Seriously, that’s how easy and delicious these are. I’ve never attempted homemade Cinnamon rolls before, despite how much I loved them because it just looked like so.much.work! But with a handy KitchenAid mixer, easy doesn’t even begin to do it justice. And credit where credit is due, I took inspiration from this recipe here: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. I just you know, put my own spin on it (as usual) 😉
- 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm
- 3 bags Chai Tea
- 1/4 cup water, lukewarm
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, plus 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 3/4 cup all purpose flower
- 1 1/2 cups bread flower
- 1/2 tsp salt
Start by steeping the Chai Tea bags in the warm milk. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk (tea) and water and sprinkle the yeast over top of it. Allow the yeast to dissolve, about 5 minutes – when it starts to bubble you’re good to move on. Stir in the butter, eggs, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flours and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the yeast mixture one cup at a time and stir until combined. Using the dough hook attachment, knead until smooth and slightly tacky, about 7 minutes. If you your dough is too wet, add flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a little dough “tornado” around the dough hook (it really will, it’s kind of cute!). Once done kneading, place the dough into a large lightly greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to double in size, about 90 minutes. While the dough is rising, start on the filling.
- 3 not overly ripe pears (I only use beautiful red D’anjou pears)
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 1 cup of Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Cardamom – I eyeballed, or rather “nosed” these amounts so this will vary
Peal and dice the pears into small little chunks. You want enough of them to be able to get some in each bite of your rolls. Melt the butter, add the pears, then sugar, and spices. Stir while bringing it to a boil. Add just a dash of lemon juice (the acid really brightens the pear flavor). Reduce about a 1/4 of the way then take off the heat and let it cool down, becoming a nice syrup like texture.
Once the dough has risen, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle, don’t stretch it too thin, you want nice fluffly rolls that won’t fall apart when you add in the filling. Pour the now cooled filling on the dough, spreading it evenly. Starting with the long ends closest to you, tightly roll the dough away from you, from end to end and pinch the edges together to seal. Cut the dough in half, then each half in half, until you have 8 rolls lay them out in a lightly greased baking dish. Place in a warm vent free area (I use my microwave) and let rise for at least an hour, they should double in size again.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, baste the rolls in semi melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 22-26 minutes, remove and let cool. While cooling, make the frosting.
- 4 oz Mascarpone, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup(ish) powdered sugar
- 1 oz Ginger Liqueur (you knew these had booze in there somewhere! 😉 )
In a mixing bowl, blend together (using the paddle attachment), the mascarpone and butter, slowly adding in the powdered sugar, the beat until smooth. Add in the ginger liqueur and continue to beat until smooth. Set aside and wait for the rolls to completely cool. Once cooled, slather that frosting on!
These turned out AMAZING! It looks like a lot of steps, but it really isn’t compared to some of the crap I come up with LOL. And much of the process is just letting the yeast rise. I will never ever ever buy store bought again!
It’s also entirely possible that these taste even better the next day (said as I’m licking icing off my fingers while stuffing my face).
Bon appétit my lovelies! Go forth and prosper in your baking!
