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Fig honey cinnamon rolls

Fig & Honey Cinnamon Rolls

A tasty fall twist on our popular cinnamon roll recipe! Made with a soft, fluffy dough and tangy cream cheese icing, these rolls are updated for the season with pungent cloves, floral honey, and sweet, crunchy dried figs. Orange zest adds a touch of autumnal brightness. The end result is sophisticated and mellow, like a grown-up version of the classic cinnamon roll — but not so grown-up your kids won’t love them. They’re perfect for slow Sunday mornings or a laid-back brunch with friends.

Breakfast

Fig & Honey Cinnamon Rolls

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup whole milk

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing

3 ½ cups Gelson’s organic all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting

2 ¼ tsp instant yeast

2 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 large egg

For the fig filling:

½ cup dried figs, stems removed

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

Zest of 1 small orange

Kosher salt

½ cup heavy cream

For the honey-cream cheese frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup mascarpone, room temperature

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp honey

¼ tsp vanilla extract

Kosher salt

¼ cup rough chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions

To make the dough: In a small pot, combine the milk and butter. Heat over medium low, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 ½ cups of the flour and the yeast, sugar, salt, and egg. Slowly pour in the warmed milk and butter while mixing on low speed.
Increase the speed to medium low. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour, 1 heaping spoonful at a time. Mix until a smooth dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough should be soft and tacky, not sticky.
Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, transfer the dough to the surface, and gently form it into a ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with butter, place the dough in the bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
To assemble the cinnamon rolls: Lightly butter a 9x13” baking dish.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down. Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring about 9x15”.
To make the fig filling: In a food processor, combine the figs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, and a pinch of salt. Whirl until well combined, 30 seconds.
Evenly spread the filling over the dough. Starting at one of the long edges, gently and tightly roll the dough into a log. Using a sharp, well-buttered knife, trim the ends and cut the log into 12 1”-thick rolls.
Transfer the rolls to the prepared baking dish, spiral side up. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap.
Let rise at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight (if refrigerating overnight, let the rolls come to room temperature before baking, 30 to 45 minutes). The rolls are ready when you can leave an indent in the dough with your finger.
To bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350º. In a small saucepan, warm the heavy cream over medium-low heat.
Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish, pour the cream over the rolls, and bake for about 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
While the rolls bake, make the honey-cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, mascarpone, butter, powdered sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Frost the rolls while warm and and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, if using. Enjoy immediately! Leftover rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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