I absolutely love hearing from y’all. Whether it’s a thank you note for a recipe, some thoughtful constructive criticism, or seeking help finding a recipe, answering comments and emails is one of my favorite tasks each day. I particularly enjoy those notes from y’all that want some help finding a time-honored, old fashioned recipe you remember from childhood. And after quite a few notes about a recipe for butter rolls, I went through my files (I have a serious old cookbook collection) and decided to share this one with you today! 
This is an old recipe that many folks remember their grandmothers making. The ooey-gooey dessert is made up of tender, flaky biscuit dough filled with butter, sprinkled with sugar and nutmeg or cinnamon, rolled into pinwheels, and baked in a rich, creamy sweetened milk sauce. The result is super tender, moist rolls that look like a cinnamon roll, but taste entirely different. The sauce thickens into a custard of sorts and keeps the rolls tender and gooey.
I have made a few updates and changes to the old school recipe, though.
To start, I use self-rising flour instead of the all-purpose called for in the recipe. It’s something I always have on hand and it saves a few steps when adding leavening. If you don’t have self-rising flour, here’s a quick tutorial about how to make it. While the old recipe doesn’t include leavening, I think it keeps these rolls from being super dense. That said, you can totally use plain all-purpose without the leavening if you want.
Most old recipes call for 1 cup of shortening to 2 cups of flour for the dough. In testing it, I found that to be too much fat. It made the dough harder to work with and the rolls ended up crumbly after baking. So, I reduced it to 1/2 cup of shortening and was much happier with the results. And if shortening isn’t something you’ve got in the pantry, you can replace it with an equal amount of butter.
The other ingredient worth mentioning is nutmeg. Nearly every old recipe I consulted, including the one I had in my recipe files, called for nutmeg. So I imagine that many grandmothers out there used nutmeg. And if you want it to taste just like hers, you’ll probably want to use nutmeg.
That said, I tested a batch with an equal amount of cinnamon and liked it a bit better. A half teaspoon isn’t quite enough to make them taste like cinnamon rolls, per se, and I just kinda liked the cinnamon flavor better. But you should try them both ways, to be sure. There, I just gave you permission to make two batches of these beauties! Y’all enjoy!
Recipe Card
Old Fashioned Butter Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or cinnamon)
For the sauce:
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, cut the shortening into the flour using a pastry blender or two forks. The goal is to get the shortening cut into tiny pea-size pieces.
- Add the water and stir until combined. Use your hands to gently knead the dough until it holds together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a thin rectangle that is about 10x16-inches. Spread the soft butter to cover the dough then sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg (or cinnamon). Carefully and tightly roll the dough up jelly roll style and pinch to seal the long edge. Cut the dough into 12 even rolls and place them into the prepared dish.
Make the sauce:
- Combine the milk and sugar in a small pot over medium high heat. Stir until the milk just begins to bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the rolls.
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until the rolls are brown on the tops. Serve warm.
Please note:
If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Hi, I’ll be making these tomorrow for a friend’s birthday. May I ask, is there any part of the recipe that can be made in advance? It seems like it needs to be made and served same day, which is challenging when you also have a long drive.
Unfortunately, this is one of those that is really best made and served immediately.
I have made and loved butter roll for a very long time. My grandmother and mother and aunts used to make it for dessert. I will try your version since it’s different than the one I am used to. Sounds yummy. Thanks.
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
I made the butter roll for the forst time and it was delicious. I’m gonna put a thin sugar frosting on top the next time I make it.
They look amazing, Regina!
Could this recipe be done overnight style?
I’m honestly not sure. Since I’ve not tested it that way, I just can’t say for sure.
Can the butter roll be baked in one big roll instead of slicing?
Hi Lauretta! I’ve not tried that, so I can’t say for sure.
I am praying this is the recipe I tried years ago and fell in love. They were called butter rolls and in a sweet buttery sauce that melted in your mouth.
Let me know what you think, Debra!
My sister-in-law makes something similar but instead of cinnamon or nutmeg, she uses instant butterscotch pudding mix (just sprinkles it on the dough, which opens other possibilities with other flavors of pudding). I think a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon would be tasty! Thank you for sharing.
That sounds great! I’ll have to try that.
Stacy,
I love the looks of this and plan to try this for Christmas! My sister made a recipe called pecan pie cobbler a few years ago and it was wonderful. Would you happen to have the recipe for that? Thank you and love your recipes!
Sorry, Sheree, I do not have a recipe for Pecan Pie Cobbler, but my friend at https://www.callmepmc.com/pecan-cobbler-and-reasons-i-blog/ does and it is wonderful!
I am 60 and surprised I have never heard of these. We had 5 generations living at once and never had the pleasure of trying one. These are on my list of “must bake”!! Thanks for sharing!
Oh Ranita, please try them and let us know what you think!
my husband said his grandmother made butter rolls like this but instead of sweetened milk, she boiled blackberries, strained out the seeds, sweetened the juice and poured the juice over the rolls. I’m looking forward to making your recipe as written then maybe try with the blackberry juice.
I absolutely love that idea! Sounds amazing!!
Been trying to find this recipe for quite some time. Some neighbors of mine used to make these with cocoa,and they were so good.
That sounds amazing!
I enjoyed making the butter rolls. This is a very simple and easy recipe. Crunchy on top in that creamy sauce. Thank you, Teresa
So glad to hear they turned out great for you, Teresa!
This is my lucky day finding your wonderful site…..I am most anxious to try your biscuits for cinnamon rolls, I have a sneaking suspicion that these will be like some I had as a kid (some time ago lol)….my friends mom used to make the best cinnamon rolls using a biscuit recipe and they were awesome, and I’m certain that yours will be as delicious as well!!! (I tried making some, but for some reason, they were never as good)….So now that I have you in my life now, I plan on becoming the best at making your biscuits….(I gotta tell you that my mom was a fantastic cook/baker….her Cinnamon Rolls were yeast rolls…and incredibly delicious)
I have a large collection of recipes and a ton of cookbooks….and I am a pretty good cook myself…at least that is what everyone tells me….I share a lot of my baked goods with neighbors, friends, and family….
Of course my other passion is painting, (yeah, I’m an artist), and here again, (self taught)…I have sold qiite a number of my paintings… from Canada to California ….
Anyway, I love your site and am looking forward to spending a lot of time here……thanks for sharing….
Hugs…Loretta
Welcome, Loretta! I hope you’ll find tons here you enjoy! Also, please share a link to your work! I’d love to see some of your paintings!
Stacy,I love your blog.you have such a down hone approach to the recipies you cook and present. I have tried your pineapple slaw,took it to church dinner came home with an empty bowl!!These rolls sound interesting.would this dough work as a cinnamon roll and leave off the custsrd?
I will be trying this as it stands.Might be good for a pot luck,always trying to find something new or different .
You can certainly make cinnamon rolls with a biscuit dough like this, they just won’t be as light and fluffy as yeast rising dough in most cinnamon rolls. You probably need a considerable amount more cinnamon and sugar in the filling.
These sound so good, I think I’m drooling!
Thank you, Jenna!
Can’t wait to try the rolls. Mine will come out somewhat different as I have to substitute milk and butter with nondairy products.
Hope they turn out great for you, Thomas!