Gastons Tavern Cinnamon Rolls

Hey! I wrote a cookbook! If you love my Disney Parks recipes, check out the link here for The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook that I wrote! Available for pre-order NOW!

Be sure to check out my other popular Disney Parks recipes! Like:

My mother has a saying she likes to use when she describes me.  She says, “Ashley likes to take a story, and make it better.”  I.E., I over embellish everything.  Here is one such story.  If you want to skip to the recipe for Gastons Tavern Cinnamon Roll, just scroll on :).

When trying to convince my family to take a Disney World vacation with me, I was trying to pitch the Disney Dining Plan.  My mom was concerned that the plan only included 2 meals and not 3 (the amount of meals a normal person usually eats in a day).  I assured her that she could use a snack credit for breakfast, and that Starring Rolls Cafe (RIP) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios had cinnamon rolls “as big as your head”.

Well, when we got there, the cinnamon rolls were quite underwhelming.  They were only the size of a head if that person were, say, a baby.  

Needless to say, my mom was not very impressed and I got called out on my over-exaggeration.  Oh well.  It worked didn’t it? I was already AT Disney World…

 

 

Lucky for me though, the next year, Gaston’s Tavern opened, which advertized giant cinnamon rolls.  I, of course, told my mother this — she rolled her eyes.  BUT it was actually true!  They are HUGE!  They fill a whole plate and they are super tall.  It’s like a giant cube of dough, cinnamon, icing, butterscotchy goodness.  I knew I had to make this confection for myself at home.  So, there was born a Gastons Tavern Cinnamon Roll in my very home — and it can be in yours too!

Some of the equipment I use for this recipe: A Cheese Knife (weird I know) to cut the rolls.  It doesn’t catch on the dough and makes a clean line.  A French Style Rolling Pin to get all the edges nice and flat.  And a Silicone Spatula to smooth that sugary-butter goodness all over the place!

See below for the video and the complete recipe!

If you are looking for the perfect beverage to accompany your cinnamon roll, check out my recipe for Le Fou’s Brew — also from Gaston’s Tavern!

 

 

Print Recipe
Gaston's Tavern Giant Cinnamon Rolls
Large and In Charge, this cinnamon roll is like no other. It's size leaves the inside soft and doughy and the outside ready for piles and piles of frosting and butterscotch syrup. Bring a friend to eat this one!
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Cream Cheese Frosting
Butterscotch Topping
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Cream Cheese Frosting
Butterscotch Topping
Instructions
  1. Start out by melting the 1/2 cup of butter with the milk.
  2. Remove from heat once the butter has melted, and allow to cool slightly.
  3. Next, grab your mixer and add 2 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix.
  4. Then add your water and eggs, as well as the warm butter/milk mixture from earlier. Mix well.
  5. Now we want the dough to come together. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough starts to form a ball, it's ready!
  6. Trade out your mixing blade for a dough hook (or kneed by hand if you're a super hero). Mix with the hook for 5 minutes.
  7. Grab the dough out of your bowl, sprinkle some flour in the bowl, and plop the dough back in the same bowl to rise (another bowl to rise in? more dishes? ain't nobody got time for that). Let rise 10 minutes
  8. Meanwhile, get your filling ready. Put the brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter into a bowl. Mix well. I ended up using my hands just to get that spreadable consistency I was looking for.
  9. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle. You want it to be much longer than it is wide to achieve the giant size.
  10. Spread the filling evenly across the whole surface.
  11. Starting at a short end, roll the dough like a jellyroll.
  12. Make a cut in the very center of the long roll, and then two cuts about 6 inches from the center on either side.
  13. Place both the rolls, swirl down, in a greased 9x13 pan.
  14. Don't waste the remaining dough! I cut the rest of the dough into normal size rolls and put them in another pan to cook afterwards.
  15. Melt 1/4 cup butter and drizzle over your dough. Allow your rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
  16. Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F. Bake (the large rolls) for 20 minutes. Then cover loosely with foil and bake another 10 minutes. This will help the inside finish baking without burning the top.
  17. While the rolls are baking, get your toppings ready.
  18. In a saucepan, add your cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter. Melt.
  19. Next add the powdered sugar and stir. Once incorporated, add the vanilla and salt. Put aside
  20. In a saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, and cream. Bring to a boil and maintain for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
  21. Add the salt and vanilla. Put aside.
  22. Now grab a giant roll and put it on it's own plate like the king it is. Drizzle copious amounts of cream cheese frosting in one direction, then drizzle with butterscotch in the other direction. Just for presentation pizzazz. And Viola! Your very own Gaston's Tavern Giant Cinnamon Roll. Phewf!
Share this Recipe

