Toasted Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Warm, fluffy cinnamon rolls stuffed with toasted pecans and maple syrup.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Rolls:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast 1 package
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
For the Filling:
- 4 Tbsp salted butter at room temperature
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup toasted finely chopped pecans
For the Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 Tbsp butter at room temperature
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Rolls
- Add flour, salt, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and yeast (in that order) to the bowl of a stand mixer; whisk on low speed to combine.
- In a separate large bowl combine milk, butter, vanilla, and sour cream. Microwave on HIGH in 20-second intervals until warm to the touch (about 110°F) and stir until butter is melted.
- Attach a dough hook to the mixer and pour the wet mixture into the dry; mix on low speed 30 seconds. Add egg to mixture, and continue mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 5 more minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a bowl greased with oil. Cover the bowl loosely and let sit in a warm place until it is doubled in size, about 2 hours.*
For the Filling
- In a small bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- On a well-floured surface roll the dough out to a rectangle that's 1/4-inch thick. Spread butter over the surface leaving a little less than an inch at each of the longer sides.
- Sprinkle generously and evenly with prepared cinnamon sugar mixture. Drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle toasted pecans in an even layer over cinnamon sugar.
- Roll up dough starting on one of the shorter sides. Cut in even pieces about 1 1/2-inches long.**
- Place rolls cut side up in a 9- x- 9-inch baking dish and allow to rest in a warm place for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare glaze while finishing second rise.
- Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned on the tops.***
For the Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt to a medium bowl. Beat with a whisk or a hand mixer until smooth.
- Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread frosting over cinnamon rolls while still warm.
Notes
*When I'm proofing this dough, I like to place it in a cool oven with the oven light on. This gives of the perfect amount of warmth to encourage those yeast granules to feed on the sugars and create that rise.
**To cut the cinnamon rolls, I like to use unflavored dental floss. Simply slide the floss under the cinnamon rolls, pull each side up and over the roll you'd like to cut out, and pull through. This is better than a knife because it doesn't allow anything to squash out the sides. Just be sure you use unflavored floss, unless you want mint-flavored cinnamon rolls!
***If the tops brown too quickly (before the rest of the rolls are finished baking), simply add some foil to cover the tops of the rolls and continue baking. This should prevent the tops from burning.