Recipe courtesy of
Martha Tinkler
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Martha Tinkler
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Easter Cinnamon Rolls
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr 15 min (includes rising and cooling times)
- Active: 1 hr 15 min
- Yield: 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 800
- Total Fat
- 41 g
- Saturated Fat
- 27 g
- Carbohydrates
- 101 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 66 g
- Protein
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 129 mg
- Sodium
- 462 mg
Sometimes it’s fun to go all-out for holidays, and these Easter cinnamon rolls fit the bill. We pulled out all the stops by tinting the sweet-roll dough with festive colors, then topping the rolls with luscious cream cheese frosting and a vivid green “grass” made with shredded coconut. Adorable marshmallow bunnies and pastel-colored chocolate eggs take it over the top.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 4 hr 15 min (includes rising and cooling times)
- Active: 1 hr 15 min
- Yield: 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 800
- Total Fat
- 41 g
- Saturated Fat
- 27 g
- Carbohydrates
- 101 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 66 g
- Protein
- 10 g
- Cholesterol
- 129 mg
- Sodium
- 462 mg
Ingredients
Dough:
Topping:
Filling:
Cream Cheese Frosting:
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Directions
- For the dough: Whisk together the 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 the granulated sugar, salt and eggs into the yeast mixture. Add the bread flour and milk powder 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, add 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. Make sure not to step too far away from your mixer, as the kneading might make it wiggle off the counter.) 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.
- Divide the dough among 3 medium bowls. Add the food coloring to the bowls: pink to one bowl, purple to another and blue to the final bowl. Transfer the dough with the pink food coloring to the stand mixer bowl and use the dough hook to mix the dough until it is completely pink. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the purple dough, then the blue dough.
- Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it has a buttery, yeasty smell and has doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes. (If your kitchen is warm, check at 30 minutes. It should smell buttery and yeasty, and if it's doubled, it's done. If not, check again every 10 minutes.)
- For the topping: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Add the coconut to a large resealable plastic bag or large mixing bowl and add the green food coloring. Press and shake (or stir) the coconut until it is completely green. Spread the coconut onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and let dry until ready to use, stirring and flipping occasionally.
- For the filling: Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl until no lumps of sugar remain. Smash in the butter with a rubber spatula and stir until completely combined.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Split each dough round in half, then add the halves together on a lightly floured surface – 3 halves on top and 3 on the bottom, with the colors alternating to create a checkerboard-like pattern – and press them into a rectangle. Roll out the dough slightly into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, pushing the edges towards the center to make straight sides. Spread the brown sugar filling over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Starting from a long end, tightly roll the dough into a log, pressing the sides occasionally to keep them flush.
- Cut the dough crosswise into 12 pieces and arrange them cut-side up in the prepared pan in a uniform 3-by-4 grid. There will be about 1/4 inch between each roll, but the rolls will fill in the gaps as they proof and bake. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place, 30 to 40 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 cooked all the way through, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before frosting. For the cream cheese frosting: Beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and salt in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, starting at the lowest speed and gradually increasing, until it is smooth and creamy, adding more cream if necessary to make a thick, spreadable frosting.
- Remove 1 heaping tablespoon of frosting to a small bowl. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the cinnamon rolls and sprinkle the coconut over top. Arrange the bunnies and eggs around the coconut meadow, using the reserved frosting to help stick the marshmallows to the coconut. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
