Make Canned Cinnamon Rolls 10X Better With No-Bake Cheesecake Filling

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Canned cinnamon rolls are a convenient and decadent breakfast treat that you can pop into the oven right out of the can. They're pre-rolled and ready to bake from raw for that homemade, fresh taste, but you can also take advantage of their versatility by adding even more flavors and textures. And no-bake cheesecake filling is the ingredient you should combine with canned cinnamon rolls to impart a huge boost of flavor.

Considering many scratch-made cinnamon rolls are topped with a cream cheese frosting, you already know that cheesecake, made primarily with cream cheese, is the tart, sweet, and creamy complement to the cinnamon-spiced crumb of yeasty rolls. Plus, cheesecake filling is yet another pre-made, packaged ingredient that needs no preparation, making for an effortless upgrade. 

Since canned cinnamon rolls are lightly rolled in the can, they're easy to disassemble and reassemble. Simply unroll the cinnamon rolls, spread a hearty amount of cheesecake filling over the dough, roll them back up, and separate them into individual rounds. Then, bake them according to the instructions specified on the can. The result will be fluffy cinnamon rolls with a rich ribbon of cheesecake to make each bite that much more decadent. You won't use up an entire container of cheesecake filling with this hack, so you can still use the rest for mini cheesecakes or fruit tarts. 

If you want to use up an entire container of no-bake cheesecake filling, you can thin out the cheesecake with milk and powdered sugar and use it as frosting on top of your rolls. But if you really want to do something totally different with these ingredients, another way to incorporate cheesecake filling is to make a breakfast casserole, as demonstrated in a YouTube video by Jen L. Kitchen. The cheesecake will serve as a creamy base and binding agent that you can use for cinnamon roll bites and any other additional ingredients you decide to mix into the breakfast bake. All you have to do is spread an entire container of cheesecake filling into a baking dish, topping it with cut up pieces of canned cinnamon rolls, chopped pecans, and a bit of melted butter. Then, mix all the ingredients together until the cheesecake mixture coats all the other ingredients before baking into a rich, sweet, and slightly tangy casserole with a nutty crunch from the pecans.

If you want to stick to cheesecake-filled cinnamon rolls, you can upgrade them with even more complementary ingredients. As demonstrated by the Cheesecake Factory's lineup, cheesecake comes in countless flavors, so you can draw inspiration from classic and creative styles. Strawberries are one of the most classic cheesecake toppings and you can incorporate freshly sliced strawberries into the cheesecake filling of the cinnamon rolls as well to top with crushed graham crackers. For another fruity upgrade, bananas are also a great option for cinnamon rolls. You could garnish banana cheesecake cinnamon rolls with Nilla Wafers for a twist on banana pudding.