Cinnamon Roll Donuts

5 from 6 votes

Cinnamon roll donuts are a dream come true. A combination of a classic cinnamon roll and a lightly fried doughnut, drizzled with a glaze of cream cheese frosting. What's not to love?

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Dough Proofing2

Total Time2 35

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buttery cinnamon roll seasoning, cinnamon roll donuts, cinnamon roll donuts recipe, cinnamon roll doughnuts, cinnamon swirl donuts

Servings:

Calories: 484kcal

Author: Viana Boenzli

Equipment

Rolling Pin
Large bowl
Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Stovetop pot
Wire cooling racks
Candy thermometer (optional, but really handy)
Stainless steel spider (also optional, but also really handy) or long tongs

Ingredients

Dough For Cinnamon Roll Donuts

1 cup warm milk
2-½ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

Cinnamon Filling

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ cup salted butter, softened

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-½ cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional

Canola oil for frying (enough to fill a stovetop pot several inches deep)

Instructions

Making The Dough

In a bowl, mix together warm milk and yeast, and then let it sit for several minutes to activate the yeast (while this step isn't really necessary with instant yeast, it doesn't hurt either).
Then, add the sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and vanilla, and mix well.
Finally, add the flour and mix with a dough hook until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. The dough will still be quite sticky at this point.
Remove the dough from the bowl and, on a lightly floured surface, knead by hand for an additional 5 minutes.

First Rising Of Dough

Lightly coat a large bowl with oil or cooking spray.
Place the dough in the bowl and lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Leave in a warm spot for about 1-½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Adding The Filling

While the dough is proofing, make the filling. In a bowl, simply mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter until it forms a paste.
Once the dough has doubled in size, it's time to roll it out. On a lightly floured surface (or using silicone mats), roll out the dough until it measures approximately 14" x 20".
Next, spread the filling across the entire surface. I've found that the easiest way to do this is by dropping spoonfuls here and there and then gently spreading it out using a rubber spatula, being careful not to tear the dough.

Forming The Donuts

Now fold the dough in half by grabbing a short end and carefully pulling it all the way across.
Slice off the edges to make clean borders around the dough.
Then, slice the dough into 12 equal strips.
Twist each of those dough strips several times and pinch the ends tightly together.

Second Rising Of Dough

Place formed doughnuts on a lined tray and cover lightly with a towel.
Let them rest again for about 30 minutes.
Note: They will only rise slightly during this time.

Deep Frying Donuts

Once the donuts are almost finished their second rising, starting heating up the oil on the stove.
Pour the canola oil into a pot so that it's several inches deep and attach a candy thermometer to the side.
Turn on the stove to medium heat. Our goal here is for the oil to reach between 350℉ and 375℉, the optional temperature range for deep frying. This will take at least 15 minutes. Make sure the oil temperature stabilizes within this range.
Once your oil has reached the proper temperature, it's time to fry the donuts!
Using a stainless steel spider, gently place one donut at a time into the oil.
Let the donut fry for 40 seconds, then gently turn it over and let the second side cook for 20 seconds.
Using a spider or tongs, quickly but carefully remove from the pot and place on a wire cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Place softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Otherwise, mix well with a spoon until smooth.
Once the donuts have cooled, drizzle or spread the frosting over them in any beautiful way you wish.
Enjoy!

Notes

Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar - In this recipe, I used light brown sugar, but if you prefer an even sweeter flavor, then dark brown sugar can be used instead. Always make sure to pack brown sugar into the cup when measuring.
- Milk - I personally use whole milk for my cinnamon roll donuts, but you can substitute 2% if you prefer. Make sure the milk is warm, about 90℉ (too-hot milk will kill the yeast). A good way to check is to dip your finger in...if it's warm, it's perfect.
- Instant yeast - Active dry yeast can be substituted here, but will need a few minutes to activate first. Just mix the warm milk and yeast and then wait a few minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients.

Cinnamon filling: If the filling is a little too thick, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to thin it out a bit.

Candy thermometer
Continue monitoring the temperature of your oil throughout frying and adjusting slightly as necessary.
If you don't have a candy thermometer, to tell if the oil temperature is ready for deep frying, some ideas that I've read about but have not tried myself:
- Stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If there are lots of little bubbles, the oil is ready. If it's boiling too hard, though, it's too hot.
- Drop a popcorn kernel into the oil. If it pops, it's ready.
Do not, I repeat do not, try to sprinkle water into the oil to check the temperature. This can result in splashing and a nasty burn.
Safety: Please be extremely careful around hot oil. Do not splash any water into the oil (as we all know, oil and water don't mix). Hot oil burns can be dangerous and painful. And it's not a bad idea to have a fire extinguisher handy too, as oil is a flammable liquid, and we're using a lot of it...just to be on the safe side.
Variations:
- Cream cheese dipping sauce - If there is some leftover cream cheese icing, you can easily make a dipping sauce by stirring in a little milk until the it reaches a thinner consistency.
- Nuts - Sprinkle some finely chopped nuts into the filling to add a delicious crunch to your donuts.

Suggestion: If you enjoy these donuts, then you're gonna love my homemade cinnamon rolls!

Nutrition