Blackberry Lemon Cinnabuns | New Jersey Food Stylist & Photographer
Blackberry Lemon Cinnabuns | New Jersey Food Stylist & Photographer
If you love cinnamon rolls but hate that it seems all the best tasting recipes take hours of prep and even require overnight proofing. Well, I think I have finally cracked the code to the best tasting, quick and easy cinnabuns. These gooey cinnabus are made even better with fresh fruit and bright flavors like lemon and cream cheese. These are easy to make and can be prepared and eaten in the same day or make ahead for the freezer.
Ingredients
Cinnabun Dough:
1 cup milk warm (105 degrees F)
½ cup + 1 TBS granulated sugar divided
1 TBS Active dry yeast
2 large eggs room temperature
6 TBS butter melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Blackberry Lemon Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
1 cup brown sugar packed
1 TBS ground cinnamon
6 TBS butter softened
juice of one lemon
1.5 cups fresh blackberries
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
juice of one lemon or more
Instructions
Make the Cinnabun Dough:
Warm milk in the microwave milk for 45-60 seconds. It should be warm but not hot to the touch (about 105 degrees F).
Place milk into the bowl of your standing mixer, then add 1 TBS sugar and 1 TBS yeast to the warm milk. Stir and let it sit (proof) for five minutes or until it becomes foamy.
Add the ½ cup sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla to the mixture in the bowl of your standing mixer. Use a dough hook to stir until combined
Add 4 cups flour, salt and cinnamon and stir the dough hook, starting on low and increasing to high.
Knead dough in the standing mixer until a large ball is formed. The dough should be smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch. If the dough seems too sticky and is not forming a ball, add more flour 1 TBS at a time until a smooth ball is formed.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead with your hands until it is smooth and elastic (about 3-5 minutes). Form it into a ball.
Grease a large bowl and place the dough inside.
Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel and put the bowl in a warm place to rise.
Let the dough rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Make the Blackberry Lemon Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
While the dough is rising, make the filing. In a sauce pan bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and blackberries until mixture bubbling and thickens. Mash berries slightly. Set aside.
Assemble Cinnabuns
- Sprinkle a large work surface with flour.
- Gently press the gas out of the dough and form it into a rectangle.
- Roll the dough into a 24x12” rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread the blackberry filling all over the dough using offset spatula. This process can seem difficult but it gets easier as you spread it.
- Roll up dough cut into 8-12 equal sized rolls.
- Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Then place rolls evenly spaced.
- Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Bake Cinnabuns
Once rolls are doubled in size, bake them in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. They will rise more in the oven.
(NOTE: Check the center of the cinnabuns and make sure they are baked through. If your oven bakes cool or unevenly you may need to increase the baking time up to 10 minutes longer. If the top starts to brown before the center is baked, tent the baking pan with foil to prevent further browning).
Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
While buns are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract lemon juice and salt. Add lemon juice 1tsp at a time until reach desired consistency. Once the cinnabuns have been removed from the oven, spread the cream cheese frosting on them while they are still warm. Let cool and serve warm.
Overnight: After the cinnabuns have been assembled in a baking pan, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and cover with a tea towel or aluminum foil and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature and finish rising (this takes about 30-40 minutes). Then bake according to recipe instructions.
To Freeze: Assemble the cinnabuns in the baking pan. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil or a lid. Freeze for up to 1 month. To bake, remove cinnabuns from the freezer the night before you'd like to bake them. Let them come to room temperature and rise overnight, then bake according to the recipe instructions. If filling "oozes out" If you find some of the cinnamon/sugar filling at the bottom of your baking pan when you pull them out of the oven, immediately place a lid or a baking sheet over the top of the cinnabuns and flip them upside down (invert them). This will cause the filling to reincorporate into the rolls!
