Browned Butter Pecan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. I got the original recipe from one of my favorite blogger’s books, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, except I did what I always do, I modified the original recipe with my own quirkiness to make it my own.  After cutting the recipe in half, changing, and adding a few ingredients, I ended up with what I am about to share with you today. What sets these cinnamon buns apart from the rest is the toasted pecans and caramelized butter. It lends a buttery, nut-ery, rich flavor that knocks the socks off of people at first bite. True fact. This was sinfulness in a pan and decadence in your mouth. It’s hard to eat just one, so be careful my friends.

This recipe is ooey-gooey goodness at its best. Next time, I might play around with a nut variety – maybe using toasted walnuts or even slivered almonds might make this a second hit wonder. But I will have to admit, there is something about toasted pecans that makes my heart go pitter-patter – am I the only one?

For the filling, I used brown sugar instead of white sugar, which ended up enhancing the buttery caramel fantastic-ness. You definitely do not want to skip this part, because the brown sugar is part of the magic.

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups milk

1/2 cup canola oil

41/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1 package, or 1 teaspoon active yeast

1/2  scant teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 tablespoon salt

Filling

1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted and browned

1/8 cup cinnamon powder

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, melted and browned

1/4 cup milk

1 1/3 cup powder sugar

1 teaspoon pure maple extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

To pre-toast the pecans, preheat oven to 350 degrees and evenly spread chopped pecans on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the dough, heat the milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup cane sugar in a medium sauce pan over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes (do not let mixture boil).  Set pan aside and cool to lukewarm (about 10 minutes).  Once mixture is lukewarm to the touch, sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit on top of the milk for about 1 minute. Add 4 cups of flour and stir until combined. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set in a relatively warm area for 1 hour.

After one hour has passed, remove towel and add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of flour and mix until thoroughly combined.

To brown the butter, melt in a medium sauce pot over a medium heat. Once melted, continue to cook butter for a couple of minutes. Melted butter will start to foam but keep a watchful eye because browning can happen fast and over-browning can ruin your recipe. Keep an eye on the center of your foaming melted butter, it will change to a subtle light brown. Once the center turns color, immediately remove from stove top and stir butter. Butter should now be  a nice light caramel color and smell. Set aside for the filling.

To make the rolls, remove dough from the bowl and place it on a floured working surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle and pour one 1/2 cup of melted browned butter onto the rolled dough, spreading evenly with fingers or rubber spatula. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over dough, followed by the cinnamon and toasted pecans. Finish off by evenly drizzling the remainder 1/2 cup of melted browned butter, using more butter or sugar if needed.

Now, beginning at one end, roll the rectangle tightly, using both hands. Make sure to keep the roll tight. The filling will start to ooze, and that’s okay, just scoop up the oozed filling and spread it on the roll (this is a messy production – but worth it). Once completely rolled into a log, pinch seams shut.

Using a sharp knife, cut rolls into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place into buttered baking pan(s)  using a couple of tablespoons of pre-melted browned butter to coat pan (I used 2-8×8 baking pans), being careful not to overcrowd. Cover pan with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise for 20 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Remove towel and bake rolls for 15-17 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

While rolls are baking, prepare the icing. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar, salt, and melted browned butter. Add milk and maple extract. Mix until smooth. The icing consistency should be that of molasses, if not, then add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

Once rolls are done, remove from the oven. While still hot, pour icing over rolls, spreading evenly over every nook and cranny. Serve warm.