Giant Cinnamon Roll – Made so simple with biscuit dough, and 3-ingredient ooey gooey caramelized pears. It’ll fill your house with the warm smell of caramel and cinnamon. Douse your giant roll with icing, grab a fork, and get to work!
One dessert I never get tired of are cinnamon rolls. Over the years I’ve experimented with so many great flavors! I’ve tried them all, but that does not stop me from continuing to create new and different cinnamon roll recipes. While I’ve made tons of homemade yeast dough cinnamon rolls, today I felt like giving you the easiest shortcut using pre-made biscuit dough.
It’s fine to make your own dough, but sometimes I just don’t have the time or energy. I’m sure you know what I mean! This is the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth with the most minimal effort. So say YES to this giant cinnamon roll! It’s gooey, caramelly, and has vanilla icing seeping into every crevice in this giant roll.
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Butter – I like to use unsalted.
- Brown sugar – For both the caramelized pears and cinnamon roll filling.
- Pears – I used Bosc pears. Any type will work.
- Pillsbury biscuit dough – 1 can.
- Cinnamon – Use more or less if you prefer.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.
- Milk – Any type you have on hand. Even dairy-free substitutes.
- Vanilla – Vanilla bean or vanilla paste can be used as well.
How to make a giant cinnamon roll
- Caramelize the pears: Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a 12″ cast iron or other oven-safe skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar has mostly dissolved. Add the pears and toss to coat each one in sugar. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and golden. Transfer them to a plate to cool down.
- Prep the dough: Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Roll each biscuit from the package until it’s about 6″x3″. Brush each biscuit with melted butter, then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar. Use a pizza cutter to slice the biscuit into 3 long strips, about an inch in width.
- Assemble the cinnamon roll: Start by rolling up one strip in the center of the skillet. Surround the coil with caramelized pairs, coiling more dough, surrounding with pears, and repeat until everything has been used up.
- Bake roll & make icing: Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Whisk the icing ingredients together until smooth. Let the cinnamon roll cool fully before drizzling with icing.
How to serve
If you don’t mind sharing, everyone can grab a fork and dig right into the skillet to enjoy this glorious cinnamon roll. For a more civilized presentation, you can cut the roll with a pizza cutter and use a cake lifter to serve up slices.
Perfect as a sweet option for brunch, or serve this treat with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
How to store leftovers
You can store leftovers right in the skillet covered with plastic wrap or foil. You can also transfer leftovers to an airtight container. It’ll keep for one week stored in the fridge.
You can also store your giant cinnamon roll in the freezer. If you want to keep it in the skillet, make sure to cover it well with both plastic wrap and foil. It’ll last 2-3 months frozen.
Reheat either in the microwave at 20 second intervals, or pop it back into the oven at 325F for 5-10 minutes.
Can I make this ahead?
Want to save yourself some hassle for brunch or a dessert for entertaining guests? Assemble your cinnamon roll ahead and bake it fresh to serve. Prep it 2-3 days ahead if you plan on keeping it in the fridge, or 1 month ahead if it’ll live in the freezer.
Make sure to wrap the skillet well with plastic wrap and foil before storing in the fridge or freezer. If you keep it in the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before baking it.
Did you love this recipe? Try these:
- Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
- Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- No Knead 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Roll Ups
- Finnish Cardamom Rolls
- Nutella Stuffed Rolls
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Giant Cinnamon Roll
Equipment
Ingredients
For Caramelized Pears
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large pears cored and sliced, I used Bosc pears
For Cinnamon Roll
- 10 Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits (1 can), cold
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter melted
For Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar aka confectioner's sugar or icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a 12 inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir; cook for about a minute or two until sugar is almost dissolved. Add sliced pears and toss making sure each slice is coated in sugar. Cook for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally and until pears are soft and golden. Remove pears from skillet to a plate and let cool.
- Mix the 1/2 cup of brown sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Roll each biscuit so that it’s about 6 inches by 3 inches. Brush each biscuit with melted butter, then sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar mixture. Using a pizza cutter cut each biscuit into 3 long strips, each one about an inch in width.
- Start rolling up one strip in the center of the skillet. Surround the coil with slices of caramelized pears. Continue coiling with remaining strip and pears, one coil of dough, surrounded by a pears.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While baking make the vanilla icing, by whisking all the icing ingredients together. Allow the cinnamon roll to cool before drizzling with icing.
Recipe Notes
- You can store leftovers right in the skillet covered with plastic wrap or foil. You can also transfer leftovers to an airtight container. It’ll keep for one week stored in the fridge.
- You can also store your giant cinnamon roll in the freezer. If you want to keep it in the skillet, make sure to cover it well with both plastic wrap and foil. It’ll last 2-3 months frozen.
- Reheat either in the microwave at 20 second intervals, or pop it back into the oven at 325F for 5-10 minutes.
Thank you! I tried this recipe today and it was great! I’m sure it would be even better if I had the correct ingredients but I was looking for something to doctor up a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls I purchased. I bought two cans and after eating the first can our family decided that it tasted more like chemical than anything we’d ever want to eat again! Not wanting to waste food, I went in search of a recipe to make them better and stumbled across your blog.
I happened to have the fruit on hand so it worked out. I skipped over the cinnamon roll step in your recipe and just rolled out the rolls straight from the can and cut them into strips. I also ran out of vanilla so I used almond extract for the frosting. It went well with the pears! I was also out of brown sugar and had to substitute with molasses and white sugar but it all worked out in the end!
The only thing I struggled with was assembly. It was a bit wonky. I would probably make the suggestion that the pan should be completely cooled before you start assembling as my dough started to ‘melt’ while I was putting it together. You do mention in your instructions to let cool but I assumed you meant the pears and not necessarily the skillet. Perhaps you meant both. Either way, it’s an important step for sure! If the pan isn’t completely cool (cast iron skillets can take awhile to cool) I recommend at least having all of the strips ready before hand so assembly can happen quickly.
Thanks again for the recipe!
Looks delicious!
Will this be easy to remove from skillet as a whole piece without messing up if I wanted to take it to someone’s house ?
Oh yeah absolutely, won’t stick.
These look SO spectacular. Yum.