These adorable Santa Hat Cinnamon Rolls make a super festive Christmas morning breakfast. Made with canned cinnamon rolls and a couple of decorative finishes, they’re so much fun to make and so easy that they’re the perfect activity for kids too! Just bake the cinnamon rolls and let their little hands to go work.
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Cute Santa Cinnamon Rolls
With all the other holiday baking at Christmas time, easy homemade sweet treats are always welcomed! That is especially true for busy holiday mornings. That’s where these cute little Santa Hat cinnamon rolls come in!
Inspired by these Cinnamon Roll Christmas Trees that I made last holiday season, this recipe starts off with a simple can of cinnamon rolls formed into the shape of Santa’s hat. They’re baked until golden brown, then they’re decorated with a red chocolate coating and white fluffy marshmallows!
There’s absolutely nothing that will get everyone running to the kitchen in the morning faster than the glorious smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. The sweet smell of baking dough with the warm aroma of cinnamon is simply irresistible. But just wait until you see everyone’s face light up when they see that you have transformed their favorite breakfast food into a festive Santa Hat treat!
If your family goes crazy over cinnamon rolls like mine, you should also try this Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole and these Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls! They are guaranteed to be a family favorite.
Why We Love this Recipe
- This easy recipe for Christmas cinnamon rolls only requires 3 simple ingredients.
- Not only a perfect breakfast, but they’re great for gift-giving, school parties, family gatherings or holiday brunches.
- Because there are only a few steps to making them, they’re fun way to get the kids involved in holiday baking!
- Doubles as an easy breakfast and as a sweet, themed treat.
What’s Needed to Make Santa Holiday Cinnamon Rolls
- Canned cinnamon rolls – get these in the refrigerator section of the grocery store
- Red candy melts – these can be at the grocery store, Walmart, or your local craft store
- Mini marshmallows
How to Make Santa Hat Shape Cinnamon Rolls
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Step One: Make a Santa Hat
- Separate all the package of cinnamon rolls and unroll each of the rolls.
- Zigzag the cinnamon roll dough strips from the bottom to the top – weaving the ribbon shape dough back and forth. Each zigzag should be a tad smaller than the last in order to make a triangle shape.
Step Two: Bake the Cinnamon Rolls
- Place each of them on the lined baking sheet, making sure you allow enough room for the dough to expand as it bakes.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow the rolls to cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack or a line cookie sheet.
Step Three: Decorate the Santa Hats
- Melt the candy melts according to the package directions.
- Using a butter knife, spreader, or piping bag, spread the melted candy over the top of the cinnamon rolls.
- Decorate the rim of each Santa’s hat with 5-6 mini marshmallow halves (or you can use whole ones) and place one whole mini marshmallow on the top of the triangle.
TIP: To get an even layer of the chocolate coating, make sure it’s not too hot when you spread it on the cinnamon rolls. You want it warm enough to spread but no so hot that it runs off the sides.
Step Four: Cool and Serve
Allow the chocolate to cool and harden on top of the cinnamon rolls before serving.
Variations and Add-ins for Santa Cinnamon Rolls
- Red Icing: If you prefer not to use melted chocolate as a coating, you can just add a few drops of red food coloring to the smooth cream cheese icing that comes with can of cinnamon rolls. Then just take a butter knife or small offset spatula and spread a layer on the top of the cinnamon roll. For an extra thick layer of frosting, you can use the store-bought kind on the baking isle.
- Candy Melts: This recipe calls for red candy melts. But you can use white chocolate melts, white chocolate chips or white almond with a little gel food coloring as well.
- Dough: Store-bought cinnamon roll dough is amazing and makes easy and perfect treat recipes with very little effort. But, if you have a recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls, feel free to use it!
- Marshmallows: Who says you have to make traditional Santa hats? Let the kids have fun putting their own special creative touches on their hats. Instead of marshmallows, they can use colorful gum drops, Christmas colored M&Ms or Skittles. They can also add sprinkles to the chocolate before it dries.
Can I Make These Cinnamon Rolls in Advance?
While you can make them the day before, they are always best the day they are made. If you want to get a jump on making these in advance, you can form the dough the night before, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge. Then all you have to do is stick them in the oven the next morning.
How Do I Keep the Melted Chocolate from Seizing?
When melting the chocolate, always use a very clean and dry bowl. Moisture of any kind will cause the chocolate to seize and will make it lumpy and completely useless.
How Do I Store These Santa Hats?
If you have leftovers, you can store them either on the countertop or in the fridge in an airtight container. If you use the frosting, you’ll need to keep them in the fridge.
Why Did My Santa Hats Fall Come Apart in the Oven?
Dough expands a lot as it bakes. So, to help keep the dough layers from pulling apart, as you are forming the shape of the hats, pinch the dough together in several places. You can also use a toothpick from the top through the center. Remove it after baking.
🎄More Christmas Treat Recipes
- Reindeer Krispies Treats
- Grinch Truffles
- Christmas Tree Meringues
- Santa Nutter Butter Cookies
- Melted Snowman Bark
- Candy Cane Danishes
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
Santa Hat Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 8 cinnamon rolls 1 package
- 10 ounces red candy melts
- 56 mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Separate all the package of cinnamon rolls and unroll each of the rolls.
- Zigzag the cinnamon roll dough strips from the bottom to the top – weaving the ribbon shape dough back and forth. Each zigzag should be a tad smaller than the last in order to make a triangle shape.
- Place each of them on the lined baking sheet, making sure you allow enough room for the dough to expand as it bakes.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow the rolls to cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack or a line cookie sheet.
- Melt the candy melts according to the package directions.
- Using a butter knife, spreader, or piping bag, spread the melted candy over the top of the cinnamon rolls.
- Decorate the rim of each Santa's hat with 5-6 mini marshmallow halves (or you can use whole ones) and place one whole mini marshmallow on the top of the triangle.
- Allow the chocolate to cool and harden before serving.
Nutrition
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