Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups

Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups are as simple as fitting refrigerated cinnamon rolls in a muffin pan, filling them with sweetened cream cheese, and baking...it's a fun, easy way to make any morning feel special!

Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups with Text Overlay


 

Happy almost Valentine's Day! I have to admit that I'm rather excited that V-Day is falling on a Saturday this year because we're going to make a family day out of it. The hubby and I had a babysitting offer come up earlier this week, and since we do our best not to turn those down, we decided to beat the Valentine's restaurant crowds while the gettin' was good. So with our romantic dinner out of the way, that leaves tomorrow to celebrate with the kiddos! Now that both boys are in school, it will be fun to have everyone together on Valentine's Day for a change.

Anyway, we're kicking off the morning with a special breakfast...and there aren't many breakfasts that my offspring enjoy more than cinnamon rolls! But the truth is, I really want to enjoy the holiday with my family and not be stuck in the kitchen all day. So I came up with a cinnamon roll-centered treat that starts with a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and turns them into something so much more. Say hello to Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups!

Four Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups in a Row

I was racking my brain last week trying to think of a creative yet easy way to transform a can of cinnamon rolls, and then I had the bright idea to incorporate cream cheese at the same time...because we all know that nothing is better on cinnamon rolls than cream cheese frosting! Also because any time I'm afforded the opportunity to select a pastry or kolache, I alwaysalwaysalways choose the one with cream cheese filling.

At first I was contemplating wrapping strips of cinnamon roll around cubes of cream cheese to make a variation of monkey bread, but then a vision of cinnamon roll muffin "cups" hit me like a bolt out of the blue! And what better way to fill them than with a sweetened, vanilla-infused cream cheese?

Now I'm going to be honest here...I've never seen a recipe like this before. But that's not to say that it hasn't been done before, because when you're a food blogger, pretty much everything has already been done in some form or fashion, whether you initially realize it or not.  So I think I'm being original here, but if y'all have encountered a recipe similar to this before, don't burst my bubble, mkay? 😉

Sliced in Half Showing the Delicious Filling

So how do we go about making these cinnamon roll cups, you ask? Well...it's elementary, my dear. I basically took a cinnamon roll and tore off a strip about equivalent in length to the outer "ring" of the cinnamon roll. That left a smaller intact cinnamon roll to fit down in the bottom of my greased muffin cup. Then I took the strip and used it to line the exposed part of the muffin cup on top of the cinnamon roll base. Does that make sense? Hopefully the below photo will help you visualize what I'm trying to explain here.

Showing Assembly in Muffin Tin

When you fit the strip on top of the cinnamon roll, press down lightly on the inside seam to make sure there's no gap. It's also ideal if your strip is long enough to overlap a bit. Be sure to press those ends together, too.

Then once you have your simple cream cheese mixture whipped up (softened cream cheese + powdered sugar + vanilla), scoop it into your cinnamon roll cups. Bake, drizzle with the little icing packet that came inside the tube of cinnamon rolls, and voilà! Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cup BLISS.

Close-Up

One last note...be sure that you use jumbo refrigerated cinnamon rolls for this recipe. I love the Immaculate Baking Company brand of refrigerated biscuits/crescents/cinnamon rolls, because if I'm going to buy prepared convenience items like that, I look for ingredients that I can recognize and pronounce (and this is not an ad...Immaculate Baking is just the most natural brand I've found for this type of product, and y'all know I try to avoid icky ingredients). Regardless of your favorite brand, as long as you're using the big cinnamon rolls that come five to a can, you should be good to go!

Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups Drizzled with Icing

If you're the type that acknowledges and/or celebrates Valentine's Day, I hope you have a great one! And if you're not, well...I hope you get to try these Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups in the absence of any hearts and flowers. 😉 But definitely try them nonetheless!

More Special Breakfast Treats

Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups

Cream Cheese Filled Cinnamon Roll Cups are as simple as fitting refrigerated cinnamon rolls in a muffin pan, filling them with sweetened cream cheese, baking until golden, and then drizzling with icing for a fun, easy way to make any morning feel special!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 5 cinnamon roll cups
Calories: 169kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 5 â…“ ounces cream cheese, softened (equivalent to â…” of an 8-ounce block)
  • â…” cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 can (17.5-ounces) of jumbo refrigerated cinnamon rolls (5-count)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-cup muffin pan with butter (or spray with nonstick cooking spray).
  • Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly blend in powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat until smooth and well-combined. Set aside.
  • Open can of cinnamon rolls and remove one. Tear off a strip of cinnamon roll long enough to fit the circumference of the muffin cup with a little bit of overlap. Fit the intact center of the cinnamon roll into the bottom of the muffin cup, gently pressing down. Press the cinnamon roll strip inside the top of the cinnamon roll cup so that it's sitting on top of the cinnamon roll base. Gently press the seams together to seal and pinch the ends of the strip together to form a "cup." Repeat with the remaining four cinnamon rolls.
  • Evenly divide the cream cheese mixture between the five cinnamon roll cups (about 1 ½ tablespoon per cup). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool in pan for 2 minutes, and then carefully use a thin knife to gently lift out each cinnamon roll. Drizzle with icing from the packet that came in the can of cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately (but be careful, as cream cheese filling will be hot!).

