Why You Should Unroll Canned Cinnamon Rolls To Make Them Look And Taste Bakery-Worthy

Cinnamon rolls are one of those indulgent breakfast pastries that practically make your mouth water at their mere mention. Gooey and dripping with icing, in their best iteration these cinnamon-accented beauties are pillowy with slightly firm edges, and are supremely comforting to eat and definitely filling. While a canned bake-at-home version often pales in comparison to the bakery variety, what if we told you that you can hack those pre-made rolls by unrolling to create your very own customized and re-rolled specialty?

We're not talking basic hacks to upgrade canned cinnamon rolls like adding your own icing or drizzling with nuts or caramel. We're talking about unrolling the entire situation so that you can stuff it with fillings that fulfill your heart's desire, and then re-rolling and baking. It's super easy to do and lands you with stuffed cinnamon rolls that have over-the-top flavor combinations worthy of shops with lines around the corner. If you can't get to NYC for top-rated cinnamon rolls at a bakery like Hani's or Red Gate, we can't imagine a better and more easy to achieve substitute.

Unrolling canned cinnamon rolls and stuffing them with tasty fillings is a snap. Start by finding a large clean surface to work on. Then, gently unroll an entire tube of your favorite store-bought cinnamon rolls (or two) to create a large rectangular-shaped dough base. From there, the sky is the limit. You can coat with combos like no-bake cheesecake spread and cinnamon apples for a decidedly fall take, or lavish the dough with brownie batter if you are more of a chocolate fiend. You could also channel the latest viral trend and go the Dubai chocolate route with ingredients like pistachio paste, kataifi phyllo threads, tahini, and dark chocolate. 

Then, all that's left to do is gently re-roll each pre-cut slice. This process couldn't be easier and is super satisfying to boot. You may end up with some extra filling oozing out, but that is just part of the fun. Either tuck extra filling pieces back in as you roll, or decorate with the leftover bits once you've arranged the stuffed rolls in the baking dish to make them look decadent and homemade. Then, bake as you normally would. The aroma of these tempting treats just might rally everyone in the house for a taste of the spoils. You may also find yourself on the receiving end of custom requests for next time. Even better, do it is a group activity and let each person concoct their own rolls with a yummy "taste test" waiting at the end. The good news is that this hack is repeatable, even if you use different fillings each time.