No.51 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Cinnamon rolls

Made famous by Ree Drummond

Photo: WhatamIdoing, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks, 2009. The Pioneer Woman is No. 48 on the Hot 100.

The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls, her mother-in-law's recipe made by the panful, are among the most made sweet breads online.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Ingredients

• For the dough: 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups (565 g) all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup more
• 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• For the filling: 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar, or half white and half brown
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• For the glaze: 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• 4 tbsp (56 g) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) brewed coffee
• 1 tsp maple extract (or 2 tbsp maple syrup)
• Pinch of salt

Steps

1. Warm the milk, oil and sugar in a saucepan until just steaming, then turn off the heat and cool until warm to the touch (about 105F), 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let it sit 1 minute. Stir in 4 1/2 cups flour to make a sticky dough. Cover and leave in a warm place 1 hour, until doubled.
3. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup flour with the baking powder, soda and salt.
4. Turn onto a well-floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 30 by 10 inches, 1/4 inch thick.
5. Spread the soft butter all the way to the edges. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the butter.
6. Starting from a long side, roll the dough up tightly into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Cut into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife or dental floss.
7. Butter two 9 by 13-inch pans (or three 9-inch rounds) and set the rolls cut side up, just touching. Cover and rise 20 to 30 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 375F (190C).
8. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked through in the center.
9. Whisk the glaze until smooth and pour over the warm rolls.

Chef's tips

• Shape and refrigerate overnight; let them come to room temperature for 1 hour and rise before baking.
• Baked and glazed, they freeze well.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond: get the book, No. 90 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

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