Review of Pillsbury Frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon Cinnamon

It is a tradition in our family that on Thanksgiving morning we enjoy cinnamon and orange rolls for breakfast. I am not sure how this came about but I have a feeling it has something to do with my grandmother's incredible home baked cinnamon rolls. She would bake them and the whole household was drooling before they came out of the oven.

But I am not a baker like my grandmother. I tend to take shortcuts whenever possible in cooking so my family usually enjoys the refrigerated cans of cinnamon rolls. You still get the good-smelling house without all the rolling, cutting, mixing, beating, et cetera.

However, I went to the freezer section to pick up some things and discovered Pillsbury's frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls. Curious about the latest in shortcut baking, I picked them up.

Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls- Comparison with Refrigerated Rolls

Compared to the refrigerated cans of cinnamon rolls, the frozen rolls were so much easier to handle. All you need to do is heat the oven to 350° and place the rolls evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes and once removed from the oven, squeeze the frosting over the rolls. One tube of frosting is more than enough for two regular sized rolls.

The frozen rolls are easy to handle because each roll is frozen individually, unlike the sticky refrigerated dough that is often quite messy as you attempt to pull apart the rolls.

Another great reason to use the frozen rolls is that you can bake just enough for that meal. When it was only my husband and I, I hated having 6 extra rolls. But the frozen rolls eliminate excess food. You cannot repackage unbaked refrigerated rolls because once you break the seal, you activate the leavening.

Pillsbury also includes a Sealstrip tape with each bag of Grands! Cinnamon Rolls so that you can easily repackage and return unused rolls to the freezer.

Pillsbury Frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls- Drawbacks

The frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls are pricier than their refrigerated counterparts. They usually retail at $3.89 for a bag of 6 regular sized rolls or 12 mini rolls. Check for coupons on the Pillsbury.com website or at any other coupon code sites. Sometimes you can find some coupons for $1 off or more.

Baking the frozen rolls can be a bit tricky. I baked the rolls for the minimum time (20 minutes) and pulled them out immediately because the rolls were quite brown indicating doneness. But the insides were still gooey. I like my rolls on the gooey side but the difference between the crunchy outside and gooey inside was a little off-putting.

And do not be surprised if these do not taste like Cinnabon rolls. The Pillsbury frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls use Cinnabon cinnamon but not the same frosting.

Pillbury Frozen Grands! Cinnamon Rolls- My Recommendations

The taste is still very good. It may not be quite like Grandma's, but it is the next best thing. I will buy these again and try a few tricks to balance the baking:

-If you use the baking sheet, be sure to grease it first. The directions do not call for it but it will make removal so much easier and less messy.

-I usually bake the refrigerated rolls in an 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate. The sides will touch during baking and prevent the rolls from becoming too crisp on the outsides. If you like your rolls softer, I recommend baking in the glass pie plate. Be sure to grease it well.

-One tube of frosting is supposed to be enough for two regular sized rolls. If you love frosting, then do it. But if you do not care for too much frosting use one tube for every three rolls. It will be plenty.

-If you do wind up making too many rolls, simply freeze the excess for up to one month. The best way to re-heat is by warming in the oven or toaster oven.