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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.
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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.