As a child the smell of cinnamon rolls in the morning meant two things:
1- it was a weekend, and
2- Dad was not trying to turn whatever left overs were in the fridge into an omelet. Let me just say pizza and omelet should never be in the same sentence together much less the same pan.
I have tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls before only for them to turn into an epic fail and have sense then gone back to the tried and try packaged type. I will say that I have no problems with the packaged kind especially now that Cinnabon has collaborated with our favorite dough boy to create that hot sticky mess of a breakfast pastry! Being that I am not one for failure even more so when it is in an arena that I normally excel at I had to give it another go and came across a great recipe on one of my favorite blogs. I gave these in my holiday boxes that I created for my daughters teachers and the few left overs that were not packaged were go in about 30 minutes in our house. They are great and have a mild maple flavor that enhances the brown sugar pecan mixture perfectly. The recipe is made to make 8 large buns but I rolled the dough larger giving me a long "log" and thus giving me smaller buns. It really is up to you when it comes to the size because even small they pack a classic cinnamon roll taste that makes you lick your fingers and go back for another one.
Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
FOR THE FILLING
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE DOUGH
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
FOR THE ICING
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
To make the filling: Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand. Set aside.
To make the dough: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (220 C). Brush a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, syrup, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until just combined. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until smooth (it will still be very soft and a little sticky, but will be smoother and less lumpy). Place in a lightly floured bowl, cover, and chill for 20 minutes.
Once chilled, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 12 X 8 inches. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter on and spread around with your fingers. Pour the filling over the dough and spread it evenly over the top, leaving about a 1/2 inch or so border around the outside edge. Press the filling down to pack it on top of the dough.
Starting on the long side of the dough, roll the side up, pressing as you go, to create a tightly rolled log (be gentle, as this will likely stick to the counter a bit). Pinch the seam closed and lay the log seam side down. Cut into 8 even pieces, and transfer each roll to the prepared cake pan. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for 20 to 23minutes, until golden brown.
To make the icing: In a medium bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar. Mix until the sugar and butter start to come together a bit. Add the syrup and whisk well, until the mixture is smooth. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon or so of milk to loosen it up.
Even when thinned this icing is not the easiest to simply drizzle over the top. Since I was packaging mine and needed them to cool some so I could place them in there box then icing I simply heated the icing in the microwave for about 15 seconds. This gave it a more liquid consistency and I was able to simple use a spoon to drizzle icing over the top. There is no right or wrong way just simply find what works best for you.
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