Peppermint Cinnamon Roll Recipes

CLASSIC CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides. Top with the cinnamon sugar. Brush the clean border with water. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log, rolling toward the clean border; pinch the seam to seal.
• Slip a long taut piece of thread or unflavored floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift the ends of the thread and cross over the roll, pulling tightly to cut off a piece. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish.
• Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until they spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. (You can freeze the baked rolls for up to 2 weeks. Cool completely before freezing, then thaw, warm up and glaze before serving.)
• Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.
• Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Whisk together the whole milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit 10 minutes to dissolve; you will see a few bubbles, but the mixture won't be foamy. Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl.
• Add the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, milk powder and beaten eggs to the yeast and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the bowl in place on the stand mixer and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together but is still slightly tough, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and add 10 tablespoons of the butter a tablespoon at a time (the dough will look broken after each addition, but it will eventually come together) and beat until the dough is smooth, elastic and very tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 12 minutes. (This may seem like a long time, but the texture of the bread improves with a long knead time.) Alternatively, knead the dough on a surface lightly dusted with bread flour, adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until it has a buttery, yeasty smell and has doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes. (If your kitchen is warm, check it at 35 minutes. It should smell buttery and yeasty, and if it's doubled, it's done. If not, check again in 10 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, whisk together the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until no lumps of sugar remain. Smash in the remaining 12 tablespoons butter with a rubber spatula and stir until completely combined.
• Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a clean work surface and heavily dust with bread flour. Gently deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall back into the bowl, turning the bowl and repeating if needed. Place the dough on the paper. Roll the dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, pushing the edges towards the center to make straight sides. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Starting from a long end and using the parchment to help you, tightly roll the dough into a log, pressing the sides occasionally to keep them flush. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes to firm up the dough.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 pieces and arrange them cut-side up in the pan in a uniform 3-by-4 grid. There will be about 1/4 inch between each roll and that's ok, the rolls will fill in the gaps as they proof and bake. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free area, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden brown on top and baked all the way through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for about 30 minutes before glazing.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, adding more cream if necessary to make a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

MINI PEPPERMINT ROLLS

Steps:

• For the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray or butter.
• Mix the granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and peppermint extract in a bowl. Unroll the crescent dough sheets and coat each sheet in half of the butter mixture, spreading it to the edges of the sheets. Roll each sheet tightly, starting with the longer side, and place the seam side down. Cut each roll into 8 equal pieces, making a total of 16 pieces. Arrange the pieces in the prepared cake pan.
• Bake until golden and cooked through, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• For the glaze: Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and peppermint extract, Add the melted butter and red food coloring, whisking until completely combined.
• Remove the cooled rolls from the pan and top each one with the glaze. Sprinkle over the crushed candy canes and serve.

PEPPERMINT CAKE ROLLS

Steps:

• Line 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans with waxed paper. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans, spreading evenly., Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. , Invert each cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack. , In a small bowl, mix whipped topping and extract until blended. Unroll cakes; spread each with 1-1/2 cups peppermint mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges., Cut a small hole in the corner of a food-safe plastic bag; fill with fudge topping. Drizzle each cake with half of the fudge topping; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons crushed candies. Roll up again, without towel. , Transfer to platters. Frost with remaining peppermint mixture. Just before serving, top with remaining candies and, if desired, mint leaves. Freeze option: Omit candy topping and mint leaves. Place frosted cakes in airtight freezer containers; cover and freeze. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving. Top with remaining candies and, if desired, mint leaves.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• For the dough: Heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
• Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, and then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (The dough is easier to work with if it's been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
• To assemble the rolls, remove half of the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 by 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
• For the filling: Pour 3/4 to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the granulated sugar over the butter. Don't be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.
• Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don't worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you're finished, you'll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.
• Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and, with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One "log" will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)
• Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.
• Remove the towel and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Don't allow the rolls to become overly brown.
• While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add more maple, sugar, butter or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.
• Remove the pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle the icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing's moisture and flavor. They only get better with time... not that they last for more than a few seconds. Make them for a friend today! It'll seal the relationship for life. I promise.