Name: Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 20 frozen dinner rolls (dough); 1/4 cup vanilla pudding powder; 3/4 cup pecans, chopped; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 cup butter, melted

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Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns is an easy overnight pull-apart breakfast recipe that will instantly become a favourite. Loaded with brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans, these rolls are heavenly! Plan for extras if you have a crowd because this version of monkey bread will vanish before your eyes.

I still remember the first time I ever ate Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns. I don’t remember which house of my cousin’s we were in. If it was Winnipeg or Saskatoon. I also don’t remember how old I was or the time of year. I just remember her placing this ring of cinnamon buns on her kitchen table (can’t tell you what that looked like either) but the sun was shining through the window and this dish lit up like it was a gift from the heaven’s and OMG it was. We dug in and these cinnamon buns have been stuck in my mind ever since.

If you have never had Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns or Monkey bread as I’ve also seen them called, you are officially MISSING OUT! I strongly suggest that you run to the store and pick up the few ingredients it takes to make this. You will be so happy you did.

I seem to be on a kick with breakfast lately. Apparently, I’m a fan of the early morning meal. Maybe it’s because breakfast generally includes something sweet and bacon. It’s the perfect combo. Let’s think about this for a second. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and consists of carbs and everyone’s beloved bacon. Is it any wonder breakfast ranks high on my list of recipes to share with you? Happy coincidence, I don’t think so!

While I was putting this together tonight, I wondered why we call this recipe Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns. So, off to Google, I went. Now, some folks call it monkey bread, I don’t know why that moniker stuck either, but I did find out, that when you google Land of Nod, a slew of Crate and Barrel shopping links pop up. Then a bible passage shows up. I immediately thought heavenly, that makes sense because these cinnamon buns are definitely that, but after I scanned the post a little further, it’s the opposite of heavenly. It’s a place of exile, so I skipped that version.

And happily landed here. Land of Nod refers to a sweet, dreamy land we wander off to when we sleep. So, here’s my take on why the name stuck, while we’re off dreaming in the land of nod, these overnight cinnamon buns are doing their thing. Mixing and melding and rising into the most dreamy breakfast you’ll find. Sounded good to me, and makes me crave my comfy bed, because the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I can wake up and enjoy these buns.

How to make Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Let’s talk a minute about how to make these buns. I start by buttering a bundt pan, you could also use an angel food pan here. I like to use the leftover wrapper from the melted butter to rub the insides of the pan. This is my trick, if I’m in need of a greased pan and the recipe calls for butter, I will use a stick of butter, so that I can use the wrapper to grease my dish. It works like a charm.

Add 20 frozen dinner rolls to the pan, making sure these are dough balls. Sprinkle everything with the pudding, cinnamon and the brown sugar. Then top the buns with the pecans and finish by pouring the melted butter over everything.

I like to cover mine loosely with plastic wrap because I had an experience once, where the dough expanded and stuck to my tea towel. Don’t worry, I still baked and ate that one, but it was a mess! So now, I always cover it with a bit of plastic wrap and then a damp tea towel, that I’ve run under warm water. I like to put mine in the oven to rise, but I’ve also left it on the counter and both work just fine.

In the morning, I preheat my oven and bake this for 25 minutes or until the buns are nice and golden brown. I leave it to rest for five minutes and then flip it over onto a serving platter. Serve it immediately and make sure you get a few bites because it will disappear quickly, trust me.

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns is truly the best cinnamon bun recipe I’ve ever come across. They are beyond easy and turn out delicious every single time. The brown sugar, pudding and the butter form these little patches of sweetness that nestle in between the rolls. They are phenomenal. We tend to just pull away at these, rather than slice them into actual servings, but do whatever works best for you. They’re always a hit in our house regardless of how they get served.

If you love Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns, check out these other delicious breakfast recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot:

If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!

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