Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls are ready in just over one hour and filled with a delicious concoction of butter, cinnamon sugar, and homemade pecan pie filling. Watch the recipe video tutorial and see how delicious they are!
Easy brunch recipes are one of my favorites, as they are a great excuse to eat sweets for breakfast. You have to try my very famous Coffee Cake with a cheesecake layer, and don’t forget about the Lemon Cheery Cheese Danish. These are great recipes that you can make ahead of time and take with you to a brunch party.
Easy Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls are the most indulging treat you can make for brunch this holiday season. To make these rolls you can use my recipe for No-Knead Cinnamon Rolls because it will take you only about 20 minutes to make the dough. Another option is to use the store-bought crescent dough.
The buns are filled with a delicious homemade Pecan Pie filling that is sweet and rich. Canned pecan pie filling can be used as well, to cut on some preparation time. The Pecan Pie Rolls are ready in just over an hour, they are tender, fluffy and indulgent. The rolls are topped with a bourbon cream cheese icing, that pairs well with the Southern-style pecan pie filling.
What is a cinnamon roll?
A cinnamon roll also called a cinnamon bun is a sweet roll served commonly in Northern Europe and North America. The main ingredients used to make a cinnamon roll are flour, cinnamon, sugar, and butter.
The rolls are usually stuffed with a cinnamon-sugar mix and topped with a cream cheese icing.
How do you make No-Knead Cinnamon Rolls?
- Start by mixing Instant Yeast with lukewarm warm water and sugar.
- Later add sugar, eggs, melted butter, flour, and salt mix.
- Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll the dough, top with softened butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Add any other fillings and roll.
- Slice into individual round rolls, arrange into a baking tray. Let the rolls rest.
- Bake and top with cream cheese icing.
How do you make homemade Pecan Pie Filling?
Homemade pecan pie filling is very easy to make and tastes so much better than the canned version. To make Pecan pie filling you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted pecans, chopped
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- â…” cup dark corn syrup
- ½ cup cream, lukewarm
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
Directions:
- Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Then, add the mixture to a saucepan over low-medium heat.
- Whisk in egg yolks, dark corn syrup, and cream. Stir and simmer.
- Remove from heat, stir in cold butter until fully dissolved.
- Fold in chopped toasted pecans.
Can you refrigerate Cinnamon Rolls dough?
- Yes, cinnamon roll dough can be refrigerated, either after it is kneaded and before the first rise or after the dough has risen and has been shaped.
- To refrigerate after kneading: place the dough in a tightly covered bowl or a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate.
- To refrigerate the shaped dough: wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator, partially unwrap and let it rise until doubled.
How to store the Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls?
- Rolls may be kept at room temperature for up to two days covered with foil or plastic food wrap to prevent drying out.
- Rolls will keep for an additional week in the refrigerator, covered with foil or plastic food wrap.
How to freeze unbaked Cinnamon Rolls:
- You can freeze the rolls, unrisen, in the pan.
- Cover the pan tightly with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To bake, allow them to thaw and rise, then bake.
How to freeze baked Cinnamon Rolls:
- You can freeze the rolls, baked but unfrosted.
- When ready to enjoy, allow them to thaw.
- Place in the oven for a few minutes to warm up and top with icing.
Watch recipe step-by-step video:
Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/3 cup water warm
- 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 package
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
Pecan Pie Filling:
- 2 cups pecans roasted and chopped
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks room temperature
- 2/3 cup dark corn syrup or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup cream lukewarm
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and diced
Bourbon Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make Pecan Pie Filling:
- If not using canned pecan pie filling, follow the below instructions to make your own. Start with the pecan pie filling, as it needs to cool before its added to the cinnamon rolls.
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cornstarch and salt, whisk to combine.
- Place a sauce pan over low medium heat, add the sugar mixture to it.
- Whisk in the egg yolks, dark corn syrup and cream, until smooth. Stir continuously and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens like a pudding, 5-10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in cold diced butter until fully melted.
- Fold in roasted, chopped pecans.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool off. Place in the freezer to cool it off quicker, stir and transfer to the fridge.
- In the meantime make the dough.
Make the dough:
- Whisk 4 cups of four and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- Add instant yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and lukewarm water to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, milk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and melted butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mix and using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir until well combined.
- The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes, preferably in a warm place.
Make Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- In a small bowl whisk together the dark brown sugar with the ground cinnamon until fully combined. Set aside. You will use the butter to spread it on the dough.
Prepare the Rolls:
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Place an oven rack into the middle of the oven.
- Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray it with baking spray.
- Flour a flat surface and roll the dough. You will need a good amount of flour, use it liberally on your hands, rolling pin and also sprinkle the dough with some.
- Roll the dough until it's about 16 inches long by 13 inches wide and it should be about 1/4 inch thick. It is important for the dough to not be very thin, as it won't be able to hold well the filling.
- When rolling, make sure the dough doesn't stick to the surface.
- Spread the 1/2 cup of softened butter over the entire surface of the dough.
- Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Remove pecan pie filling from the refrigerator and spread it evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Starting at the long edge, away from you, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
- Cut the dough into 12 two inch slices and place the rolls into the prepared baking pan.
- Let the rolls rest for 10 minutes, during which the will rise a bit.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the Bourbon Cream Cheese Icing:
- Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, bourbon or vanilla extract and pinch of salt and mix until smooth. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- If the icing is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk.
Icing the Rolls:
- Once the rolls are done baking, remove from oven and immediately ice the rolls.
- Preferably serve warm, but they are great at room temperature as well.
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