Hazelnut Cookie Butter Sweet Rolls

Posted byorlysmithPosted inBread

Welcome to the second post of December! It’s not strictly festive, but I think that’s a good thing. I love peppermint as much as the next person, but sometimes I need a break to shake it up a little bit. And this recipe is definitely cozy, which is key. I’m counting the days until winter break so I can turn full holiday and baking mode. It will be so exciting to start working on what I have planned for the new year!

I am crossing all of my fingers and toes that we’ll get some snow this winter. We didn’t get any last year, and it was a big bummer. If I don’t have some days off of school to play in the snow and bake cookies while sipping cocoa, I think I may have to speak to someones manager. I don’t know who, but they will certainly be hearing from me!

Anywho, for todays mildly festive recipe, we’re turning to cookie butter. I first used cookie butter back in October for some tasty truffles. And since then, I knew I was going to use it for the Holiday Season. Because this time of year means cookies.

And who doesn’t want a warm and gooey sweet roll on a cold December day? Maybe with a cup of coffee or cocoa too.

Describe these Rolls to Me

Taste: The main flavor here is the cookie butter, but there’s some other stuff in there to to highlight it. Cookie butter is sweet and spiced with cinnamon, so to highlight this we make a hazelnut crumb. This provides a nuttiness, and some bitterness from the cocoa nibs. Plus, a few spices to highlight the festive flavors. I was going to leave it like this, but then I saw some dried currents in my cabinet and thought those might be tasty so I threw some in there too.
Texture: Ok, I had to work on the texture of this for a while. The dough is soft and fluffy, but and the filling is gooey with a little crunch from the hazelnuts. The key is pouring some heavy cream over the rolls before baking. This ensures they don’t get too dry. But the very most important part is the glaze. It seeps into the swirl giving you that gooey center and soft texture.
Ease: These are definitely a weekend bake, but they aren’t too hard. The dough rises twice, once before shaping and once after, so you have to leave time for that. The filling and shaping are both pretty quick and simple but be patient when rolling these because it can get a little messy. Lastly, the icing. This is a little bit more complicated than a lot of icings, but it’s not hard.

The Dough

This is a pretty classic dough, but it yields a tender and fluffy texture. This comes from lots of yeast and rising time to give you pockets of air. We’ve got milk, butter, eggs, flour, and some salt too. Basic kitchen staples that can give you a great base for some festive sweet rolls. Oh! Also, we are baking these rolls with some heavy cream poured over them. This makes them extra moist and soft.

The Filling

During the testing stage for these, this is where I struggled the most. I knew I wanted cookie butter to be the main flavor, but I also wanted some nuttiness in there too. After many attempts and failures we ended up with this one. First off you need a whole cup of cookie butter. Next, some salted butter. This cuts through the sweetness and adds that much needed moisture. Next is a mixture of hazelnuts, cocoa nibs, brown sugar, spices, and vanilla. This adds nuttiness, a little crunch, and some warming flavors. Lastly, I sprinkle on some dried currents for that extra holiday flavor. This is the best ratio of flavor and texture, though it may be a little messy to roll!

The Icing

This is another key part to making sure these aren’t dry. The filling doesn’t provide a whole lot of moisture, so you really want to smother these in this glaze. I based this off of the glaze from my apple butter pastries and my pear and cardamom rolls, but with a little cookie butter in there too. Start off with browning a little butter. Then add some maple syrup, cookie butter, and espresso powder. This creates something a little like caramel. Add some salt, powdered sugar, and a little heavy cream. Pour that all over your rolls and let it seep into the cracks and inside of the rolls. This gives you those gooey centers that everyone loves. So yummy!

Hazelnut Cookie Butter Sweet Rolls

Looking for a cozy thing to make in December that isn't overly Christmassy? May I present to you these Cookie Butter Sweet Rolls. Sweet cookie butter is spread over a soft and fluffy cinnamon roll dough and topped with a spiced hazelnut crumble mixture and some dried currents. That's all wrapped up, baked in a bath of cream, and topped with a gooey caramel cookie butter glaze. Imagine eating these on a cold snowy morning, nestled by the fire with a cup of tea.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rising time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 sweet rolls
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 1 cup whole milk warmed to about 100℉
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar divided
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, cut into about 4 pieces
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ½ cups all purpose flour plus more for shaping
Filling
  • ½ cup hazelnuts raw
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa nibs
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cookie butter I used Biscoff
  • 3 Tablespoons salted butter softened
  • 2 Tablespoons dried currents
  • ½ cup heavy cream
Caramel Cookie Butter Glaze
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 Tablespoon cookie butter
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Method
 

Start by making the dough
  1. Pour the warm milk into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and 2 Tablespoons of the sugar and whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The mixture should become foamy on top, and if it doesn't then your yeast is probably dead and you should start over with new yeast.
  2. Add the butter and beat with a dough hook attachment. It won't fully combine, just try to break it down a little. Add the eggs and salt, and beat again to incorporate. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined and a rough dough forms. Pour that out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 7 minutes until the dough forms a smooth and soft ball.
  3. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl (I use olive oil or butter) and turn to coat all sides of the dough in the oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or cling wrap and set in a warm and humid place to rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Make the filling
  1. In a food processor, pulse together the hazelnuts, brown sugar, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla extract until hazelnuts are broken up into small pieces. It shouldn't be a paste, watch the video above to see what the texture is like. Set aside.
  2. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch rectangular baking dish with butter. Set aside.
Shape the rolls
  1. Punch down the risen dough to release the bubbles. Place it on a heavily floured surface and roll it out using a rolling pin into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Flip and rotate the dough frequently as you are rolling it out to make sure it isn't sticking.
  2. Spread the cookie butter evenly on top, it will be a thick layer. Then, spread the salted butter on top of the cookie butter. The two will swirl together, that's ok! Sprinkle the hazelnut mixture evenly on top and use your hands to spread it out. Finally, sprinkle over the currents. Slowly and carefully roll the dough into an 18 inch log. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 even rolls. It might be a little messy and tricky to cut, so a serrated knife is key here. Place the rolls in your previously prepared baking dish.
  3. Cover the baking dish loosely with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm and humid environment for about 45 minutes.
Bake the rolls
  1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Bake the risen rolls for 25-30 minutes or until evenly browned on top and hollow sounding when tapped. If rolls are browning too quickly, carefully tent with foil. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the pan while you prepare the glaze.
Make the glaze
  1. In a small saucepan brown the butter over medium heat. It will melt and then begin to sizzle and foam. You will then see brown specks. Keep an eye on it, stirring frequently until amber brown. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the cookie butter and the maple syrup, which will sizzle and splash, so be careful! Add the espresso powder, confectioners sugar, and a pinch of salt. Lastly, stir in the cream until combined. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls and enjoy.
  2. Rolls are best served warm but will keep for up to 3 days covered in foil.

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