If you've ever eaten one of Cinnabon's gooey cinnamon rolls, you know just how addictively
delicious they can be.
But what exactly is it that makes it one of the best cinnamon rolls around?
Here are a few reasons why the chain's rolls are so popular.
"Did you eat my Cinnabon?"
"No."
Cinnabon's cinnamon roll recipe isn't some old family heirloom that was handed down from
generation to generation until founder Rich Komen decided to open his first store.
"It looks an awful lot like Cinnabon."
"Well, thank you, Brett!
What a nice thing to say!"
No, the cinnamon roll recipe that we've all come to know and love was created especially
for Cinnabon, and it took months to perfect.
Komen recruited Jerilyn Brusseau, a restaurant owner with a background in baking, to create
the recipe, and for three months Brusseau made batch after batch attempting to fulfill
Komen's request for an "irresistible" cinnamon roll, since he'd already had a sign with the
"Irresistible" promise made up.
This irresistible treat also needed to bake in just 14 minutes in a convection oven — the
longest Komen had determined people would stand in line.
But after sourcing just the right cinnamon, and perfecting a dough that was, quote, "both
pillowy and able to hold its shape," Brusseau finally hit the jackpot with a recipe that
produced a towering cinnamon roll complete with a "sticky-sweet syrup" and "lemony cream
cheese icing."
It was, indeed, irresistible — so much so that it's gone unchanged since its inception.
You know you're digging into a Cinnabon cinnamon roll when you see that drool-worthy puddle
of brown sugar-cinnamon syrup underneath your pastry.
That syrup, which was one of founder Rich Komen's original requirements for the recipe,
is lovingly referred to as "goo," and without it, a Cinnabon just wouldn't be the same.
Aside from the "goo factor," there's another essential element that makes a Cinnabon cinnamon
roll oh-so-gooey, and that's the just-barely-cooked middle.
Bloomberg notes that the rolls, which get pulled from the oven at 165 degrees rather
than 190 degrees, could be described as, quote, "medium rare to [...] rare."
Turns out steaks and cinnamon rolls are both better when they're not overcooked.
One of the first things you notice the moment you sink your teeth into a piping hot Cinnabon
is that cinnamon flavor.
Of course, any cinnamon roll is going to have cinnamon flavor, but Cinnabon doesn't use
just any cinnamon.
The proprietary blend, from West Sumatra in Indonesia, makes all the difference.
Jennifer Hollwill, Cinnabon's Senior Director of Culinary Research and Development, told
MyRecipes how it's different from what you'd buy at the grocery store, saying,
"Specifically, our cinnamon is unique due to its high volatile oil and cellulose content.
It's what provides that unmistakable aroma and ooey-gooey thick consistency to Cinnabon's
world famous cinnamon rolls."
"How about that Cinnabon odor?
You ever been walking through the mall like, 'What's that smell?
Oh, I just got a cavity.'"
"Damn Cinnabuns!"
Could the thing that puts their classic roll way over the top be that luscious cream cheese
frosting that's applied to every roll with a decidedly heavy hand?
Yes, according to Cinnabon's website, their signature frosting is exactly what puts their
rolls over the top.
As they put it,
"It's often been imitated but never replicated.
The smooth, Ooey-Gooey topping of Cinnabon cream cheese frosting adds another depth of
flavor.
Painted all over our rolls, it's a final layer to perfection."
It's hard to disagree with them there.
Imagine a world where your Cinnabon is not swimming in frosting — it's not a world
we want to live in.
If it seems like you've never been served a less-than-fresh Cinnabon cinnamon roll,
it's because you haven't.
Cinnabon bakes a new batch of rolls every 30 minutes, at minimum, so you know you're
in for a fresh-from-the-oven treat no matter what time you place your order.
You also know that when you dig into the center of that roll, it's going to be nice and warm.
It's one of the things that makes the Cinnabon experience so great, every single time.
At some locations, you can even watch as the workers painstakingly roll out the dough,
douse it with a hefty coating of cinnamon-sugar, and slice it into even chunks.
As this demonstration video from Cinnabon HQ reveals, it's all done by hand, and watching
the process leaves no doubt in your mind that you're getting a freshly baked cinnamon roll.
And the smell that goes along with it won't hurt your feelings either.
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