These Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll Ups are the most heavenly breakfast treats! People are always surprised to learn that they’re made with white bread that’s flattened with a rolling pin before filling and baking.
These easy filled pastries are crispy on the outside with a crunchy brown sugar-cinnamon-butter crust, and creamy on the inside with a sweetened cream cheese that’s reminiscent of the filling in our Strawberry and Cream Tart recipe.
Each year, our family enjoys these cream cheese roll-ups for a simple Christmas breakfast. I usually make a batch at the end of November and tuck them in the freezer, because they freeze very well.
I might as well confess that I make them with WHITE BREAD — something we don’t normally eat — but once a year we do indulge. You can make these with whatever bread you like, and you’ll find it’s easier to roll up bread that is fresh and soft.
My family loves these cinnamon rollups, and they’ve become part of our holiday tradition. I especially love that they can be made ahead of time, so that Christmas morning can be a sweet, relaxed family time.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make these tasty breakfast roll ups:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 slices soft bread of your choice – We use plain white bread, but you can use whatever you like as long as the slices can be rolled.
3/4 cup packed brown sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar works fine.
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted – we like salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted, too.
Equipment Needed
You won’t need any fancy cooking equipment to make this recipe:
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife or kitchen scissors
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Spreader knife
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment paper
Step by Step Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Roll bread slices with a rolling pin to flatten slightly.
Trim off the crusts.
Beat the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Divide the mixture among the bread slices and spread evenly.
Roll up slices tightly jelly-roll style, pressing on the edges to seal.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a shallow bowl. Dip or generously brush each roll on all sides with the melted butter.
Next, roll in the brown sugar mix.
Arrange the cinnamon rollups on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned and crispy. Makes about 10 crispies.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover roll ups tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 375 degrees F until lightly browned and hot, about 20 minutes.
How to Freeze Roll Ups
You can also freeze the rollups prior to baking. Store in an airtight container or bag and keep frozen until ready for use.
To cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange the crispies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and crispy.
Here’s the printable recipe card:
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll Ups
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife or kitchen scissors
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 10 slices soft bread of your choice
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll bread slices with a rolling pin to flatten slightly, and trim off the crusts with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors.
- Beat the softened cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
- Divide the mixture among the bread slices and spread evenly. Roll up slices tightly jelly-roll style, pressing on the edges to seal.
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a shallow bowl. Generously brush each roll on all sides with the melted butter and roll in the brown sugar mix. Arrange the roll ups on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 10 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and serve. Makes about 10 pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
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Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
Eliza – thank you very much for posting this recipe. The week before Christmas my little nephew helped me roll out the bread for a double batch and after freezing I divided the batch up with my sisters-in-law so that we all had yummy treats Christmas morning. The crispies were SO YUMMY! A huge hit! I will definitely be making them part of my Christmas tradition from now on. Thank you again for sharing and hope you are having a lovely holiday season.
These Cream Cheese Cinnamon Roll Ups look so easy to make and my mouth is watering looking at your photo. I’m going to try these with our boys on the weekend! Thanks for this lovely recipe!
These are fabulous. Simple to make with simple ingredients. A great treat to start the day with.
I’m always looking for new breakfast ideas and this is such a creative and delicious recipe. Perfect for adults and kids of all ages!
These were so easy to make and hands down delicious! Even my kids helped me with this recipe; easily, a new favorite treat!
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe. I have always been wondering how to make cream rolls. This recipe has come up timely.
My kids and I made these for a breakfast treat this morning and they were a total hit!! So sweet, decadent and delicious!
These roll-ups look so flavorful and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
These are SO good! We gobbled them up over the weekend and it’s already been requested that I make them again 🙂
I made these roll ups for breakfast over the weekend and my kids loved them! MY husband and I did too!
My kids love it when I make these roll-ups! So easy and tasty!
This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-up looks so good! It looks so crispy and crunchy! The best breakfast to start my day! Thanks for sharing
I’d love to see this with puff pastry instead of bread – is that possible?
Carol, that sounds yummy! Check this recipe out: https://www.latestrecipes.net/2021/02/08/cuban-cheese-rolls-just-like-deandelucas/ It sounds similar, doesn’t it? ~Eliza
Sounds delicious can’t wait to try them.
Louise, thank you! They are so tasty, and I love that you can make them ahead of time and freeze them. ~Eliza