Level Up Your Canned Cinnamon Roll Game :: Kid-Friendly Air Fryer Cinnamon Bites
One of my favorite childhood memories of lazy weekends at home was when my dad would pull out a particular pot and a can of biscuits. That meant “homemade donuts” were coming! While he was frying up the quartered biscuits on the stove, my job was to stand nearby with a brown paper lunch bag and shake up the cinnamon sugar to coat the freshly fried donuts. It was truly such a core memory.
I usually buy our canned cinnamon rolls from Sam’s in a 4-pack because they make for a deliciously easy “food court cinnamon roll” or even an effortless brunch dish. But a few weeks ago, I grabbed a shrink-wrapped 2-pack from the grocery store instead because Sam’s was out.
The morning that I went to use them, I noticed a recipe for Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Bites on the shrink wrap holding them together. Since I had everything I needed for it, I decided to give it a whirl.
Boy, am I glad I did — my kids LOVED them and ask for them all the time! Plus, there’s something so nostalgic about having my kids shake up a bag of cinnamon sugar to help prepare breakfast. Because we loved them so much, I decided to make a big batch of the cream cheese dipping icing and freeze it in batches to make our next few cinnamon roll bites even easier to whip up.
Kid-Friendly Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Bites
From the suggested recipes on a shrink-wrapped pack of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls (any variety will do)
1/3 cup white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dipping Icing (recipe follows)
DO NOT PREHEAT AIR FRYER. NEVER PREHEAT WITH PARCHMENT PAPER ALONE. DO NOT LET PARCHMENT PAPER TOUCH HEATING ELEMENT.
- Line your air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper (you may need to cut it to fit).
- In a large Ziploc bag, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
- Separate dough into 8 rolls. Cut each roll into 4 equal pieces (I like to use a pizza cutter to do this quicker). Place 16 pieces in bottom of air fryer basket. Set icing aside.
- Set air fryer to 325 (mine only goes in increments of 10, so I set it to 330). Cook 3 minutes. With tongs, turn over each piece; cook 2-3 minutes more or until golden brown. Remove from air fryer. Repeat with remaining 16 pieces.
- Shake warm bites in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm with dipping icing.
Dipping Icing
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, reserved icing, and enough milk for dipping consistency.