Happy Monday, I hope you had a great Easter weekend! Did you get a long weekend? If you did, I'm jealous! I know a lot of people were off on Friday. |
| Our Easter outfits - I had to rock my Zimmermann dupe! |
I created this recipe last Easter weekend based off of a few tried and true cinnamon roll recipes that I've used in the past, and they are nothing short of DIVINE. All the warm, gooey, scrumptiousness of a classic cinnamon roll with the added twist of carrots, nuts, raisins, and spices.
They take about three hours total to make with the rising time, so I like to prepare them ahead of time, chill them (unbaked) in the fridge overnight, and bake them the next morning so they're fresh for breakfast or brunch. That way, you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to have freshly baked cinnamon rolls.
Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
Makes: 12
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup milk
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 - 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cups finely shredded carrots (roughly 3 carrots)
Filling:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/3 cup chopped nuts
- 1/3 cup raisins
Glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
Directions:
- Heat milk to 115°F. Dissolve yeast and granulated sugar in warm milk. Allow it to proof for 5-10 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy.
- In a small bowl, combine vanilla and melted butter.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 cups flour, light brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Prepare mixer with dough hook attachment. With mixer running on low, slowly add yeast mixture, followed by butter and vanilla mixture. Add eggs one at a time. Add finely shredded carrots. Increase speed, mixing until dough comes together. If dough is still sticky, add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a smooth ball. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and allow to rise in a warm location for at least 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with baking spray or butter.
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
- Roll out the dough to a 12x18-inch rectangle. Brush entire
surface with melted butter. Sprinkle well with brown sugar and cinnamon
mixture, followed by the nuts and raisins.
- Starting at one of the long edges, roll the dough into a
log. Pinch to seal ends. Carefully slice dough into 12 rolls. (You can also do 8 larger rolls in a 9x9-inch pan.)
*Pro tip: I use dental floss or thread to slice my rolls perfectly. Wrap the floss/thread around the roll and pull the ends in opposite directions to create a perfect slice.
- Place rolls into
prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for an
additional 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake rolls for 28-32 minutes (30 was perfect for me) or
until golden-brown and the centers are firm. Allow rolls to cool for 10-20 minutes before adding glaze.
- To
make the glaze: in a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and
butter until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and powdered sugar. Add in milk,
one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Pour or spread
glaze over rolls.
I didn't get a photo of them glazed before we dove in, these babies didn't stand a chance!
Let me know if you make this recipe! I'm pretty proud of it and it's a crowd-pleaser every time.
Have a gorgeous week!
xoxx, Laura
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