roll.
Nutella-filled cinnamon rolls are one of the most flavor-bursting options on this list. The Nutella itself is already packed with flavor. Then, the flavors and textures of the rolls are added on top of this.
Plus, the Nutella does a solid job of keeping the roll nice and moist. This makes it easier to enjoy some of the best cinnamon rolls, whether they are eaten at that very moment or warmed up again later on.
6. Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of many. They are an absolute staple of many kitchens and are found at nearly every store that serves sweets. However, these amazing little cookies always taste the best right from the oven when they are at their most ooey and gooey.
Cinnamon rolls provide a similar experience. They are already an ooey and gooey treat that feels like it could melt away in your mouth. The dough stays soft and light while the filling adds a sticky sweetness.
So, by adding chocolate chips to cinnamon rolls, you ensure both treats are at their most decadent. The melty chocolate chips are nestled within the dough of the cinnamon roll. These little bursts of chocolate then pair perfectly with the sweet cinnamon filling.
The best part is that these unique cinnamon rolls are super easy to make. All you have to do is add some chocolate chips to the dough, and you are ready to go!
7. Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
It is hard to imagine the fall season without the smell of cinnamon and the taste of apple. Cinnamon is a fundamental ingredient in a variety of sweet pastries, and apples are a prominent feature of harvest fairs and festivals. Plus, these two flavors, together, form the key ingredients in apple pie.
If you are looking for a unique taste of fall, apple pie cinnamon rolls are the perfect choice. They are a bite-sized and fun alternative to a traditional apple pie. While cutting a pie has the potential to be difficult and messy, separating cinnamon rolls is a breeze.
This unique take on cinnamon rolls is also more seasonal than traditional cinnamon rolls. They provide an excuse to eat cinnamon rolls for an entirely new reason.
It also helps that these flavors work extremely well together. Chunks of apple give the cinnamon rolls a burst of fruit. Meanwhile, the cinnamon itself adds a special warmth that no other spice can replicate.
8. Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
There are a lot of baked goods out there that incorporate pecans to make them better. These range from the gooey mix found in a pecan pie to the crisp and delightful texture of pecan sandies. So, how about adding them to cinnamon rolls?
Pecans give the cinnamon rolls a great flavor on their own. The spices in the rolls are only enhanced further by the flavor of the pecans. However, the best part about adding pecans to the mix is what you can put on top of them.
You can top pecan cinnamon rolls with whatever you like best. Some may opt for the heavy texture of a caramel frosting. Others may opt for the lighter, but still wonderfully sweet, frosting of a sticky bun.
Pecans are also one of the most healthy options you can add to cinnamon rolls. They contain vitamins and minerals that improve heart health and may even help lower blood pressure.
9. Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls
Red velvet is a celebration of decadence. The flavors within are incredibly rich, and the color allows it to stand out like no other dessert. Adding all of these positive features to cinnamon rolls can only mean good things.
These cinnamon rolls are also relatively easy to make, as it is based on a regular cinnamon roll recipe. However, instead of making the regular cinnamon roll dough, swap it out for a red velvet variety. It’s that easy!
To set these cinnamon rolls apart even further, try topping them with cream cheese icing. Cream cheese icing helped one of the past winners of the year’s best cinnamon rolls and tastes delicious on many deserts. Plus, it pairs well with the overall decadence of this dish.
10. Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
The last item on the list may be one of the most surprising. Most people think of adding sweets or candies to their cinnamon rolls. So, adding bacon may seem extremely counterintuitive.
However, there is something to be said for mixing sweet and savory. Like sweet and salty, sweet and savory flavors complement each other and hit the palette in a way that really delights your cravings. This is why fancy restaurants sometimes add chocolate to a steak or why many breakfast sausages include a sweetening element.
Maple and bacon is one of these winning sweet and savory combinations. The sweetness of the maple gives the bacon a candied flavor that is absolutely divine.
All of this goes even better inside a cinnamon roll. The dough helps separate the bits of candied bacon within the roll. This means that each bite is filled with its traditional flavors alongside small bites of delicious bacon.
The Best Cinnamon Roll Flavors
There are a lot of fantastic cinnamon roll flavors out there. Whether you’re doubling down on chocolate, going with a fruity twist, adding nuts, or mixing sweet with savory, the end result is a delicious treat. Make sure to try out some of these unique cinnamon rolls today!