Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

The perfect morning consists of waking up to the smell of these Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls baking in the oven. Extra points if it’s a crisp fall morning and you enjoy your fresh-baked cinnamon rolls with a nice hot seasonal-flavored coffee.

The grocery list.

Dough:

• Unsalted butter – You’re going to brown the butter you use in the Cinnamon Roll dough. Browned butter has a caramel taste that is amazing in this dish.
• Warm milk – Using warm milk will help the sugar dissolve in the dough.
• Instant yeast – Yeast will make your Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls big and fluffy.
• Granulated sugar – Sugar is “food” for the yeast and will allow the dough to rise.
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature – Room temperature eggs allow the dough to rise more easily than eggs straight out of the fridge.
• Bread flour – Bread flour will give your cinnamon rolls more structure
• Kosher salt – Salt controls the rate of yeast activity and ensures the dough doesn’t rise too quickly.
• Cinnamon – While the majority of the cinnamon is in the filling, I included some in both the dough and frosting as well. They are called CINNAMON rolls, after all.
• Olive oil

Filling:

• Salted butter – Salted or unsalted, it’s up to the chef!
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds to the deep, delicious caramel flavor of the brown butter.
• Ground cinnamon – Don’t be shy, add some more!
• Black walnuts – I chopped my walnuts up pretty finely. Chop to your preferred size.

Frosting:

• Salted butter – You may use unsalted butter instead, but I like using salted butter for the frosting because it brings out the flavors in the Cinnamon Rolls.
• Cream cheese – Tangy cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly with these Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls.
• Powdered sugar – You may want to sift your powdered sugar if you’re picky about having sugar clumps in your frosting.
• Vanilla extract – A little vanilla for some flavor.
• Cinnamon – A little more cinnamon because why not??
• Heavy cream (or milk) – The cream cheese is what provides the thickness of this frosting so heavy cream or milk would work well.
• Kosher salt – Just a pinch!

Make ahead option.

These Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls are a great recipe to prepare the day before and pop in the oven first thing in the morning so you can start your morning off with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls in the oven.

Complete all the steps of this recipe up until right before you put your cinnamon rolls in the oven. Instead of doing the second proof you’re going to put the rolls in the fridge (it’s listed as an option in the recipe directions).

Place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight. You can also make the frosting and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning when you’re ready to bake your cinnamon rolls, place them in the oven in a cast iron skillet. Top your Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and enjoy!

Looking for more dessert recipes?

Here are a few to try:

Olive Oil Oatmeal Cookies

Grilled Peach, Granola, Vanilla Ice Cream & EVOO

Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers

Lastly, if you make this Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, be sure to leave a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!

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Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

sammymoniz The perfect morning consists of waking up to the smell of these Black Walnut Cinnamon Rolls baking in the oven. Extra points if… Brunch Cinnamon Rolls, Holiday Baking European Print

Feeds: 12 Prep Time: 4-24 Hours Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Dough:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, browned
• ¾ cup warm milk
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Filling:

• 6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup black walnuts, finely chopped

Frosting:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, browned and cooled
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
• Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

1. First, make the dough. Brown the butter in a skillet over medium heat until frothy and fragrant. Set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes. 
2. In a stand mixer bowl combine the warm milk, yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolk and the slightly cooled browned butter. Mix for 30 seconds. 
3. Add the bread flour, salt and cinnamon. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, drizzle the bowl with olive oil and coat the sides. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and rise for 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. 
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle until the dough is about 1/4” thick. 
6. Next, slather the dough with the softened butter. In a small bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Evenly sprinkle the buttered surface with the brown sugar mixture. Lastly, sprinkle the chopped black walnuts. 
7. Starting with the long edge farthest from you, roll the dough towards you, moving your fingers evenly back and forth along the dough, until it is rolled tightly with seam down. Cut into 9-12 rolls. 
8. Place the rolls into a deep baking dish or cast iron skillet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour until puffed and risen (could also proof in the fridge overnight for an amazing development of flavor and fluffy texture). 
9. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
10. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown.
11. While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. Brown the butter in a skillet over medium heat until frothy and fragrant. Set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes. 
12. In a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese for 30 seconds. Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl along with the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Beat for an additional 30-60 second until smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream if needed to achieve desired consistency. 
13. When the rolls have finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before adding the frosting. Frost the rolls with the brown butter cream cheese frosting and serve.