We’re not just talking about cinnamon rolls today; we’re talking about developing a super power. Would you rather be able to fly, be able to breathe under water, or be able to make a batch of cinnamon rolls and eat all of the warm centers just because you can?
Flying… we have planes for. Breathing underwater we made tanks for…. also there are three things called sharks, piranhas, and stinging jelly fish so why would we want to be down there for too long? Cinnamon rolls from your oven all to yourself… no downside. No biting fish, large or small.
So?
These rolls are carrot cake inspired with fresh shredded carrots inside a spiced and yeasted cinnamon dough. The filling is rich and sweet, studded with raisins and walnuts… All the goodness of carrot cake, deconstructed and brought back together again. If raisins or walnuts offend you, as I know there are carrot cake purists out there… go ahead and substitute in sardines or garlic… you know, something less gross. I get it.
Shall we?
Mis en place is important when it comes to cinnamon rolls. We need to know what is what when it comes to dough, filling, and frosting. A lot of elements have to come together to eat those doughy doughy dough centers.
To make the carrot cake dough we start with flour, brown sugar, salt and carrot cake spices: cinnamon + ginger + allspice + nutmeg.
Yeast is bloomed in warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Egg and melted butter for richness. Because why would we make a cinnamon roll any other way!? We’re civilized humans with big brains.
Before mixing the wet and dry cinnamon roll ingredients on the stand mixer, stir together into a shaggy-wet mixture with a spatula. This will help the dough hook work its magic.
The eternal cinnamon roll questions? Is the dough too wet? Too dry? Is it supposed to stick to the sides of the mixing bowl.
Yes. No. Yes.
You don’t want cinnamon roll to be too thick or dense. A bit wet and sticky is the way to go. The dough will stick to the sides of the bowl. Scrape and add a bit more flour but keep the dough moist and tacky.
Carrots added for carrot cake affect and added sweetness.
These rolls do not taste like carrots… perhaps to your dismay, perhaps to your excitement.
Risen and soft. Carrot-studded because we’re crafty.
Rolled to a 1/4-inch thickness and ready for filling!
Butter first followed by brown sugar, spices, raisins and walnuts (sardines and garlic was totally a joke…). You miiiight want to add more shredded carrots into the filling, but I skipped the extra vegetable part.
Sliced to eight for a rise and a bake.
Buttery, golden brown and bubbling with sugar and spice. It only gets better from here because Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting!
Look at what we’ve done! So much better than breathing under water.
Now… if we got to have a mermaid tail while breathing under water… that’s a whole other story. That’s probably better than cinnamon rolls, plus you get to comb your hair with a fork.
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Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 120
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoon) active dry yeast
- pinch of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 – 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for your workspace
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup finely grated carrot
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
For the Frosting
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 2 – 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- pinch of salt
- splash of whole milk
Instructions
- Heat milk to a warm 99 -105 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk along with a pinch of sugar. Stir to combine. It’s ok if the mixture is lumpy. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, during which time the mixture will froth and foam.
- After the mixture as foamed, whisk in the melted butter, beaten egg and vanilla extract.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together 3 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, salt, and spiced. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to just combine. Knead on the dough hook for 5 minutes. Add more flour as necessary to create a smoothe, cohesive, and slightly sticky dough. The dough will still stick to the sides of the bowl some. That’s ok! Add shredded carrots near the end of the kneading and knead for 2 minutes more.
- Scrape the dough into a large, lightly greased bowl, sprinkle with a bit of flour, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
- While the dough rests, assemble the filling and frosting.
- To assemble the filling, in a small bowl toss together sugar, spices, and salt until thoroughly combined.
- To assemble the frosting, in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter until evenly combined. Add pineapple and sugar and salt, and beat until smooth. Add more sugar or milk to control the consistency. Set aside.
- To assemble the rolls, dump the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for a few turns. Use a floured rolling pin to roll to a 1/4 inch thickness. My dough was about 10-inches long and 8-inches tall Drizzle with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture, and sprinkle with raisins and walnuts. Starting from the long end of dough, roll into a tight coil. Slice into 8 even slices. Transfer to a greased deep pie dish and cover with plastic wrap, allowing the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until baked though, golden and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
- Frost generously with prepared frosting and serve warm.
- Rolls will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator for three days. Gently warm before serving.
52 Responses
Hi Joy! I made these for my family on Easter this past Sunday, and they were a hit! The dough is so nicely spiced, and we all loved the touch of pineapple in the cream cheese :) Thank you for sharing!
I just made these for my family who were visiting, and everyone loved them!! I made them on Thursday night for a Saturday morning breakfast (there was going to be no time on Friday), and refrigerated them until Sat. morning. I did not use walnuts (husband is not a fan) or raisins (didn’t have them), but I did add a little chopped candied ginger into the dough. Nice addition :-) It felt like kind of a lot of work with the carrot grating and pineapple draining, but everyone said they had much more flavor and better texture than my old go-to homemade cinnamon roll recipe. Oh – and I got 15 cinnamon rolls out of the dough. Must have rolled it thinner and cut smaller rolls, but they felt pretty normal. 15 fit perfectly in a 9×13.
