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PrintCinnamon Roll Pie
This year’s must have Thanksgiving pie just dropped. This Cinnamon Roll Pie has a buttery homemade pie crust, gooey brown sugar cinnamon filling, buttery cinnamon pockets, and a sweet vanilla icing drizzle.
This year’s Thanksgiving Star
If you’re looking to switch things up from your usual Thanksgiving pies, may I introduce you to Cinnamon Roll Pie? It’s everything you love about a gooey cinnamon roll, baked into a buttery homemade pie crust and finished with a generous drizzle of vanilla icing. We’re talking a soft, buttery brown sugar filling, pockets of cinnamon sugar swirled throughout, and plenty of icing in every slice. Basically, a cinnamon roll in pie form. And I have a feeling this one is going to be Thanksgiving’s darling this year.
What is Cinnamon Roll Pie?
Think of Cinnamon Roll Pie as the best parts of a cinnamon roll and a classic brown sugar pie coming together in one very delicious dessert. It starts with a flaky, buttery homemade pie crust filled with a rich brown sugar batter. Then, we fold in a buttery cinnamon swirl mixture that bakes into little pockets of gooey cinnamon sugar throughout the pie. A quick vanilla icing drizzle on top seals the deal.
The result is somewhere between a cinnamon roll, a blondie, and a pie, with a tender, gooey center and plenty of cinnamon flavor. It’s a fun alternative to the usual Thanksgiving pie lineup, and honestly, I wouldn’t be mad if it became a new holiday tradition.
Ingredients you’ll need
This cinnamon roll pie recipe uses simple pantry staples to create something that feels a little extra special. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour: You’ll use flour in the pie crust, cinnamon swirl, and filling. It gives the filling structure while keeping it soft and tender.
- Unsalted butter: Butter is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and we’re not mad about it. You’ll need cold butter for the crust and melted butter for the cinnamon swirl and filling.
- Brown sugar: A combination of dark and light brown sugar gives the pie its deep caramel flavor and gooey texture. Dark brown sugar goes into the cinnamon swirl, while light brown sugar sweetens the filling.
- Granulated sugar: A little granulated sugar balances the brown sugar and adds sweetness to both the crust and filling.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the filling together and help it set as it bakes.
- Cinnamon: The star of the show! Ground cinnamon gives the pie that unmistakable cinnamon roll flavor.
- Vanilla extract: A splash of vanilla rounds out the filling and gives the icing its classic flavor.
- Baking powder: Just a little helps keep the filling tender rather than dense.
- Powdered sugar and milk: These come together to make a simple vanilla icing for drizzling over the finished pie.
Tips for making the best Cinnamon Roll Pie
This pie is pretty straightforward, but a few little details will help you get the best texture and those delicious cinnamon sugar pockets throughout.
- Keep your pie dough cold. Cold butter is the secret to a flaky pie crust. If your dough starts feeling warm or sticky while you’re rolling it out, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Don’t skip chilling the crust. Giving the dough at least 30 minutes in the fridge helps relax the gluten and makes it easier to roll out and shape.
- Make the cinnamon swirl mixture separately. Mixing the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon before adding it to the filling creates those little buttery brown sugar pockets that make this pie so special.
- Don’t overmix the filling. Once you add the flour, fold everything together just until combined. You want a tender, gooey filling, not a tough one.
- Look for a slight jiggle in the center. The pie will continue to set as it cools, so don’t wait until the center is completely firm before pulling it out of the oven.
- Add the icing while the pie is slightly warm. It’ll soften just enough to settle into all those little nooks and crannies without completely melting away.
FAQs
Absolutely! While I love the buttery homemade crust in this recipe, a store-bought pie crust works perfectly well if you’re short on time. Just fit it into your 9-inch pie dish and continue with the recipe as written. No one needs to know you took a shortcut.
The top should be golden brown, and the center should still have a slight jiggle when you gently move the pie dish. You don’t want the center to look liquid, but it shouldn’t be completely firm either. The filling will continue to set as the pie cools, giving you that soft, gooey cinnamon roll-inspired texture.
Yes! This is a great dessert to make ahead for Thanksgiving. Bake the pie, let it cool completely, and store it covered in the refrigerator. You can make the icing ahead, too, but I’d recommend drizzling it over the pie shortly before serving for the prettiest finish.
Store leftover pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can enjoy it cold, bring it to room temperature, or warm individual slices briefly in the microwave if you want that fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll experience. I highly recommend the last option.
A new Thanksgiving favorite
If your Thanksgiving dessert table is starting to feel a little predictable, this Cinnamon Roll Pie is here to shake things up. It’s buttery, gooey, packed with cinnamon sugar, and finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing. Serve it alongside your usual holiday favorites, or give it the spotlight all on its own. Either way, I don’t think you’ll have many leftovers.
Happy baking, my friends!
XXX
PrintCinnamon Roll Pie
Cinnamon Roll Pie
This year’s must have Thanksgiving pie just dropped. This Cinnamon Roll Pie has a buttery homemade pie crust, gooey brown sugar cinnamon filling, buttery cinnamon pockets, and a sweet vanilla icing drizzle.
Ingredients
For the pie crust (you can also use a store bought crust in a pinch!)
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons ice water or chilled vodka (vodka will make your crust extra flaky)
For the cinnamon swirl
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (53g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (32g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
For the pie
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (160g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (52g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (96g) all-purpose four
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For icing
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, make the pie crust. Add the flour, granulated sugar, and salt into a large bowl and use your hand to mix to combine. Add the butter cubes, coating them in the flour.
- Use your fingers to smush and flatten the butter into thin pieces, sliding each cube between your thumb and fingers to create thin sheets of butter throughout the flour. You’re done once the mixture looks shaggy, slightly clumpy, and you can see lots of thin sheets of butter throughout the bowl.
- Drizzle in the ice water (or vodka) and mix with your hands to form a dough. It should be dry at first, but should come together in about 30 seconds.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Mold and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disc, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the pie disc from the fridge and set it on the counter to soften for 5 minutes. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, unwrap the disc, and place it onto the surface. Dust with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a roughly 12-inch circle, dusting the top and underside with more flour as needed.
- Carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin like a scroll, then drape it into a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie dish, then use scissors to trim around the edges of the pie crust, leaving a ½ inch overhang.
- Tuck the edge of the dough under itself, creating a thick edge around the rim of the pie dish. Lightly squeeze the edge together using your fingers, sealing it in place. Use your index finger on one hand and your peace fingers on the other hand to create a crimp around the edge of the pie. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Blind bake the crust. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the crust, then fill the pie crust with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dry beans into the center to weigh down the center of the pie. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the crust blind bakes, make the cinnamon swirl. In a medium bowl combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir until the mixture clumps together and resembles wet sand. Set aside.
- Next, make the filling. In a large bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until glossy and frothy, about 45 seconds.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder and use a silicone spatula to fold together until no streaks of flour remain. Sprinkle about ⅔ of the cinnamon swirl mixture into the batter and gently fold to combine.
- Scrape the filling into the pie crust, spreading it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon swirl mixture over the top of the batter and use a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar pieces into the batter.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the pie is golden brown all over and only wiggles slightly in the center when you jostle the pan, 30 to 35 minutes more. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Last, make the icing. In a small mixing bowl, add the powder sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk to combine. Drizzle the icing over the slightly warm pie and set aside to cool completely before slicing and serving.
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