Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls from scratch with pecans, coconut, carrots, cinnamon filling, and cream cheese frosting. The perfect Easter treat!

However you know them, cinnamon rolls, chelsea buns, sweet buns, THEY'RE GOOD. Some of my favorite variations include the Best Homemade Orange Rolls and Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, both of which are appropriate for holiday breakfast or Easter brunch, along with Carrot Banana Muffins.

So here's the deal. Carrot Cake. Cinnamon Rolls. Together forever. It's a beautiful thing. My little bakers helped me test this recipe many times to get it perfect, and we all agree this is a favorite. I'll include general tips for how to make carrot cake cinnamon rolls and the icing for cinnamon rolls.

This is a little more complicated for Easter dessert (or breakfast) than crispy peanut butter easter eggs but they're worth the effort!

Instructions

1. Make the dough by first mixing together the milk, sugar, and yeast, and let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Assemble other ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer: grated carrots, butter, egg, salt, and flour.
2. Add milk/yeast mixture and mix until ball forms, then knead by hand or in  a stand mixer with dough hood 5-7 minutes until elastic. This dough is sticky, you can spray your hands with cooking spray if kneading by hand or mix in stand mixer with dough hook.

   

3. Form dough into ball and cover, let sit for 60 minutes at room temperature (approx 70-74F) until doubled in size.
4.  Gently deflate the dough and turn out onto floured work surface and shape into a loose rectangle/log shape, careful not to work the dough too much, it becomes less stretchy the more you knead it after the first rise.
5. Roll out into a 24 inch long by 14-16 inch wide rectangle, keeping the corners as square as possible.
6. Spread softened butter on top of the dough rectangle, then sprinkle brown sugar/spice mixture. Sprinkle flour on top evenly last, this helps keep the filling inside the rolls as they bake.

   

7. Roll gently lengthwise into a long roll, careful to keep the filling inside. Leave seam side down.
8.  Using string or dental floss, cut roll into 12 equal 2 inch wide slices by sliding string under roll, crossing string ends, and pulling tight to pull the string through the roll. I usually mark the roll with the string before slicing to ensure even sizes. Can also be sliced with a sharp knife.

   

9. Place in prepared 9x13 inch pan or 11x 18 inch baking sheet to rise and cover. Let rise 45-60 minutes, until almost doubled in size.
10. Bake at 350F for 32-35 minutes if in a 9x13 inch glass pan (may need to cover with foil last 10 minutes of baking to avoid over browned tops) or bake for 25 minutes on a 11x18 inch baking sheet.
11. Mix together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and whole milk until smooth. Spread over baked cinnamon rolls and top with toasted coconut and pecans.

Icing for Cinnamon Rolls:

I like to make a cream cheese icing for my cinnamon rolls, but I also love to use mascarpone in place of cream cheese when the mood hits me.

My icing recipe is more like a frosting than a glaze, but you can customize it by adding more milk or whole cream to make it thinner.

Overnight Instructions:

1.  Follow recipe to make dough, fill, roll, and cut dough into 12 equal rolls and place cut side down onto a baking sheet or 9×13 inch pan.
2. Cover with plastic wrap. Do not let rise first or they will deflate in the refrigerator. Cooling the dough simply slows yeast growth, it does not kill it.
3.  Place in fridge overnight.
4. Remove from refrigerator and let rise for 30-40 minutes in warm place before baking. I like to turn on the oven to 200 F for 2 minutes, then turn off the oven and set the rolls inside to rise with the door cracked open.
5. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 min (or 25 min if on a large baking sheet). Glass pans will take a few more minutes to bake than dark pans.

How to Freeze Rolls:

1. Follow directions to make dough, fill, roll, and cut dough into rolls and place into foil lined pan so edges are not touching, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer immediately, do not let rise first or they will deflate in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bag or airtight freezer safe container.
2. Freeze until ready to use up to 3 months. Do NOT microwave dough to thaw. It will kill the yeast.
3. Regular rise method: Remove from freezer, thaw in warm place (covered) for 3-5 hours or until almost doubled in size.
4. Quicker rise method: Turn ON oven to 200 degrees for 2 minutes then turn OFF oven. Place rolls in oven and let thaw and rise 2-3 hours until almost doubled in size.
5. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes (if on large baking sheet) and 32-25 min (if in 19x13in pan). Glass pans will take a few more minutes to bake than dark pans.

Pro Tips:

• Sprinkle flour over cinnamon sugar filling to help the filling stay nice and gooey inside the cinnamon rolls during baking, and help it from crystallizing into a hard sugar syrup on the bottom of the pan.
• When rolling out the dough, keep edges straight and corners as square as you can by stopping along the way to shape. This helps the rolls be a more uniform shape and size when you slice.
• Bake on a 11x18 in. baking sheet for beautiful bakery style cinnamon rolls worthy of a bake sale.
• Use a 9x13 in. baking pan for a family style breakfast that can be made to rise overnight, instructions below.
• Use toasted coconut on top!
  • Toast 1 cup of shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut by first preheating the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread shredded coconut evenly on top. Bake for 5 minutes, stir coconut, and pop back in the oven for a total of 10 minutes. Coconut should be golden brown and smell lovely.

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