Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

Looking for an easy yeast cinnamon roll recipe to fix for Christmas morning? You might like this one with a surprising main ingredient: A yellow cake mix!

The recipe makes two pans full of delicious rolls with no kneading needed! 

Here's the recipe:

2 pkgs. active dry yeast (1/4 oz. each)

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 box of yellow cake mix

4 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, melted, divided

1/2 cup sugar (or brown sugar)

2 TBS. cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it stand about 10 minutes.Set it aside while you get out a large bowl and combine the cake mix and flour. Slowly add the yeast mixture and stir till smooth.Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it is doubled.

Turn the dough onto a heavily floured surface and divide it in half.

Roll out each half into a a rectangle (about 12" x 24")

Now for the really good part! Brush the surface of each dough rectangle with 4 TBS of melted butter.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half over each rectangle of dough. 

I used brown sugar on one rectangle and white on the other, just for fun! (Disclaimer: I may or may not have used more sugar and cinnamon in the pictures above and below!) Sprinkle with pecans, if desired.

Beginning with the shorter side, roll up the dough, enveloping all of that sugary goodness!

Once you have it all rolled up, seal the long edge and  cut the roll into about 9 slices. (Cross a length of thread over itself like scissors for perfect cuts...it's a great trick!)

Place the rolls into a greased pan and let rise till doubled (about 30 minutes). You also could refrigerate at this point and let rise in the morning...just give the rolls extra time to rise.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Let the rolls cool for a few minutes and then frost with your favorite frosting...we like cream cheese frosting on ours!

Makes 18 delicious cinnamon rolls. Just looking at the picture makes me want one right now! Merry Christmas from my house to yours.