Pioneer Woman cinnamon toast mixes softened butter with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla into a spread, then bakes and broils it on sliced bread until golden and bubbly. And it makes 16 slices for 8 servings at around 440 calories in just 25 minutes, since the oven and broiler handle all the cooking.
Ree Drummond combines all the topping ingredients into one spread before it touches the bread, rather than layering butter and cinnamon sugar separately. That pre-mixed spread melts evenly across the surface, which means every bite gets the same ratio of butter, sugar, and spice instead of dry patches between clumps.
Rushing straight to the broiler wrecks this toast, because the topping bubbles fast but the bread underneath stays soft and soggy. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes first so the butter soaks in and the bread firms up, then broil to caramelize the top into a crispy shell.
Source: The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond)
Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Toast
Course: Breakfast, SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes15
minutes440
kcalSoftened butter smushed with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and a pinch of nutmeg becomes a thick, spreadable paste. Then each slice of bread gets a full tablespoon spread edge to edge, so no bare spots burn under the broiler. And 10 minutes in the oven followed by a quick broil turns the top crispy and caramelized while the bottom stays just slightly soft.
Ingredients
- For the cinnamon butter spread:
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar (more to taste)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract (more to taste)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- For the toast:
16 slices bread (whole wheat works well)
Directions
- Preheat the oven: Set it to 350°F, since the bread needs a low bake before the broiler finishes it.
- Smush the butter: In a bowl, press the softened butter with a fork until it is smooth and workable.
- Mix the spread: Dump in the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg if using, then stir until the mixture is completely combined.
- Coat the bread: Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each slice, pushing it all the way to the edges so no bare bread is exposed.
- Arrange on a sheet: Place the coated slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer, since overlapping blocks the heat from reaching the topping.
- Bake first: Put the sheet in the oven for 10 minutes, because this step melts the spread into the bread and firms up the base.
- Broil to finish: Turn on the broiler and cook until the topping is golden brown and bubbling, then watch closely because it burns fast.
- Cut and serve: Remove from the oven and cut each slice in half diagonally, so each serving is two full slices cut into four triangles.
FAQs
Why does the recipe mix everything into a spread instead of sprinkling cinnamon sugar on buttered bread?
Mixing the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla into one paste means every square inch of bread gets the same ratio of fat, sweetness, and spice. Sprinkling cinnamon sugar onto plain butter leaves uneven patches, because the granules shift and clump wherever the butter is thickest.
The vanilla is the real reason the spread matters, since you cannot sprinkle vanilla extract onto dry cinnamon sugar. It needs the butter as a carrier, so every bite gets that warm depth that plain cinnamon sugar cannot deliver on its own.
Why bake first and then broil instead of just broiling?
The 10-minute bake at 350°F gives the spread time to melt into the bread slowly, which firms up the base and keeps it from turning soggy. Broiling alone is too fast, because the topping bubbles and browns in 2 minutes while the bread underneath stays limp and wet.
After the bake, the broiler takes over and caramelizes the sugar on the surface into a crispy, crunchy shell. That two-step method gives you a toast that is crunchy on top and just slightly soft underneath, which is exactly the texture Ree describes.
Can I use unsalted butter instead of salted?
Unsalted butter works, but add a small pinch of salt to the spread before mixing, since the salt in salted butter balances all that sugar. Without it, the toast tastes flat and one-note sweet.
The recipe calls for a full cup of sugar across 16 slices, so that salt does real work cutting through the sweetness. Taste the spread before you put it on the bread, because adjusting at the mixing stage is easy and adjusting after baking is impossible.
What bread works best for this?
Ree uses sliced sandwich bread and notes that whole wheat is great, since the nuttier flavor holds up against the sugar and cinnamon. Thick-cut French bread or grainy homemade slices also work, though spread a little more mixture on thicker slices so the ratio stays balanced.
Avoid anything too thin or soft like white sandwich bread from the bargain aisle, because it goes soggy before the topping caramelizes. A sturdier crumb holds the melted butter without collapsing. For another Ree breakfast that uses cinnamon as the star flavor, try the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls.
Can I make the spread ahead and store it?
The butter spread keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so you can make a batch and pull it out whenever you want toast. Let it soften on the counter for 10 minutes before spreading, since cold spread tears the bread instead of gliding.
It also freezes well for up to 2 months, which makes weekday mornings faster. Scoop what you need, let it warm slightly, and spread it on the bread before baking. For another quick Pioneer Woman breakfast to rotate through the week, try the Pioneer Woman French toast.
