Scrolling through Instagram on a weekend morning, I stumbled across something delightfully unhinged (in the best way)—grilled cinnamon rolls on a stick! Shared by content creator Lora McLaughlin Peterson (@lorafied), this recipe stopped me in my tracks. It was part fair food, part summer grilling hack and 100% something my kids would flip for. And they did!
We gave it a try and now we’re hooked. It’s ridiculously simple, kid-friendly and honestly just a whole lot of fun. You take canned cinnamon rolls, unroll each one, wrap it around a skewer, and grill it. That’s it!
Top it with the included frosting (and we dusted ours with powdered sugar for extra flair), and you’ve got a handheld dessert that tastes like something straight from the fairgrounds without the lines, ticket prices or deep fryer.
We did manage to burn a couple on our first go, though. It turns out, those little swirls caramelize quickly over direct heat, but even the burned parts got eaten. They had that campfire s’mores quality—a little crispy, a little gooey, totally nostalgic. We’ve already planned to make them again, but next time, we’ll turn the heat down a notch.
If you’d like to give this fun summer treat a try, read on to see how it went for me, plus my advice for making these fun cinnamon rolls at your house.
Related:This Rice Krispies Treat Hack is Pure Summer Bliss
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How to Make Cinnamon Rolls on a Stick
Be sure to use the refrigerated canned cinnamon rolls that come with icing. After unrolling each cinnamon roll, wrap the dough in a loose spiral around a wooden skewer. (We made sure to leave some space between the dough so it could expand and cook evenly.) If your dough is super sticky, a quick dusting of flour on your hands helps keep things manageable.
Then came the grilling. In the video, Peterson suggests cooking them “like a hot dog,” by which she means to turn them frequently over the grill. She says that it took 5 to 8 minutes to cook the cinnamon rolls over her grill.
At my house, we quickly learned that low and slow is your friend for this recipe. Our first batch went on over high heat, and within a minute, the outer layer was scorched while the inside was still doughy. The trick is to use medium to low heat and turn them constantly. Think marshmallow-toasting level attention. You want that even browning all around, golden, not blackened.
Once they’re off the grill, brush on the icing while they’re still warm so it melts into all the crevices. Adding a dusting of powdered sugar took it up a notch and made it look like something you’d buy at a food truck, minus the $8 price tag.
The kids loved the novelty of them, and so did I! There were no forks required and they were ready in minutes. It’s the perfect treat!
Related: The Viral Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll Hack That Made Me Look Like a Rockstar Baker
How to Make These Grilled Cinnamon Rolls Your Own
One of the best parts of this recipe is how easily you can make it your own.
Skip the included frosting and drizzle with cream cheese glaze, maple syrup or even a quick glaze made with powdered sugar and milk. You could also dip or drizzle the finished twists with Nutella or your favorite jam—just warm it up in the microwave to loosen it up. After grilling and frosting, roll the cinnamon rolls in chopped nuts, crushed graham crackers or mini chocolate chips.
Serve with a little cup of icing or caramel sauce for dipping, or dust them with extra cinnamon or a pumpkin spice blend before grilling for an added burst of flavor. You could also sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar (or pumpkin spice sugar) as soon as they’re off the grill.
No matter how you tweak them, cinnamon rolls on a stick are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. They’re ideal for backyard BBQs or a mid-week “we need something fun” dessert. We’ll definitely be making these again, but next time with a little more patience and a lot less flame.
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