Treat yourself to an unforgettable homemade experience! Our Cinnamon Rolls with Smoked Candied Nuts are a delightfully scrumptious and indulgent indulgence. Just wait until you taste the warmth and sweetness of freshly made dough and the crunch of flavorful candied nuts - absolutely worth the effort!
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Scalded milk cooled to 110°F: Heating the milk, melting the butter and sugar into it, and letting it cool to 110°F gives the yeast a warm, safe start.
- Maple brown sugar filling: Brown sugar, maple syrup, softened butter, and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon make a thick, spreadable filling that stays in the roll.
- Fold-and-roll dough: Folding the risen dough in thirds twice before rolling it out builds structure for a tall, soft roll.
- Cherry-smoked candied nuts: Pecans and hazelnuts soaked in maple syrup, tossed with brown sugar and smoked salt, and smoked with cherry pellets add crunch on top.
Cinnamon Rolls with Smoked Candied Nuts
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 2 users
Category
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Calories
705
Ring in the new year in comfort and style! These scratch-made Cinnamon Rolls with Smoked Candied Nuts are absolutely worth the effort and the wait. You just can’t beat homemade!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
-
9 g (2 1/2 tsp) dry active yeast
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 cups all purpose flour
-
2 tsp Noble Saltworks Whiskey Barrel Smoked Flaked Finishing Salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
-
1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
-
1 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
-
1 tsp Noble Saltworks Whiskey Barrel Smoked Flaked Finishing Salt
For the Sweet Dough:
For the Cinnamon Roll Filling:
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
For the Smoked Candied Nuts:
Directions
- Place the milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. When the milk begins to boil remove the pan from the heat. Pour the hot milk into the bowl of an stand mixer. Add the 1/2 cup butter and stir to melt. When the butter is melt, stir in the sugar and whisk to dissolve. When the temperature of the milk has cooled to 110ºF, add the yeast. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes, letting the yeast begin to foam. Add the eggs, salt and flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix for 10 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until double in size.
- To make the Cinnamon Roll Filling, mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter and cinnamon until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill to 250ºF, set up for smoking.
Place the pecan and hazelnut pieces in a quart sized container. Pour the maple syrup over the nuts. Soak for 30 minutes. Strain the nuts. Discard or reserve the maple syrup. Place the the nuts in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat the nuts in the sugars. Spread the nuts out on a parchment lined sheet pan. Place the pan on the second shelf of the grill. Fill an A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker with Cherry Pellets, place on the main cooking grate and light with a torch. Let the flame burn back for about 30 second, then blow out the flame. Smoke until the mixture is mostly dried out and the nuts are tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the grill.
- When the sweet dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and place on a floured work surface. Fold the dough into thirds and press flat. Then turn 90º and fold into thirds again and press the dough into a rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the rectangle out to approximately 16” X 20”.
Spread the cinnamon filling over the dough, in a thin layer. Leave a 1.5” border of bare dough on one long edge. Starting at the cinnamon-covered long edge, roll the dough tightly toward the bare edge, forming a long tight cinnamon roll log. Cut the log into 12 equal sized rolls. Tuck the loose end of each roll underneath to secure it, and place 6 rolls in a greased Lodge 8” Cast Iron Skillet.
Increase the temperature of the grill to 350ºF.Allow the rolls to rise until they have risen above the rim of the skilled and have proofed into each other. The cinnamon rolls should be touching each other. Bake until the edges are just golden and the centers of are cooked through, about 40 minutes.
- To make the cream cheese glaze, combine the room temperature cream cheese, butter, bourbon and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix until completely smooth. Add the milk and whisk until incorporated.
- Immediately after the cinnamon rolls come off the grill, cover in the cream cheese glaze. Serve warm, topped with the Smoked Candied Nuts.
- This recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls. You can fit 6 rolls into each 8” skillet, so when preparing your cinnamon rolls, work in batches, use two skillets or save and freeze half for later.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why bring the milk to a boil and then cool it to 110°F?
Heating the milk melts the butter and dissolves the sugar. Cooling it to 110°F before adding the yeast keeps the liquid warm enough to activate the yeast without being hot enough to kill it.
Why let the yeast sit for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients?
Ten minutes lets the yeast begin to foam, which shows it's active before the eggs, salt, and flour go in.
Why mix the dough for 10 minutes with the dough hook?
Extended kneading develops gluten, which gives the rolls a stretchy, tender crumb that holds up to the filling and rises tall.
Why fold the dough in thirds twice before rolling it out?
Folding and pressing the dough builds layers of structure and evens out the dough's thickness, so it rolls into an even 16" x 20" rectangle.
Why leave a 1 1/2" border of bare dough?
Rolling toward the bare edge lets the clean dough seal against the log, which keeps the roll from unraveling as it bakes.
Why let the rolls rise until they touch and rise above the skillet rim?
A full second rise gives soft, fluffy rolls that press against each other and bake into a pull-apart layer. Under-risen rolls bake up dense.
How do I know the rolls are done?
The edges should be golden and the centers cooked through, after about 40 minutes at 350°F. Enriched dough like this is fully baked at about 190°F in the center.
Why soak the nuts in maple syrup before candying them?
A 30-minute soak coats the nuts in maple flavor before they're tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon, and smoked salt. The soaking syrup can be saved for another use.
Why add the glaze right after the rolls come off the grill?
The cream cheese glaze melts slightly into the hot rolls, so it soaks in and coats the whole surface instead of sitting in a thick layer.
How should I store the finished rolls?
Because the glaze contains cream cheese, refrigerate the rolls within 2 hours of glazing. Unbaked rolls can also be frozen, which the recipe suggests for the second batch.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5. A 350°F oven bakes the rolls exactly the same way, and the candied nuts can dry in a 250°F oven. You'd lose the cherry smoke flavor on the nuts.
Recipe Highlights
Warm-milk yeast start: Activates yeast without overheating it.
Maple brown sugar filling: Stays thick and spreadable.
Fold-and-roll dough: Builds structure for tall, soft rolls.
Smoked candied nuts: Add crunch and cherry smoke on top.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 7.85 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 705
- Carbs
- 98 grams
- Protein
- 8 grams
- Fat
- 32 grams
- Sodium
- 222 milligrams
