Store-bought frozen rolls make these super easy but delightfully delicious pull-apart cinnamon rolls easy to make for any weekend or holiday brunch.
This post is in partnership with McCormick
The Easiest Make-Ahead Holiday Breakfast
I can’t remember even one Christmas as a kid that we didn’t have these rolls. Every Christmas Eve, the last thing my mom would do before we went to bed was put the rolls together to rise on the counter overnight.
“Don’t let me forget to make the cinnamon pecan rolls,” was pretty much our signal it was time for us to get our little elfin’ booties to bed, close our eyes, and begin searching for visions of sugarplums so my mom — sorry, Santa — could put the presents around the tree.
I’ve been meaning to share this cinnamon rolls recipe on the bloggity blog for several years, so when McCormick asked me to share a holiday recipe with cinnamon included, I knew right away what it was going to be. I’m not sure where this family recipe originated, because my mom passed it along to me along with a bunch of other family favorites.
Later in life I discovered a few variations of this caramel clustered bread that some call sticky buns or monkey bread. But no matter what you call it, these cinnamon rolls will always be my signal that Santa is almost here.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Don’t overload the bundt pan. When loading the bundt pan you might think, “Hey self! That pan sure doesn’t look very full, I should add a few more rolls.” Resist this temptation The rolls will rise to the tip top of the pan with exactly this number and you don’t want your rolls to overflow the pan.
Watch your rolls, not the clock. Because all ovens heat differently, I check my rolls at about the 15-minute mark to see how toasty they’re getting up top. If they’re beginning to brown too much, I’ll spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and then lightly set it atop the rolls to shield them from the heat. No burned rolls for my family on Christmas morning!
Pop out the rolls ASAP. Be sure to quickly turn out the rolls after pulling them from the oven while the caramel coating is still soft for the easiest way to remove the ring all in one piece from the bundt pan.
You’ll Need These 6 Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Frozen dinner rolls — This dinnertime shortcut works perfectly for making pillowy soft, cinnamon monkey bread.
- Chopped pecans — Chopped pecans lie on the bottom of the pan so that when inverted immediately after pulling from the oven, they create a really pretty, stick to your fingers crunchy topping.
- Butterscotch pudding — Purchase cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix, not pre-made pudding or instant pudding mix.
- Butter — Mixes with the butterscotch pudding to create the sticky-sweet caramel sauce.
- Brown sugar — Don’t swap with granulated sugar; you need the molasses in the brown sugar to give these cinnamon pecan rolls a luscious caramel flavor.
- McCormick ground cinnamon — McCormick’s ground cinnamon is a favorite of kids and adults alike for its mild but distinct flavor. In the U.S. we mainly associate it with sweet dessert or brunch dishes, but it’s a favorite spice in savory dishes worldwide like North Africa, Spain, Mexico, and the Middle East.
How to Make Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pecan Rolls
- Liberally spray the bundt pan with non-stick spray. Care must be taken when greasing the pan, as the caramel coating that’s created when baking will stick to the sides like nobody’s business if you don’t.
- Sprinkle the pecans on the bottom of the pan. I usually chop a few of the nuts really finely and sprinkle on the edges of the pan so they stick to the sides of the rolls as they rise.
- Load in the still-frozen rolls. Sprinkle the rolls with the packet of butterscotch pudding, then top with a mixture of melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
- Set the pan out in a non-drafty place overnight to rise. Once risen, bake the pecan rolls until golden on top.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pecan Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 20 frozen dinner rolls
- 1 3.5 ounce package butterscotch pudding , (not instant)
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons McCormick Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray the bottom and sides of a non-stick bundt pan generously with cooking or baking spray. Sprinkle the nuts evenly on the bottom of the pan and lightly on the sides. Place the rolls on top of the nuts. Sprinkle the rolls evenly with the butterscotch pudding. Melt the butter and mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon then pour evenly over the rolls.
- Set the pan out in a non-drafty place overnight or for 6-8 hours. For a faster rise method, place the prepared bundt pan in the oven at 200 degrees F for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, checking to see they aren’t browning too much on the top at the 15 minute mark. If they are, place a piece of cooking spray coated aluminum foil gently over the top of the rolls to shield them from the heat.
- Immediately turn out the rolls from the bundt pan and serve.
Nutrition
FAQs
If you forget to make the rolls the night before to rise overnight (it happens), don’t despair! Prepare the rolls and place the bundt pan in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour then increase the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake.
No, these cinnamon pecan rolls are best enjoyed fresh from the oven while they’re warm and gooey.
I’ve seen plenty of monkey bread recipes that use canned biscuits instead of frozen dinner rolls. I don’t think this pull-apart pecan rolls recipe would work with canned biscuits, as they don’t require any rising. I also don’t know how many biscuits, etc. you’d need to make this recipe work.
More Sweet Holiday Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
- The Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Instant Pot Monkey Bread
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Maple Bacon French Toast Casserole
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This post is sponsored by McCormick. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
C.May L.
Can you ise regular not frozen dinner rolls for this?
I haven’t ever made it with premade rolls so I’m not sure if it would work. The rolls rise with the sauce that act as the glue so I’m not sure it would achieve the same affect with pre-made rolls. But if you try it, let us know!
bvono
This tasted wonderful; however, as it cooled, the syrup turned very hard. Is this a factor of just baking too long?
Hi Barbara, if it turned out hard for you, try using less brown sugar next time and that should soften it up.
Kamagra
This looks flavorful! I have an affection illicit relationship with gooey treats!!!!!!!!!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
Give me all the rolls! These look glorious!
Kari
This looks delicious! I have a love affair with gooey treats!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
This looks like the perfect Christmas breakfast!