Okay, I have a confession to make. If I ever find myself inside a convenience store, I have THE HARDEST time passing up those cinnamon twists that can always be found with the donuts. Because I don’t often find myself in the convenience store (not many things can get me to take four kids inside of any store!), I decided to make my own Homemade Baked Cinnamon Twists. Now I am not saying that these cinnamon twists are the healthiest thing you can eat, but they are a better choice than the fried ones you typically see. I also thought that a quick and easy to make vanilla icing would give these just what they need to satisfy any sweet tooth. I hope your family loves these as much as ours!
Tips for making my Homemade Baked Cinnamon Twists
- Do not use water that is too hot. This will kill your yeast and as a result your dough will not rise.
- You can always add a little extra flour if you dough seems too sticky.
- Be sure you always work on a lightly floured surface. If not, your dough will end up sticking and you will be left with an impossible to work with mess.
- Don’t worry about making the twists look perfect! They are going to look great after they bake either way, and they will taste amazing no matter how you twist them.
- Feel free to add more or less milk to the icing if you would like to change the consistency. Just be sure to do a little at a time!
Products I recommend for this recipe
Pastry scraper (great for cutting the dough)
I would love to hear what you think of this recipe! Please let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to select a star rating. Thank you and enjoy!
Homemade Baked Cinnamon Twists
Ingredients
Twists
- ¾ oz active dry yeast 1 package
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- ¾ cup warm water NOT hot
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast, 2 tbsp melted butter, warm water and 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Allow to sit for approximately 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes frothy.
- Add the salt and 1 cup of the flour to the mixture and combine using your mixer's dough hook. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing with the dough hook until a cohesive ball is formed. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a couple times on a lightly floured surface. Return to the mixer bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for approximately 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or grease it well. Melt the ¼ cup of butter in a bowl and set aside. Combine the ¾ cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon in a different bowl and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough out slightly to form a rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 equal size pieces. Use you hands to roll each piece out into a rope shape approximately 10 inches long.
- Roll each "rope" in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Fold each rope in half and then twist together (this does not have to be perfect!). Place on the baking sheet. After all of the dough is coated and twisted, cover and allow to rise for 20 more minutes. Uncover and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes.
- While the twists are in the oven, make the icing. Whisk together the confectioners sugar, vanilla and milk. Set aside.
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, you might also like my Honey Bun Cake, Nanny’s Zucchini Bread, Banana Bread with Streusel Topping or my Chocolate Chip Muffins.
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