Cinnamon Rolls with Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit {Review & Recipe}

With the holiday shopping season kicking into high gear this month, I'm never a fan of the crowds at the mall. However, the parking, the lines, the hassle... it's all worth it not only to end up with a great gift for family and friends, but because of the ability to stop by and take a deep breath of the aroma coming from Auntie Anne's.

With so many varieties of pretzel flavors and accompanying dips (my favorite is the original pretzel dipped in cheese - yum!) they're always the perfect thing to snack on while shopping. Fortunately, instead of having to make that mall trip every time I want to savor the taste of Auntie Anne's, now the whole family can enjoy the flavor right at home with the Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit.

When this compact box arrived, I couldn't want to get baking and was glad to see that just about everything that was needed was included right inside.

Pulling out the ingredients (enough to make 10 plain, salted or cinnamon sugar pretzels), I appreciated that the dough mix, yeast, baking soda, salt, cinnamon sugar and baking instructions were all clearly labeled and ready to use. All that was left to do was decide what to make!

As well as the classic (and delicious) Auntie Anne's pretzels, this kit can be used to make all sorts of other yummy treats such as monkey bread, apple dumplings, deep dish pizza, pretzel dogs and more! Auntie Anne's has all of the easy-to-follow recipes laid out right online so that it only takes a click or two to choose whichever tasty dish you'd like to make next right in your kitchen.

Wanting to try something that I knew the whole family would enjoy, as soon as I came across the recipe for Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Rolls, I knew that I had found a winner.

Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Rolls

Auntie Anne’s Baking Kit
Nonstick spray
Flour (for dusting)
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Optional icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 oz. package softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk

Dough Preparation

1. Prepare dough as directed following Dough Preparation steps 1-5.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F

Cinnamon roll preparation and baking instructions

1. While dough is rising, prepare Cinnamon Sugar Filling: in microwave safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Stir cinnamon sugar mixture well.
2. When the dough has fully risen (approximately 30 minutes), lightly dust the dough and countertop with all-purpose flour.
3. Using flour dusted rolling pin, carefully roll dough into a thin sheet. The finished dough sheet should be approximately ¼” thick and 16” long x 16” wide.
4. Spread cinnamon sugar mixture evenly onto dough sheet approximately ½” from edge. If mixture is too stiff, microwave an additional 30 seconds prior to spreading.
5. Lightly dust hands with all-purpose flour and gently roll entire dough sheet lengthwise into a long roll (jelly roll style) and pinch seams to seal.
6. Lightly spray 13” x 9” pan with nonstick spray.
7. Using a ruler as a guide, cut 2” portions and place in 13” x 9” pan, pinwheel side facing up, touching each other (will make 8 cinnamon rolls).
8. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes (baking time may vary).

Ice the cinnamon rolls (optional)

1. Prepare icing: Using an electric mixer, combine powdered sugar, butter, and approximately 2 tablespoons of milk to make a stiff icing. Add softened cream cheese and mix on high for 1 minute. Add milk to desired consistency.
2. Immediately ice warm cinnamon rolls when removed from oven.
3. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar packet or add raisins and nuts if desired

Want to see our step-by-step fun of baking these? Getting started by laying out the ingredients, Big Sister E and I were excited to get these tasty cinnamon rolls made so that we could begin enjoying them!

The steps for the dough preparation were very easy to follow, and soon after mixing water with the dry yeast...

...we were kneading the dough...

... and leaving it to rise.

While that happened, we mixed together the cinnamon sugar filling ingredients...

...and marveled at its sticky, sugary goodness.

After the dough had 30 minutes to rise, we rolled it out...

...and spread the filling until the whole thing was covered.

After rolling the dough into a long roll, I cut out 2" sections (I skipped using a ruler and just eyeballed it)...

...and laid them in my prepared pan. Although they didn't look nearly as pretty as they probably could have, Big Sister E and I couldn't wait for them to bake!

While the cinnamon rolls spent their time in the oven, we whipped up the icing... because what are cinnamon rolls without icing?

As I spread the icing on the cinnamon rolls immediately as they came out of the oven, I realized that I probably could have cut the recipe in half and still had enough. Once I had it all on, the whole thing was swimming in sweet, sweet goodness.

Who doesn't want to stick their fingers right in there and pull out a big bite?

The result truly was delicious and my husband, a cinnamon roll aficionado, commented on how they tasted "like that place that sells cinnamon rolls." The cinnamon and sugar complementing with the tasty dough just results in bite after bite of making our mouths happy!

We had such a good time with the At-Home Baking Kit that I am definitely going to keep an eye out for another one the next time I'm at one of the retail locations that carries them. After all, with so many more creative recipes to try with it (as well as the traditional pretzels), this is a great idea to pull out for a fun day of baking at any time or to give as a gift to any pretzel-lovers that you know.

With a suggested retail price of $5.99 - $7.99, not only did we have a great time baking, but we ended up with something delicious that didn't require getting dressed, driving to the mall, wrangling two kids through the hoards of people, waiting in line... I'd say the Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit was a clear success in terms of convenience and taste. Yum!

For more information about Auntie Anne's, visit their website and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

I wrote this review while participating in a Blog Friendly PR campaign on behalf of Auntie Anne's. I received a sample for my participation, all opinions are my own.