Homemade One Rise Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ooey, gooey delicious cinnamon rolls with maple and crushed pecans. Imagine everyone’s faces as they come to the kitchen, drawn in by the delicious scent of maple and cinnamon. I can’t imagine a better way to start my day. Cinnamon rolls are a labor of love, so anytime you make these, you’ll be making someone feel special.
Cinnamon rolls are already the stuff dreams are made of; can you imagine waking up Christmas morning to these baking in the oven? You have two great things going on there-the smell of cinnamon rolls, and someone making them for you! Or maybe you’re the wonderful person making everyone’s morning. Got any extra tasks that need to be done? Now’s the time to ask because I’m pretty sure you could get anyone to do anything for you at this point.
I like these cinnamon rolls because they only require one rise, making them that much easier to make. One thing I don’t like waiting for is a delicious baked good. That’s what makes this recipe so special, just having one rise. No more waiting overnight for your cinnamon rolls.
If you haven’t worked with yeast before, don’t be intimidated, it’s not that hard. For this recipe, I chose to use Instant Yeast rather than Active Yeast, as Instant Yeast allows for only one rise while still resulting in the pillowy soft rolls we love.
Tips for Making Delicious Cinnamon Rolls
Don’t add too much flour Add just enough to make the dough workable. When you knead the dough, you’ll end up adding a bit more flour. I have found this to be enough to make the dough easy to work with yet still bake up nice and fluffy. Too much flour will make your rolls dense.
Don’t kill the yeast Yeast needs to be activated with warm water, about 110 F, or warm enough to the touch without being too hot to touch. I usually just run the tap water until it’s almost too hot. If it does end up being too hot, let it sit for a few seconds. For an accurate measurement, use a food thermometer. The yeast will smell like fresh bread or beer when activated properly. It will also be bubbly and increase in volume.
Use a very sharp knife We don’t want to squish the rolls when we are cutting them, so it’s important to use a very sharp knife. That being said, I’ve had to reshape rolls after cutting and they still turn out fine.
Do a proper rise We want the rolls to double in size after they have been cut and arranged in our baking dish. A warm environment is best for the dough to rise in. I like to preheat my oven to 160 F then turn the oven off. Cover the dish of rolls loosely with tinfoil and place in the oven to rise for about an hour.
Ingredients
- Flour All-purpose flour works best in this recipe.
- Sugar White sugar for the dough; brown sugar for the filling; powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Butter Room temperature, unsalted. For the rolls, filling, and frosting.
- Egg Room temperature
- Whole Milk
- Yeast Instant yeast so we can get away with just one rise.
- Water
- Salt
- Maple syrup For the filling and frosting. Real maple syrup is best for this recipe.
- Cinnamon I mean, we wouldn’t have cinnamon rolls without cinnamon.
- Cloves I love cloves. I think they add a bit of warmness and depth to whatever they are added to.
- Pecans Crushed pecans in the filling steal the show.
- Cream cheese frosting or icing Either one of these frostings are delicious.
How to Make Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Step One In a large glass measuring cup, add warm water (110 F), yeast and sugar. Stir together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the white sugar and butter together. You can use either a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a hand held electric mixer. Beat in eggs and salt.
Step Two The yeast mixture should be ready to use by now. It will be foamy and smell like bread, or beer. I love the smell of it! Mix in the yeast mixture and 1 cup of flour into the same bowl we have been working with. Mix in the remaining flour one cup at a time, alternating with 1/4 cup of milk at a time. The mixture should be starting to come together. It will look like a shaggy mass. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour if you haven’t already.
Step Three The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl. At this point, you are ready to knead the dough. You can use the dough hook attachment for this, or you can use your hands. I like to use my hands. I’ll flatten the dough, then fold it in half, flatten again, and repeat this process for 5 minutes. You’ll know the dough is ready when it springs back when pressed with a finger.
Step Four Put it back in the bowl and let rest for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Step Five On a floured work surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a roughly 10″x15″ rectangle. Spread the softened butter all over the dough, leaving about a half inch to an inch of room around the edge. Evenly distribute the cinnamon and cloves mixture over the butter. Sprinkle the crushed pecans over everything.
Step Six Roll the dough up, starting at the long end. You want to roll the dough tightly. Go slowly to help get the tightest roll you can. The roll should be pretty even the whole length.
Step Seven Once you have the dough rolled up, we’ll need to slice it into 12 equal pieces. I slice the ends off first because they tend to be smaller pieces. You can put these in a small baking dish to cook along with the cinnamon rolls if you would like. Or you can toss them. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log in half. Then, slice each half into six equal pieces. There is also the technique that uses dental floss. You’ll want to slide the floss underneath the roll, then bring the ends up together, cross them and pull gently until the floss slices through the roll. Either way will work as long as you are careful not to squash the roll as you slice it. I found when slicing them that they are pretty forgiving, as long as you do not squash them so bad that they are unrecognizable. Even if that happens, they’re still going to rise and they’re still going to be delicious.
Step Eight Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray, or wipe with vegetable oil. Place the cinnamon roll slices evenly in the pan. There will be room between them, which will fill up when they rise. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise. I like to preheat the oven to 160 F then turn it off and set the rolls in there to rise. Don’t forget that they’re in there when you preheat the oven to bake the rolls.
