How do you bring Disney magic home with you?

This is a question I find myself asking and, in turn, trying to answer every time I come home from a trip. Sure, I will never be able to truly create the magic, but I have found many different ways to bring little bits and pieces of Disney fun home with me. Whether I bring the magic home through pictures, ride soundtracks, watching videos, and (more recently) trying out some copycat recipes for some of my favorite Disney foods. And now, I want to share some of that magic with you – a recipe for the tasty Cinnamon Rolls that can be found at your favorite Disney Park.

If you kept up with my trip updates, you will know that my family makes it a priority to eat a cinnamon roll for breakfast once during every trip. We used to be able to find these tasty breakfast treats at the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, California and had a panic attack when the Blue Ribbon was closed down during a more recent renovation of Main Street. Now, these rolls can be found at the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Café on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure or the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland. You can also occasionally find them at other counter service restaurants, but they are not served warm as they are at the two locations I listed above.

However, it is important to note that with the move to a new location, the cinnamon roll recipe seems to have been changed a bit We aren’t quite as fond of the minor changes, but it is still one of our favorite treats at Disney! Because we tend to crave these rolls at home, I decided to find a copy-cat recipe and try them for myself…. And they were a HIT!

I thought I would share this wonderful recipe with you so you can create some of the magic in your own kitchen. So, without further ado, here is the Disneyland Cinnamon Roll Copycat Recipe!

Disneyland Cinnamon Roll Copycat Recipe
Yields about 16 large cinnamon rolls

Before you get started you should know this is a time-consuming recipe. You will want to dedicate several hours to the baking of this delicious pastries.

Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients
• ½ cup of warm water
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package of Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 2 cups milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 cups all-purpose flour

Before anything else, I begin by setting the cream cheese and unsalted butter for the cream cheese frosting in my electric mixer bowl to soften.

In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside for later.

In a separate, large bowl prepare the Vanilla instant pudding according to the directions by adding the 2 cups of milk and beating with a wire whisk. Add in 1 stick of melted butter, eggs, and salt. Mix the ingredients together well before adding the yeast mixture.

Gradually add in the flour, 1 cup at a time. As I begin to add the flour, I start by simply mixing it in or folding it in with a spoon. As I add more flour and the dough becomes more difficult to handle, I begin to knead the flour in. Once all flour is added, knead until smooth.

Place in another large bowl that is well-greased (or, do what I do and grease the bowl that I mixed the dough in). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel and let rise until double in size. Punch down and let rise again.

While dough is rising, take the opportunity to clean your work area and prepare the filling for the cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon using a fork to break up any lumps. I would hold off on melting the butter until you have the dough ready to go, but I like to at least place my butter in the pan so it is all ready to go.

This is also a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

After dough has risen the second time, punch it down and roll out on a very large floured surface. The dough should roll out into a large rectangle that is approximately 34 inches X 21 inches in size. Brush the 2 sticks of melted butter over the flattened dough using a pastry brush and generously sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the top.

Starting on a long edge roll up the dough like a jelly roll.

Using a serrated knife cut the end off of your roll. These can be tossed, or used to make two smaller cinnamon rolls. Then, cut the remaining dough about every 2 inches. Using your hands, gently pack each roll to prevent them separating while baking.

Place the prepared rolls onto a greased baking sheet. I put about 6 rolls on each baking sheet to be sure that I don’t have any stuck together. Allow the rolls to rise for about 15 minutes on the pan before placing in the oven.

Bake rolls on the middle rack for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and frost with cream cheese frosting (see recipe below) while they are still warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
• 1 (8 ounce) brick of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of milk

Using an electric mixer, mix together softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and blend until smooth. Add milk and mix together to thin out the frosting. Frost rolls while they are still warm.

Note: If you do not have an electric mixer, I would suggest sifting the powdered sugar as you add it to avoid lumps.

Well, there you have it!
I hope you can enjoy making these tasty treats. If you decide to try out the recipe, let me know how it goes!

Have a magical time!

– Melissa H.