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Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

With a sweet potato dough, a brown sugar filling and a delicious browned butter frosting, these sweet potato cinnamon rolls are sure to be a hit wherever you take them!

  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
  • Yield: 10-12 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the dough:

  • 1/3 cup warm milk
  • 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup sweet potato puree
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the filling

  • 5 tbsp butter, very soft
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the browned butter frosting:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pan, bring the butter for the frosting to a gentle boil over medium heat.
  2. Stir continually until the butter is a light brown color. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and allow to set overnight.
  3. Combine the warm milk and the active dry yeast. Allow to proof until frothy (about 5 minutes).
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the dry ingredients for the cinnamon rolls (flour, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger and ground nutmeg).
  5. Add the remaining ingredients and, using a dough hook, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
  6. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (about an hour).
  7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12"x16" rectangle.
  8. Spread the softened butter for the filling out over the dough.
  9. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Sprinkle the filling over the buttered dough.
  10. Roll the dough into a log from the long edge.
  11. Use a sharp knife or string to cut the dough into 10-12 rolls. Place the rolls in a greased 13"x16" dish with enough room between them to rise.
  12. Allow the rolls to rise for 30-40 more minutes or until they fill out the pan.
  13. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
  14. In a bowl, beat together the browned butter and powdered sugar. Spread the frosting on top of the stir warm cinnamon rolls.

Notes

  • Your browned butter is overcooked: If you overcook your browned butter and it has a burnt smell, you can salvage it by straining out the burned bits with a fine mesh sieve.
  • Cutting the cinnamon rolls: Be sure to use a really sharp knife or a string to help the rolls retain their round shape. To cut cinnamon rolls with string, slide the string under the dough log, bring it up, over and continue pulling until the string cuts clean through.
  • Testing for doneness: To test if your cinnamon rolls are done, use a toothpick to gently tug at the center. You want the to be able to pull the center slightly up and have it look cooked through.
  • Overnight cinnamon rolls: Don't have time to make these in one go? Simply make the dough and allow it to rise overnight in the refrigerator. To use, bring the dough to room temperature (about 30-60 minutes), roll it out and continue with the recipe.
  • Freezing: If you want to work ahead by freezing your unbaked cinnamon rolls, simply take them all the way through to slicing them up and freeze them (unrisen) in your dish. To bake, allow them to thaw and rise before baking as directed.
  • Storage: Store any leftover cinnamon rolls in your airtight container for 2-3 days.

Dough recipe adapted from Style Sweet 

Nutrition

Keywords: sweet potato cinnmon roll, cinnamon roll recipe, how to make cinnamon rolls