About The Author

Ashley Craft

Print Recipe
Gaston's Tavern Giant Cinnamon Rolls
Large and In Charge, this cinnamon roll is like no other. It's size leaves the inside soft and doughy and the outside ready for piles and piles of frosting and butterscotch syrup. Bring a friend to eat this one!
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Cream Cheese Frosting
Butterscotch Topping
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Cream Cheese Frosting
Butterscotch Topping
Instructions
  1. Start out by melting the 1/2 cup of butter with the milk.
  2. Remove from heat once the butter has melted, and allow to cool slightly.
  3. Next, grab your mixer and add 2 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix.
  4. Then add your water and eggs, as well as the warm butter/milk mixture from earlier. Mix well.
  5. Now we want the dough to come together. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough starts to form a ball, it's ready!
  6. Trade out your mixing blade for a dough hook (or kneed by hand if you're a super hero). Mix with the hook for 5 minutes.
  7. Grab the dough out of your bowl, sprinkle some flour in the bowl, and plop the dough back in the same bowl to rise (another bowl to rise in? more dishes? ain't nobody got time for that). Let rise 10 minutes
  8. Meanwhile, get your filling ready. Put the brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter into a bowl. Mix well. I ended up using my hands just to get that spreadable consistency I was looking for.
  9. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle. You want it to be much longer than it is wide to achieve the giant size.
  10. Spread the filling evenly across the whole surface.
  11. Starting at a short end, roll the dough like a jellyroll.
  12. Make a cut in the very center of the long roll, and then two cuts about 6 inches from the center on either side.
  13. Place both the rolls, swirl down, in a greased 9x13 pan.
  14. Don't waste the remaining dough! I cut the rest of the dough into normal size rolls and put them in another pan to cook afterwards.
  15. Melt 1/4 cup butter and drizzle over your dough. Allow your rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
  16. Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F. Bake (the large rolls) for 20 minutes. Then cover loosely with foil and bake another 10 minutes. This will help the inside finish baking without burning the top.
  17. While the rolls are baking, get your toppings ready.
  18. In a saucepan, add your cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter. Melt.
  19. Next add the powdered sugar and stir. Once incorporated, add the vanilla and salt. Put aside
  20. In a saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, and cream. Bring to a boil and maintain for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
  21. Add the salt and vanilla. Put aside.
  22. Now grab a giant roll and put it on it's own plate like the king it is. Drizzle copious amounts of cream cheese frosting in one direction, then drizzle with butterscotch in the other direction. Just for presentation pizzazz. And Viola! Your very own Gaston's Tavern Giant Cinnamon Roll. Phewf!
Share this Recipe

45 COMMENTS

  1. Victoria | 2nd Nov 17

    ah this is awesome, I love cinnamon rolls I might have to try! I also love your blog domain so cool.

    • Ashley Craft | 2nd Nov 17

      Glad you like it! These rolls are super delicious. Be sure to subscribe and share with your friends! Thanks for the support!

      • Anna | 17th Jul 20

        Was there salt in the instructions for the cream cheese frosting meant to be whipping cream?

        • Ashley Craft | 17th Jul 20

          Yes, that’s exactly right. Thanks for catching that! It will be fixed in my book 🙂

          • Ginny | 6th Dec 20

            TFS this recipe sweetie. I will definitely try making these cinnamon rolls some time next week. Will let you know the results

        • Cricket | 10th Dec 20

          I’ve made this several times now. I love making the dough, something about it make me (as I’m dancing to Elvis) smile! It’s very good I hand wrote this one in my cookbook, so it’s special! Thanks again! Now to watch Beaty abs the beast and sugar rush!

          • Ashley Craft | 10th Dec 20

            Thanks for making me smile! Glad you love the recipe 🙂

  2. TD Lyles | 19th Dec 18

    To this day my family talks about these cinnamon rolls from Gaston’s place. Thanks for the recipe.

    • Ashley Craft | 19th Dec 18

      They are so good!! I think the large size (equals more soft interior) and the butterscotch topping make this irresistible!

    • Lacey | 24th Nov 19

      The first time I made these, I skipped the butterscotch (we didn’t have enough butter😔). I made them again, because they were amazing, and they are SO MUCH BETTER with the butterscotch!! These are a staple in our house now! Thank you so much for this spectacular recipe!!

  3. Sarah | 21st Mar 20

    At the risk of sounding stupid. I’ve seen recipes worded both ways, so I wanted to check. Does it want 6 and 1/2 cups flour or 6, 1/2 cups of flour (which would end up being 3 cups)? Thank you.

    • Ashley Craft | 21st Mar 20

      That would be 6.5 cups of flour. It’s a lot of dough! Enjoy making these!

  4. Aeo | 29th Mar 20

    The cream isn’t mentioned for the cream cheese frosting . Does it go in at the same time as the powdered sugar?

    • Ashley Craft | 29th Mar 20

      Yes! Thank you for pointing that out! I’ll fix it when I get over to a computer.

  5. Allison Wild | 3rd Apr 20

    Would active dry yeast work? I can’t seem to get my hands on any packets.

    • Ashley Craft | 3rd Apr 20

      I have only tried it with Rapid Rise yeast, but I assume that active dry would work too. When it is rising, just give it some extra time.

