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Sweet warming Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing, for the ideal autumn treat. All made using pantry staple ingredients. Including a good amount of cinnamon, a touch of sweet brown sugar, and the most delicious coffee icing – for an extra special cinnamon knot. Beyond delicious and the easiest to make, these extra cinnamony knots have a little crunch with every bite.

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

For the most part, I reserve my cinnamon rolls for Christmas time…and Christmas time only. It makes them feel even more special to me and we always look forward to them on Christmas Eve.

I did, of course, make an exception for the apple cinnamon rolls I shared a few weeks back. But those felt so very fall, and not at all holiday, so they were OK in my mind.

These are my cinnamon knots. They’re not quite a cinnamon roll, but kind of similar. And either way, they’re so delicious that I just had to share them. Plus knots allow me to get around my little rule.

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

What I love most about these rolls is just how quickly they can be made. All you need is one hour! I used Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant  Yeast, which makes the process of making and baking the cinnamon knots so simple and easy.

Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant  Yeast cuts down on rising time, allowing you to skip those lengthy waits. It contains fine granules that activate faster, without the need to dissolve first. Using their rapid rise yeast makes baking any kind of yeasted dough simple and straightforward.

You don’t even need a stand mixer for these knots!

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are the details

The dough is the simplest to make. Simply mix flour with Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant  Yeast and add a pinch of salt. Next, add in warmed milk, a touch of brown sugar, eggs, and salted butter. Mix until smooth and let the dough rest for ten to fifteen minutes. And that’s the beauty of Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant  Yeast!

We get to skip an entire hour-long rise. Yet we still get the softest, fluffiest cinnamon knots!

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

The filling

For the filling, I spread the dough with butter, then sprinkle on a simple mix of brown sugar and cinnamon.

I like to use brown sugar for a nice depth of flavor. And I go heavy on the cinnamon for a knot that’s super delish.

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

Shaping the knots

Shaping the knots is easy. You shouldn’t stress about making them perfect.

In fact, the more imperfect they end up being, the better. Trust me, once they bake up they’ll be delicious and pretty…because cinnamon sugar has that effect on everything.

To make them even more special, we’re also making a cinnamon topping. This is a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Simply sprinkle the topping over top each knot before baking. As the knots bake, the topping begins to caramelize over the knots.

I do want to note that some of the cinnamon will fall off the knots onto the pan. What I like to do is spoon/scoop the sugar up off the pan. Then simply spoon it back over each knot. This is why it’s important to line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

The icing

While the knots are baking, I like to make the icing. It’s simply butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and instant coffee.

Not too strong, not too sweet, but just right. Especially when drizzled on top of a warm knot. Delicious!

As the knots bake, your home will be filled with scents of sweetness and cinnamon.

As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, ice them and serve. These knots are beyond good, soft, fluffy, perfectly sweet, and there’s a little crunch with every bite.

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other easy fall breakfast? Here are my favorites: 

Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Maple Icing

Cider Pumpkin Waffles with Salted Maple Butter

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Lastly, if you make these Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 14 knots
Calories Per Serving: 363 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Dough

Cinnamon Filling

Coffee Icing

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. In a mixing bowl, combine 3 ½ cups flour, the yeast, brown sugar, and salt. Add the milk, eggs, and butter. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour a little at a time.
    2. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 
    4. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (about 16×14 inches), adding flour as needed. Spread the dough with 5 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Fold the dough in half, directly over the cinnamon, pressing to adhere. Cut into 12-14 strips. Twist each strip into a loose knot, they don't need to be perfect. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
    5. In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Spoon clumps of the brown sugar over the knots (see above photo).
    6. Bake 20 minutes, until golden.
    7. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Melt together the butter and maple syrup in a small pot set over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and instant coffee. Drizzle over the knots.

Notes

To Make Ahead: prepare the rolls through step 5. Cover the knots and place in the fridge (up to overnight). When ready to bake, remove the knots from the fridge 15 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed. 
To Prepare and Freeze: assemble the rolls through step 5, then cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the knots overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. Once thawed, bake as directed. 
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk and the brown sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe. 
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Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Literally cannot tell you how awesome these are, or how many I ate ahh! So simple to make, just be careful to flour your surface well when you are rolling the dough as it is v sticky.

    Reply

    1. Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried out the recipe with premade dough, but that should work just fine! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    Amazing as always!! Substituted GF flour 1:1 and they were delicious. Had a hard time separating and twisting the strips because they were very soft – maybe because of the GF flour? Any suggestions on how to twist without the dough falling apart? I also used some warmed leftover pumpkin buttercream as my drizzle and it was to die for.

    Reply

    1. Hey Caitlin! Yes, it could have been because of the GF flour! Is there anything else you did differently? xTieghan

      Reply

  6. Thanks for adding the dry yeast note we don’t have that rapid rise yeast in Australia so now I know how to make them, they look amazing!

    Reply

      1. 3 stars
        Unfortunately 20 minutes was way too long for something so buttery and sugary. Even though they ended up burnt, the tops were pretty tasty! I will try to remake them with less time. I will definitely use the frosting for other recipes too, great idea to add a light coffee flavor!

        Reply

    1. Hey Christine! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! Have a great week ? xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    These taste absolutely amazing!!! And are so easy to make. Even for my first time making any form of cinnamon rolls. Simply perfect! Thank you!!

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    So wonderful! Thank you for always sharing the best recipes! Whenever I want to cook or bake, I come right here!

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    I was a bit intimidated by these knots but actually found making them to be fun and they turned out better than I expected! My family loved them and I will definitely make them again. Next time I’ll add pecans. Great recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kim! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan

      Reply

  11. Hi, I’ve made a similar recipe of yours and it was really good! I’d like to try this one too, but I would prefer weight measurements. The conversion button doesn’t seem to be working for me, so what is your method for measuring flour?

    Reply

    1. Hi there! I’m so sorry about that! 3 1/2 cups of flour is what this recipe calls for, which is 1 lb of flour or 438 grams 🙂 xTieghan

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    This recipe was amaaaazinggggg we made it this morning! Dough was perfect and the perfect amount of moist-ness and flavor. I was thinking, could you do the same dough recipe (maybe use regular sugar) and turn it into garlic knots?! Just thinking… super delicious! Thanks Teighan!

    Reply

    1. Hey Abby! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this recipe a try! I hope you loved it 🙂 xTieghan

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        I just made these and they’re delicious!! I gave the dough a quick knead before rolling out and added 1/2 tsp of coffee extract in place of instant coffee.

        Reply

  13. 4 stars
    These really were so good! I was a little intimidated but she made the recipe easy, but delicious. I can see how it may be a tad sweet for some people though. I’m excited to enjoy this with a hot cup of coffee tomorrow morning!

    Reply

    1. Hi Mallory! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this recipe a try! I hope you loved it 🙂 xTieghan

      Reply

    2. 5 stars
      These were amazing – thank you! Just one little note…the dough was so wet for me that I had add a fair amount more than the extra half a cup. Not sure if my cups are slightly different sizes…(UK based).
      But otherwise all good and delicious ?

      Reply