7 Ways to Love Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are the best way to eat dessert for breakfast. These sticky-sweet pastries are full of cinnamon and sugar, covered in icing, and best served warm. Though we think classic cinnamon rolls are pretty delicious, there are plenty of ways to change up their flavor — we love to add pecans, apples, cardamom, or butterscotch. Here are some of our favorite takes on the tasty treat.

01 of 07

Cinnamon-Apple Babka

Imagine a gooey, buttery cinnamon bun twisted together with the flavors of apple pie — that’s what you get with this utterly decadent babka. Serve it as an afternoon snack, dessert, or brunch offering.

Get the Recipe

02 of 07

Orange-Cardamom Morning Buns

These fragrant morning buns are a great way to wake up. They're soft and tender, made with dough that's spiked with a hint of honey and vanilla extract. Honey goes into the buttery filling as well, which is flavored with orange zest, cardamom, and lots of cinnamon.

Get the Recipe

03 of 07

Cinnamon Roses

This simple yeasted dough is soft and tender, yielding golden, tear-apart rolls. For the best “bloom,” tightly roll the dough, and use unflavored floss to cut roses; it pinches the rolls less than a using a knife.

Get the Recipe

04 of 07

Butterscotch Sticky Buns

"Over-the-top, sticky, gooey goodness — or, as I like to call it, 'love.' " That's how pastry chef Catherine Schimenti describes the thrilling moment she first dipped a warm cinnamon-swirled sticky bun into sweet-salty butterscotch sauce. Schimenti flavors the sauce with a splash of Scotch. "I love adding glamour to old-school desserts," she says.

Get the Recipe

05 of 07

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy, Buttery Cinnamon Rolls — © Tina Rupp

When pastry chef Deborah Racicot used to make her fluffy cinnamon rolls at New York City's Gotham Bar and Grill, her customers would go wild for them. And so did her colleagues: Racicot gathered up every bit of leftover dough, smeared it with cinnamon butter, and baked it. She says there wasn't one staffer who didn't dive right in.

Get the Recipe

06 of 07