Notes

If you don't have a 6-cup muffin pan, use the center six cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 42mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

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30 Comments

  1. I've made these, and immediately saved to my favorite's box!
    Was wondering if I could prepare the night before, and bake the next morning?

    1. I haven't tried that, Cindy, but I imagine it would probably work? My only concern is that the chilled cream cheese mixture may not have a chance to warm all the way through by the end of the baking time. But then again, it might be fine! Sorry I can't give a more definitive answer...but if you decide to try it, I hope you'll come back and let us know how it turned out! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    mmmmmMMM!

    I made these today and they are wonderful! I tried with both Annie's Cinnamon Rolls and Pillsbury Cinnabon Grands - the Annie's made much better cups. The Grands leaned over and spilled cream cheese into my oven (I'm less upset about the mess and more disappointed that one of them is missing some of its frosting!)

    In any case, thanks very much for the recipe, and happy new year!

    1. So glad to hear that these were a hit, Miriam! And thank you for sharing your results using different types of cinnamon rolls...so interesting! I assumed all brands would work the same. I use Immaculate Baking Company cinnamon rolls when I make these and my cups stand up nicely. But I'll add a warning to the recipe to put a sheet of foil under the pan to avoid any potential cream cheese spills if using other brands. Thanks again and Happy New Year! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    These were beyond amazingly easy and scrumptious this a.m., and my hubby is grinning because he will get the last for breakfast tomorrow. I was glad to find the brand of rolls you recommended in our local store, and we're so pleased at the quality and lack of chemical additives. Your cream cheese filling was a perfect mix, and I am going to try the same mix with fresh berries and crepes sometime soon. You're outdoing yourself again and again, and we are so glad!

    p.s. My sis picked up the ingredients today after I gushed to her and is cooking them this week when her grown son comes for breakfast! We all can appreciate some yummy food inspiration as winter continues to slog on for a bit. Many, many thanks.

    1. You are the sweetest, Carolyn...your comment made my day. 🙂 Glad y'all enjoyed these so much and, YES...I love that brand for canned biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc. It's nice to keep a few short-cut options in the fridge, just in case... 😉 Hope you're having a fabulous week!

  4. This looks incredible! I'm licking my lips right now. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for taking the time to party with us. We hope to see you tonight at 7 pm. It wouldn't be a party without you! Lou Lou Girls

    1. Ha, Kayla...I have to agree with you! Cream cheese makes everything better...must be related to bacon. 😉

  5. You are SOO clever! I would gobble this up so quickly you'd wonder what happened! I'm thinking. T..WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? Thanks much for sharing at Weekend Potluck. Keep 'em comin...please! I really LOVE this!

    1. Thanks so much, Marsha! These disappeared pretty quickly at our house as well... 🙂 Looking forward to partying with my favorite Weekend Potluck ladies on Friday...hope you're having a fabulous week in Florida!

  6. We love cinnamon rolls at our house, so this recipe looks like something we would love! I will make these soon!

    1. Thanks so much, Nicola! It's hard to improve upon cinnamon rolls, but I think these little guys actually do! 😉 Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week!

    1. Thanks, Megan! After I thought of this idea, I have to admit that I was surprised that it actually worked! Kind of makes up for some of those recipe flops of the past...ha. 😉 Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is off to a great start!

  7. Looks so yummy! I've never seen a recipe like this before, glad you thought of it!
    I'll definitely be making these at some point- pinning. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Deb...and I appreciate the pin! Hope you love these when you try them, and I hope you're having a happy Monday! 🙂

  8. OMG these look divine! I cant wait to make them!! I wish I had everything right now because my mouth is watering! Pinned and shared! I would love it if you stopped by and linked up to my party!! I would be honored to have you! Party starts monday 10pm eastern and ends Sat and 10pm! Hope to see you 🙂
    Happy Valentines Day
    Jess

    1. Thanks so much, Jessica, and I really appreciate the pin and the share! I just hopped over to check out your party and I missed it for last week, but I'll try to remember to check back tonight. 🙂

    1. You're so welcome, Joy! You could absolutely make these with homemade cinnamon rolls...I bet they'd be even better. 🙂 Enjoy!