Step Nine Once the rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30 minutes. The tops should be golden brown when done. If the centers of the rolls rise up while baking, gently push them down with the back of a large spoon. This has happened to me, and once I push the centers down, they continue to bake up nicely. You’ll want to make the icing while the rolls are baking. I also like to take this time to do some clean up.
You can see how nicely the rolls have risen to fill the dish.
Step Ten Once the rolls are done, remove them from the oven. Let the rolls rest for 10 minutes after pulling them out of the oven. Pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls while they are hot so it gets into all of the nooks and crannies of the rolls. This is one of the few times where we put the icing on while the baked goods are hot rather than waiting until they have cooled off. What can be more delicious than a warm, sweet, cinnamon-y cinnamon roll? I don’t know, maybe two of them?
Why I Love This Recipe
How does it taste? Cinnamon, sugar, and icing; need I say more? And don’t forget the maple syrup. It’s basically breakfast.
How does it smell? It smells like a cinnamon dream. You won’t be able to get enough of it.
Is it easy to make? While I wouldn’t say this is the easiest recipe to make, it’s definitely doable if you’re willing to put in the effort. There are quite a few steps, so be sure to follow them completely and you’ll be a pro in no time!
Would I make it again? Absolutely! Christmas morning? Check! New Year’s Day? Check! A random Saturday? Check!
Simple Icing
- Powdered Sugar This gives the sweetness and structure for the icing.
- Maple Syrup For that delicious hint of maple.
- Milk Makes the icing just runny enough without being too runny.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup until fully incorporated. You may see a few lumps of powdered sugar. I smash these against the side of the cup to dissolve them. You can also sift the powdered sugar before adding it in. I never bother with this step as the small lumps don’t bother me.
Other Recipes to Try
Are you a dessert fanatic just like I am? Good! You’ve come to the right place. My Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies are the stuff dreams are made of. And you must try my Tres Leches Cake; it’s simply delicious. Let’s not forget my Easy One Bowl Apple Spice Cupcakes. A delicious dessert when you need something quick with easy clean up. If you’re looking for more cinnamon flavored recipes, you can’t go wrong with my Cinnamon Scones with Cinnamon Chips and Vanilla Glaze or my Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. If they are not covered, they will dry out.
Yes, you can freeze these cinnamon rolls. Make sure they have cooled down fully before freezing them. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap then store in a freezer safe container. You can freeze the cinnamon rolls frosted or unfrosted.
Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- 4 1/2 teaspoons yeast (two packets)
- 1/4 cup water, 110 F
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tsp for the yeast
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk (2% or skim is fine as well)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup crushed pecans
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
Icing
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- In a large glass measuring cup, add warm water (110 F), two yeast packets, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. It should get foamy and smell like bread or beer. This lets you know if is alive and working.
- In a large bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of butter together. Beat in eggs and salt. Next, beat in the yeast mixture and 1 cup of flour.
- Beat in remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, alternating with 1/4 cup of milk (1 cup total). The dough should be starting to come together. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour if you haven't already. The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl once it's fully combined. At this point, you'll have to knead the dough.
- On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can also leave it in the bowl and use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer. I like using my hands. I spread the dough out in a rough rectangle, fold it over, then spread it out again, fold it over, and continue this process for 5 minutes.
- Once you're done kneading the dough, form it into a dough ball and set it back in the bowl. Set it aside for about 10-15 minutes while you make the filling.
- Crush the 1/2 cup pecans and set aside. Mix together the 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon cloves. Measure out the 1/4 cup butter. Be sure it's room temperature because we are spreading it over the rolled out dough.
- After 10-15 minutes, roll out the dough onto a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin. You'll roll the dough out to a roughly 10"x15" rectangle.
- Spread the butter evenly over the dough, leaving a .5-1 inch border. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter. Sprinkle the crushed pecans evenly over the cinnamon mixture. Drizzle the maple syrup over everything. Roll the dough up tightly from the long side.
- Using a sharp knife, very carefully slice the ends off of the rolled up dough, just about an inch or so. Then slice the log into twelve equal pieces (or as equal as you can get them). Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the rolls in the dish and place in a warm spot to rise. I like to preheat the oven to 160 F then turn off the oven and set the dough to rise in the warmed oven. It will take roughly an hour for the rolls to rise.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Be sure you remove the rolls from the oven first. Once the oven has preheated, bake the rolls for 30 minutes. They will be golden brown on the top. You may see the rolls rise up as they are cooking. I just take a flat wooden spoon and smoosh them down gently.
- While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to a large measuring glass. Add 3 tablespoons of milk and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. Mix until it is all combined. It will seem soupy until you add the rest of the powdered sugar. You can sift the powdered sugar to make it a bit less bumpy if you want. Add the rest of the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time and mix until fully incorporated.
- Once the rolls are done, remove them from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes. Pour the icing evenly over the rolls while they are hot. You want to do this while they are hot so the icing gets in all of the nooks and crannies. It makes the rolls that much more delicious!
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days.
- These rolls can be frozen. Make sure they are cooled down fully before freezing. You can either freeze the whole dish of rolls, or you can freeze them individually. To freeze the whole tray, wrap fully in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze individually, cut them up into twelve pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and store them in an airtight freezer-safe container.
Nutrition
About Author
Love these cinnamon rolls! The pecans go so well with them. Yum!