15 Cinnamon Recipes for Kicking Off the Holiday Baking Season

Holiday baking can get crowded fast, especially when every recipe competes for oven space. This collection brings together cinnamon-forward bakes and sweet treats with a range of timing, from 10-minute fried bananas to longer dough projects and classic pies. There are brunch favorites, crisp cookies, snackable bites, fruit desserts, and cakes, so you can choose a recipe that fits the day you have. The mix keeps cinnamon at the center while giving the season plenty of variety.

A slice of powdered sugar-dusted pie topped with a swirl of whipped cream is being lifted from a pie dish. — Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Pie. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies

Close-up of sliced crumbly cakes topped with white icing. One piece is positioned vertically to show its texture. — Cinnamon Sugar Blondies. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

On a holiday cookie tray, Cinnamon Sugar Blondies make 16 soft, buttery squares in about 1 hour. Brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and flour create the rich base, while cinnamon sugar adds a lightly crisp top and powdered sugar glaze finishes each piece. Cut them small for a cookie tray, or set out the full pan for a holiday bake sale. They bring familiar cinnamon flavor without requiring yeast or layered dough.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Blondies

Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

A close-up of a sourdough cinnamon roll topped with creamy icing and a sprinkle of cinnamon on a plate. — Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

An overnight dough gives Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls a head start before the 40-minute bake, and the recipe makes 12 rolls. Active sourdough starter, maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon shape the filling, with cream cheese, heavy cream, and confectioner’s sugar for the topping. Set them up ahead for a holiday breakfast, then bake them while coffee brews and the kitchen fills with cinnamon.
Get the Recipe: Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Close-up of a dish of warm cinnamon rolls topped with white glaze. — Cinnamon Roll Casserole. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Weekend breakfast gets a shortcut with Cinnamon Roll Casserole, an 8-serving bake that takes about 35 minutes. Frozen cinnamon rolls are cut into a dish, covered with eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup, and melted butter, then finished with the included icing. It turns a tube of rolls into a shareable centerpiece for holiday mornings when you want something warm without shaping individual spirals.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies

Thick bakery-style cookies come together in 37 minutes with Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies, a recipe that yields 12. The dough uses butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a little cinnamon, while a second cinnamon-brown sugar mixture creates the swirl. Add them to a cookie exchange or holiday dessert plate when you want a generously sized treat with a familiar bakery look.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies

Cinnamon Apple Strudel Slices

A close-up of a baked pastry ring dusted with powdered sugar, featuring multiple layers of golden-brown, flaky dough and hints of cinnamon apple strudel slices peeking through. — Cinnamon Apple Strudel Slices. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Thin, crisp layers make Cinnamon Apple Strudel Slices a 30-minute dessert that serves 10. Apples are tucked into phyllo dough with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, giving each slice a flaky shell and tender fruit center. The portions are easy to arrange on a holiday sweets platter, and the short timing makes this a useful choice when a larger pastry project is not in the plan.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Strudel Slices

Swirled Cinnamon Bread

Close-up of cinnamon swirl bread slices, showcasing a spiral pattern in the texture. — Swirled Cinnamon Bread. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

For a holiday breakfast, Swirled Cinnamon Bread gives a tender loaf with a sugar spiral a special place on the table, though the full process takes about 4 hours 15 minutes. Warm water, milk, yeast, butter, bread flour, and salt form the dough, while sugar and ground cinnamon create the center swirl. Slice it for toast, serve it beside coffee, or wrap the loaf for a seasonal food gift.
Get the Recipe: Swirled Cinnamon Bread

Glazed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

Two glazed donuts topped with crumbled cereal pieces are placed on a white surface. — Glazed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Cereal-inspired baking makes Glazed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts a playful holiday breakfast, with 12 donuts ready in about 50 minutes. Crushed cereal, buttermilk, flour, maple syrup, brown sugar, egg, yogurt or sour cream, and cinnamon build the batter, while powdered sugar and milk form the glaze. Put them on a brunch spread when you want familiar cinnamon flavor in a ring-shaped treat.
Get the Recipe: Glazed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites

Small pieces and a 15-minute total time make Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites an easy option for last-minute holiday snacking, and the recipe yields 32. Refrigerated biscuits are coated with melted salted butter, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon for a simple sweet finish. Serve the bite-size pieces with coffee, add them to a brunch table, or make them when a full batch of dough feels like too much work.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites

Amish Cinnamon Cake

Three pieces of crumbly coffee cake with a cinnamon swirl are stacked on a plate, with two white mugs partially visible around them. — Amish Cinnamon Cake. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Simple cake batter turns into a 12-serving Amish Cinnamon Cake in about 55 minutes. Flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk make the base, while brown sugar and ground cinnamon create the topping. Its straightforward format suits a holiday coffee break or a casual dessert table, especially when you want a square cake that slices neatly and travels well.
Get the Recipe: Amish Cinnamon Cake

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

A slice of apple cinnamon roll on a plate. — Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Two familiar desserts meet in Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, an 8-serving bake that takes about 50 minutes. Puff pastry, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt create the fruit filling, while canned cinnamon rolls add the finishing layer and a quick glaze. It gives a holiday dessert table both apple pie flavor and cinnamon-roll appeal without requiring a scratch crust.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

Caramelized Fried Banana

A close up of a plate of fried bananas with sauce. — Caramelized Fried Banana. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

When the oven is full, Caramelized Fried Banana offers a 10-minute stovetop dessert for two. Ripe bananas cook with oil or butter, water, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until the fruit is glossy and tender. Spoon it over ice cream, pancakes, or warm cake for a quick holiday finish, or keep the small batch in mind for a quiet night after a day of baking.
Get the Recipe: Caramelized Fried Banana

Smooth Cinnamon Applesauce

A jar labeled — Smooth Cinnamon Applesauce. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

The small batch of Smooth Cinnamon Applesauce takes about 30 minutes and makes 1.5 cups. Apples simmer with water, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, creating a soft fruit side with a gently spiced flavor. Serve it with pork, spoon it over pancakes, or use it beside holiday breakfast bakes when you want a lighter apple option alongside richer pastries.
Get the Recipe: Smooth Cinnamon Applesauce

Apple Pie

Classic holiday baking has a place for Apple Pie, an 8-serving recipe with about 3 hours 20 minutes of total time. Granny Smith apples are paired with flour, white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, butter, and pie crust dough, with beaten egg and optional turbinado sugar for the top. Plan it for a leisurely baking day and serve slices warm or at room temperature.
Get the Recipe: Apple Pie

Cinnamon Rolls

Soft spirals and cream cheese icing make Cinnamon Rolls a classic holiday breakfast, with 8 servings and about 3 hours 10 minutes of total time. Yeast, warm milk, sugar, eggs, flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon form the rolls, while confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla make the topping. Begin them early for a weekend brunch, then bring the pan to the table while they are still warm.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Pie

With a creamy filling, Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Pie gives holiday dessert a different angle, with 8 servings and about 2 hours 45 minutes of total time. Cream cheese, brown sugar, eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, vanilla, salt, and pie crust create a smooth slice, with powdered sugar or whipped cream as optional finishing touches. It is a fitting choice when the menu needs a pie beyond apple or pumpkin.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Pie