      • Allison Wild | 4th Apr 20

        Thank you! I am goi MT to attempt it, I found info that says I need to use 25% more of the active dry yeast. Last question, can these be made ahead and stores in the fridge before baking?

        • Ashley Craft | 4th Apr 20

          Again, I never tried that but I certainly think it would work! I always eat them as soon as I can 🙂

          • Allison Wild | 4th Apr 20

            Thank you! We’re doing a “day at Disney” tomorrow for my sons 4th birthday so I want to try and have all the yummy treats ready to put in the oven in the morning. Thank you!!! I’m so excited to try them!

          • Ashley Craft | 4th Apr 20

            Oh wow, what a fun idea! I love that! Happy Birthday to your son!

  6. Deborah Hendren | 4th Apr 20

    I’m making these for the first time this morning and I have a question. In step 19, it says “Next add the powdered sugar and stir. Once incorporated, add the vanilla and salt. Put aside”.

    Salt is not listed as an ingredient on the items with the cream cheese frosting. Is salt a typo? If not, how much do we add? Also, adding the heavy whipping cream isn’t included on step 19. Do we add it?

    • Ashley Craft | 4th Apr 20

      Yes that was a typo. Sub out the word salt for heavy cream. Thanks for asking! Hope you enjoy them!

  7. Amanda | 5th Apr 20

    A lot of the filling leaked out of mine when baking; do you have any suggestions to prevent that from happening?

    • Ashley Craft | 5th Apr 20

      Humm. I didn’t have that problem myself. Perhaps your butter was too soft? Or try to roll it tighter? Just scoop up all the filling and pile it all on top 😂.

      • Amanda | 5th Apr 20

        Thanks; I did pile it on top and was still delicious! I’ll try booth of those tips next time 🙂

  8. alaina | 6th Apr 20

    How many cinnamon rolls does this make? (I know it says 12 servings but I was unsure if 1 cinnamon roll is one serving)

    • Ashley Craft | 6th Apr 20

      It makes two large cinnamon rolls that have about 2-4 servings each, and then the extra dough makes about 8 standard size rolls

  9. Keri | 9th Apr 20

    Do these freeze well? I want to make several batches ahead of time and then just make the toppings morning of.

    • Ashley Craft | 9th Apr 20

      What a good idea! I haven’t done it like that, but I assume if you cover them tightly with plastic wrap or foil they would freeze fine. Let me know how it goes!

    • Alexa | 21st Sep 20

      Hi! Did you ever try to freeze the cinnamon rolls and if so, how did they turn out?! I’m going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks and would love to prep a batch of these to have in the freezer.

      • Ashley Craft | 21st Sep 20

        I haven’t tried to freeze them before, but I would just look up online how you can freeze cinnamon rolls and follow those instructions. Congrats on your baby!

  10. Katie Sidwell | 18th Apr 20

    How long do you cook if you make normal rolls out the dough instead of the giant? How many normal rolls would this make?

    • Ashley Craft | 18th Apr 20

      It would depend on how big you cut them and how big your dough rectangle is, but probably about 12-20 rolls. Put them in a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes and check for doneness.

      • Katie Sidwell | 18th Apr 20

        Thank you for your quick response!! I’ll let you know how they turn out

  11. Carol Toone | 19th Apr 20

    I am making these this morning, and this may be a stupid questions, but I have always “activated” yeast in water and sugar before adding it to the other ingredients. Am I supposed to do that here or just add it to the other ingredients?

    • Ashley Craft | 19th Apr 20

      Just add it where it says in the instructions! The warm butter and milk will activate it. Good luck!

  12. Beverly | 22nd Apr 20

    Could I use my bread machine just to make the dough?

    • Ashley Craft | 22nd Apr 20

      You can, I have just found it easier to do it in a stand mixer. But yes if you want to add all the dough ingredients and run it on the dough setting, it should work! Just make sure you have a big bread machine because this makes a lot of dough!

  13. Lauren | 4th Jun 20

    I made these and they were wonderful, three things I struggles with though…. 1 my standard stand mixer was not having it when I got up to about 5.5 cups of flour I had to switch to hand mixing and kneading. 2. I didn’t realize the rolls needed to be supported on the sides and tried to bake them on flat baking sheets, I was able to course correct part way through but many unraveled and lost some filling. 3. Even though they unraveled, I struggled with knowing when the middles were done.

    But like I said in the very beginning these are wonderful and I will certainly make them again.

    • Ashley Craft | 4th Jun 20

      Thanks for letting me know! I always love feedback on how my recipes can be more clear!

  14. Erin Meyer | 25th Nov 20

    Without your video and photos, I would never have figured out the direction of ‘make a cut in the center of the roll, then cut about 6” from the center on either side to make 2 giant rolls.’ I found the recipe somewhere else and was completely confounded as to what that direction was telling me to do. Then, I see your photos and video which clearly explained it. Thank you!!!

  15. Ginny | 6th Dec 20

    TFS this recipe sweetie. I will definitely try making these cinnamon rolls some time next week. Will let you know the results

Leave A Comment