Grandma Coco’s CINNAMON ROLLS: The Best Ever

Sharing is caring!

I’m so excited to share this recipe for Grandma Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls with you. My Mom, Grandma Coco, has made these my entire life and they are THE BEST!

The secret ingredient that makes them so tender and flavorful is instant potato flakes. This secret weapon also helps them to retain their moisture and stay fresh longer than other recipes.

What you will need to make Grandma Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp. dry yeast
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup instant potato flakes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. mace
• 4 cups flour
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins, optional
• 1/2 cup nuts, chopped, optional

For the frosting:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 lb. powdered sugar

This recipe makes 2 dozen. You can halve it…or double it! I’m not here to judge. 🙂

Let’s get baking:

Begin by blooming 2 Tbsp. of yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Let it develop for 5 minutes until it is nice and bubbly.

While the yeast is doing its thing, add 1 cup of water to a large pot over high heat and add a cube of butter. Boil until the butter is melted.

Once the butter is melted, turn off the heat and add 1 cup of milk and 1 tsp of salt.

And add your cup of instant potato flakes.

It should look like mashed potatoes… because it is!

Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat them. Or put them in a container with a lid and shake. Grandma Coco uses her Tupperware shaker. Add the beaten eggs to the potato mixture.

Stir it up then add a 1/2 cup of sugar and stir it in.

SPICE TIME:

Next, add the mace. This is a beautiful spice that gives these cinnamon rolls a wonderful flavor. Don’t skip it! 🙂

Now it’s time to add the yeast mixture, it should be nice and bubbly by now. Stir it in until incorporated.

FLOUR:

Mix in 4 cups of flour to make a soft dough. If the dough is too loose, you may need to add a little more flour, but this depends on the type and brand of potatoes you use. The picture below appears dry, but it is really soft. You want it to stay soft and not too stiff.

TIME TO REST:

Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. While the dough is resting, go ahead and butter a jelly roll pan. You could also use 2 9×13-inch pans.

This is also a good time to get your cinnamon sugar ready. Add 1/2 cup sugar to a bowl and mix in 2 tsp. cinnamon. Also, melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a separate bowl.

After the dough has rested, move it to a floured surface and knead it to make a smooth dough. You may need to add a little more flour, but don’t overdo it. This depends a lot on the type of potatoes you use. Instant mashed potatoes, potato flakes, and potato buds are all very similar but will absorb moisture differently.

Now it’s time to get rolling.

Roll the dough out to approximately a 12×24-inch rectangle.

Spread the melted butter evenly over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

THE BIG DEBATE:

Raisins…or no raisins? That IS the question. Nuts or no nuts? That is also the question. We have a nut allergy in our extended family so we have to use caution with tree nuts and often leave them out. Grandpa loves nuts, especially pecans, in his. I LOVE raisins in mine. Most of the kids just want plain old cinnamon rolls with frosting. They are good any way you slice them.

Helpful hint:

Add your raisins to a bowl and cover with water. Microwave for about 90 seconds and they will PLUMP right up. Just drain the water off and pat them dry with a towel. No more dry raisins! It really does make a huge difference.

We did half of our cinnamon rolls with raisins and half without. We did a 1/2 cup of raisins for 1/2 the dough. So if you want all raisins, we would recommend a full cup. If adding nuts, we recommend a half cup, chopped, for this recipe. Once you have added any goodies you would like, roll ’em up! Roll as tightly as possible and pinch the dough together once rolled.

Grandma Coco uses a knife to score the roll into 24 sections. This helps to get them more even before slicing.

Another helpful hint:

You can totally use a knife and slice these babies up. But…if you use plain dental floss (NOT MINT) you can get a clean cut without squishing out all the yummy filling and making a mess. Slide the floss under the end of the dough roll and cross over the top to cut. That’s how Grandma Coco makes her cinnamon rolls.

Place each roll on your buttered pan.

TIME TO RISE:

Cover loosely and allow to rise until double, about an hour, depending on how warm your house is.

Time to bake your cinnamon rolls!

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes. We cooked these cinnamon rolls for 24 minutes but they probably could have gone another minute or so.

WHIP UP THE FROSTING:

While these beauties are baking you can whip together the frosting. Add 1 stick, half a cup, softened butter, a dash of salt, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 2 Tbsp. milk to a mixing bowl. Mix together then slowly add 1 lb. powdered sugar. Beat until sugar is well incorporated. Set aside.

TIP:

To make this cream cheese frosting use 1/2 stick of butter and 4 oz. room temperature cream cheese in place of the stick of butter.

When the rolls have mostly cooled, go ahead and frost them. You can also frost them when they are warm, but the frosting will run off and be messy…which ain’t a bad thing. 🙂

There you have it, Grandma Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls. We hope you LOVE them as much as we do. Please let us know if you make them! We would love to see them.

How about a couple of close-ups of the goodness of Grandma Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls.

Grandma Coco’s Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls made with potato flakes are so tender and scrumptious. The addition of potato makes them stay fresh longer than other recipes. The mace in the dough adds a special somethin' somethin'. They are loaded with cinnamon, and raisins and nuts, if you want, and topped with a sweet vanilla buttercream frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Rise Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 Tbsp. dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water warm
• 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
• 1 cup water boiling
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup instant potato flakes
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. mace
• 4 cups flour +more as needed

Filling

• 6 Tbsp. butter melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins plumped, optional
• 1/2 cup nuts chopped, optional

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 pound powdered sugar

Instructions

 

• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons yeast on 1/2 cup of warm water and stir. Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
• Boil one cup of water with 1 stick of butter in a large pot over high heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat.
• Add 1 cup milk, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 cup potato flakes to the pot and stir.
• Stir in 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. mace.
• Add yeast mixture to potato mixture and stir.
• Mix in 4 cups of flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at least 20 minutes.
• Knead dough until smooth, adding additional flour as needed. Not too much.
• Roll out into a 12 x 24 inch rectangle.
• Spread melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Add plumped raisins and nuts if using.
• Roll the long side tightly and pinch dough together to seal. You should have about a 24 inch long roll.
• Score the dough into 24, one inch pieces. Cut with a very sharp knife or use floss.
• Place the rolls on a buttered jelly roll pan, or two 9×13 inch pans.
• Cover loosely and allow to raise until double, about 1 hour.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

• Add softened stick of butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 Tbsp. milk and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl and mix well.
• Slowly add one pound of powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated.

If you would like to be notified when there is something new here at Huckleberry Life, make sure to subscribe! You will receive an email about any new posts. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.