Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls are soft and doughy with brown sugar and bacon bits nestled inside rolls drizzled with maple icing. This decadent sweet and savory treat works for breakfast or dessert!
If you cannot get enough of these sticky buns then you definitely have to try my Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Icing and my Pear Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cinnamon rolls are a staple dish for me and I love coming up with new flavor combinations. What smells better than freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning? Not much but the smell of bacon is just as enticing!
Bacon Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect morning pick-me-up! They combine some of the best parts of breakfast: maple syrup, crisp bacon, and gooey cinnamon rolls.
But any time of day you decide to serve these homemade cinnamon rolls, they are sure to be a hit! It takes a bit of time but these are totally worth it!
ingredients for maple bacon cinnamon rolls
cinnamon rolls
- Milk: It should be warm but not too hot. Anything over 115 degrees will kill the yeast. Anything below 100 degrees will increase the time it takes the dough to rise. Also, you can use whatever milk you like, but I recommend using whole milk!
- Active Dry Yeast: Necessary to get the dough to rise.
- Sugar: Sugar is added to the yeast, as well as the dough.
- Eggs: 1 egg + 2 egg yolks Those egg yolks are the secret to pillowy soft rolls. Do not skip them!
- Salted Butter: Melt the butter so it incorporates easily into the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract in your baking for the best flavor.
- Flour: Use bread flour for a fluffier, chewier texture.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: For an added warm flavor.
Filling
- Butter: Use room temperature butter. This prevents the filling from spilling out while baking in the oven.
- Brown sugar: Creates those beautiful swirls cinnamon rolls are known for.
- Cinnamon: An essential addition. (It's in the name after all!)
- Maple extract: A strong sweet flavor that adds a depth of flavor to the filling.
- Salt: Just a pinch for taste.
- Bacon: Bake the bacon prior to adding them into the rolls in order to ensure they are crispy.
maple icing for cinnamon rolls
- Butter: Use room temperature butter for a fluffy icing!
- Maple Extract: The base of the icing flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Included for a deeper flavor.
- Powdered Sugar: This quick dissolving sugar is necessary to make icing/frosting.
- Cinnamon: to really play up the flavor. It pairs SO well with the maple notes!
- Milk: for added richness and texture.
- Salt: Just a pinch for taste - it goes a long way.
what's the difference between cinnamon buns and cinnamon rolls?
They're quite similar, however, cinnamon buns are baked and then turned over and eaten. The bottoms of cinnamon buns caramelize in the oven and are essentially stand alone treats. Cinnamons rolls are baked and then topped with a frosting/icing/glaze etc. Some people even add raisins or pecans.
how do you keep bacon cinnamon rolls moist while baking?
Rule of thumb - do not over bake the cinnamon rolls. It's easier said than done. Often times, I pull out the cinnamon rolls from the oven just before they're golden brown. This ensures that they're still slightly gooey without being stodgy or under baked.
Because baked goods are still cooking right after they're out of the oven, pulling them out JUST before they're golden brown makes for the perfect bake.
tips for making maple bacon cinnamon rolls
- Be patient with the rise time. Even if it takes longer than the estimated time, you need to wait for it to be double in size. Temperature and altitude can effect the rise time.
- If speed is a factor, you can quicken the rising process by heating the oven to 200°F and then turning it off. Then cover the bowl with the dough in it with a damp tea towel. Place it in the oven until the dough has doubled in size.
- Use a serrated knife or dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls, it's easier than using a regular knife (in my opinion).
- Use room temperature ingredients. This may seem unnecessary but it truly makes the world of a difference in your bake! It's critical because mixing room temperature and cold ingredients can:
- bring down the temperature of the dough, making it take longer for the dough to rise
- cause the butter and milk and eggs to coagulate, making the dough chunky and weird.
- When rolling out the dough, be sure to let flour both your work surface and the rolling pin. This prevents the dough from sticking to the counter and prevents the rolling pin from ripping the dough.
tools you need to make maple bacon cinnamon rolls
Nothing fancy, but a couple kitchen tools help making this recipe easier! Check it out:
- Rolling Pin
- Stand mixer
- Serrated Knife, preferably a bread knife
- 9x13 baking pan
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
can i freeze maple bacon cinnamon rolls ?
If you'd like to freeze any leftovers, simply pack them in an airtight container and pop them in the freezer for up to 30 days.
storing leftover cinnamon rolls
Store Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls in an airtight container and consume within 3 days. When you are ready to reheat, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave in 10-second increments until it is warm.
MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE!
- Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls with Browned Butter Frosting
- Salted Maple Granola
- Corn Muffins with Cinnamon Maple Butter
- Maple Bacon Cheddar Pickle Loaf
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Oatmeal Bars
- Bacon Cheddar and Thyme Biscuits
- Caramelized Onion Puff Pastry with Bacon and Gorgonzola
- Apple Bacon and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
LOVING THESE maple bacon cinnamon rolls? LET'S STAY CONNECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA! NEVER MISS A RECIPE BY FOLLOWING ME ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM!
Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 cup Milk warm
- 2 ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp Sugar for the yeast
- 1 Egg
- 2 Egg Yolks
- ½ cup Sugar for the dough
- ½ cup Salted butter melted
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
Filling
- ½ cup Salted Butter room temperature
- 1 cups Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Maple extract
- Pinch of salt
- 5 pieces Bacon cooked, diced into bits
Maple Icing
- ½ cup Salted Butter room temperature
- 3 ½ cups Powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Maple extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsps Milk
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Warm milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds until lukewarm. Add yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar to the milk mixture and allow the yeast to bloom/become foamy.
- Add yeast mixture, eggs, sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. Mix until just combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Scrap the sides of the bottom of the bowl and remove dough from the bowl onto a well floured work surface. Gently knead into a ball. Spray a bowl with oil and add dough - the dough should be very soft. Cover with plastic wrap or a dishcloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until crispy. Dab bacon with a paper towel to remove oil. Chop into tiny bits.
- Mix together the ingredients for the filling by combining room temperature butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, maple extract, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough, lengthwise, into a 12x18 rectangle. Spread filling all over the dough and sprinkle the bacon bits on top (save a tiny bit to sprinkle on top after the rolls are finished baking). Roll into a log. Cut 1 ½-2 inch rolls.
- Place each roll in a 9x13 baking dish about 2 inches apart. Cover with a dishcloth. Allow rolls to rise again for about 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Make the maple icing by placing butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time then add maple extract, vanilla extract, and slowly add milk. *add more or less depending on desired texture. Add a pinch of salt.
- Allow rolls to cool then spread icing on top and sprinkle with leftover bacon bits.
I've made average cinnamon rolls before so I was nervous about making these. They came out fantastic. My husband deems himself a c-roll expert and he loves these. I'm going to have to hide the dish so he doesn't eat it all in one day. Thank you for the recipe! They are so delicious!
Thank you so much! This has made my day!!
So, I picked these up from FOX news site. Seeing as how cinnamon rolls are one of my all time favorites and who can live without bacon. I'll be trying these next week as a treat for the neighbors. Just turned 85 and wedding anniversary of 65 years all just happened last week. May be a couple of weeks late but I don't think they'll mind. Only I question is what type of cinnamon do you use. I have 3 types and totally different taste.
Hi! So glad that you found this recipe! I used ground ceylon cinnamon but you can use whatever type is your favorite! I hope that you enjoy this recipe.
This recipe is insanely delicious! The cinnamon rolls were sooo gooey and soft and the bacon bits added such a nice touch of savory to balance out all of the sweet! Also, I never heard of maple extract until this post, so I went out and bought some and I'm never turning back! Maple extract tastes SO good, like way better than using actual maple syrup. Thank you soooo much for this recipe!
Thank you so much!
She did it again! Britney, these rolls are so good! They come together so easily too, I love how well the maple and bacon flavor come together in each of the cinnamon rolls. My son also really enjoyed making the dough, too.
Yay! These are such a treat, I'm so happy that you and your family enjoyed it!
Very decadent and easy to make. The bacon and maple extract are game changers for this recipe and the rolls were so soft. Better than cinnabon!!
Wow, better than cinnabon?! Thank you!!
Britney. These were amazing!!! Such a hit. The rolls were so gooey and sweet and the bacon with the maple extract (I got it just for this recipe) makes such a huge difference without having to add maple syrup. This is a genius recipe and was beyond delicious. It wasn’t hard to make either. I can’t wait to make them again !!
My boy loved them. I made the rolls the night before, covered and put in the fridge overnight and let them rise in the am and baked them. They were a bit. Thank you for the great recipe.
Thanks so much for making my recipe! I'm so happy that you loved it!
you were right, the maple extract makes a world of a difference. These were so yummy!! Also, the rolls were so soft and pillowy... ugh. so so good.
So glad to hear, thank you!