These were so easy and SOOOOOO delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, really, I can’t get over that delicious taste! So simple and yet – sooo great. Thank you for this recipe – it’s a real keeper
I attempted these and they were a huge fail. They came out of the oven swimming in butter and the dough still raw. I could have done a million things wrong, but what a disappointment to spend all that time and then have them not turn out. Usually I have no problems with your recipes but this one was a tough one.
Sounds great! I am going to try these! I love carrot cake and am excited to try something new! Thanks for posting!
I have been eyeing this recipe for days now, but the 2 hour prep time is a bit daunting. Can the dough rise over night? Or should I just suck it up and get up early? I’ve been using your recipes and they never disappoint! Thank you for putting your baking prowess out there for your readers!
The dough can definitely rise in the fridge overnight. Just let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes in the morning before rolling and filling.
Made these yesterday. They were awesome. Mine turned out gigantic. Need to make them smaller next time.
Made these today. They were great. But my rolls were huge! I needed two pans.
Pineapple cream cheese frosting? Seriously fantastic idea.
The images in the post looks awesome. Its a visual treat. Can’t wait to try it and surprise my kids with these yummy rolls
Wholeheartedly YES on the walnuts but NO, for the love of Pete, on the raisins. I’ve never tasted anything that raisins didn’t ruin. haha
These look amazing, though. A must try, for sure. My mom loves carrot cake so I’m thinking she may get these for Mother’s Day brunch. ;-)
Oh yes please! These look divine! Quick question for you: I noticed a small bowl in your photos with something that resembled toasted coconut but coconut is not listed in the recipe. Was it just a prop for your pretty pictures or did you actually use it in your rolls?
These are brilliant.
Do you think it would matter if I substituted the whole milk with buttermilk
Just add a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your milk to make it buttermilk in this recipe!
What an amazing idea! I made cinnamon rolls filled with marzipan, but carrots is totally original. I am tempted to make a hybrid! Thanks for always sharing such original recipes
I guess I’ve been eating Pillsbury cinnamon buns too long because this sounds absolutely delicious!!! I love carrot cake!! =P
Oh yes! I Love carrot cake and cinnamon buns, what could be more joyous than the two combined? Brilliant recipe, will have to try it out. Maybe coffee and walnut cake cinnamon buns next…
Raisins and walnuts sound like a magnificent filling! The pineapple frosting sounds heavenly!
These look so good! Definitely something that I need to make for a weekend brunch with the family!
Thanks!
I absolutely love carrot cake and cinnamon rolls! Perfect combo, I can’t wait to try these! Thanks Joy!
I have a dairy allergy. Would the rolls work if I substitute coconut milk and oil? Are the properties similar enough?
Yes I think that would work just fine!
This is making me hungry! I love carrot cake and cinnamon rolls so this sounds amazing!
You are so wise. Carrot cake + cinnamon rolls = glorious!
Haha love the narrative. I love cinnamon rolls, and this recipe looks amazing. Will definitely give it a go. Interesting that you included the carrot in, makes for a slightly different cinnamon roll then the typical recipes. Excited to try some.
Francis | Free Core
What a cool take on classic cinnamon rolls! I’m growing more and more fond of all of the things you can do with carrot cake.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
For my super power, I pick eating the centers of ALL the rolls and not having regrets at the gym later that week. I’m usually a basic, keep it simple kind of girl, but all of those fillings are just… heart eye emoji inspiration. And the pineapple cream cheese frosting is definitely my new favorite idea.
YUM!! These look so wonderful!
Raisins, walnuts, whatever. Throw it in there. I’m the kind of girl who wants as many ingredients that are available, thank you!
I’ve been wondering what to make for my brunch party in the next few weeks. Oh, yes, this is it.
OMG! Just made this tonight. M’lady does not do desert, but this she had to have. Kitchen smells, hubby baking (cleaned up after himself!) and now I’ve got 3 “dog-house” passes. “Luv ya” Joy, keep ’em coming!
Joy help! No matter what I do I can’t get my yeast to activate in the milk. I’ve tried twice now, checking the temperature very precisely and I’ve got nothing. Any tips please? These look so amazing!
Maybe your milk is too warm and it’s killing the yeast. Try using slightly cooler milk and adding a pinch of sugar.
That dough…looks perfect. And I love raisins and stuff in my carrot cake. Sue me! Looks delicious. xo
Hi Joy! Could i assemble the rolls and keep them in the fridge for as long as two days before baking? Alternatively, could I freeze them prior to baking? If so, how would you recommend going about that?
LOVE this idea. Also, Joy–just watched the Tiger Woods video that you posted yesterday, and DIED laughing at that writer skyping from his bedroom. Hilarious. Thank you for those giggles!
Is there any substitute for whole milk?
I’ve been wanting to make these forever! My hubs is a huge carrot cake fan! I’m bookmarking them for the weekend. It’s actually been way too long since I’ve made homemade cinnamon rolls!
Do I spy some toasted coconut on top of them there cinnamon rolls?
I like my carrot cake fully loaded, so please lay all the raisins and walnuts right on me! And I totally agree about the pirañas and jelly fish risk. Give me all the gooey middle cinnamon roll power instead.
The image is print-protected and does not come out no matter which way I try to print the recipe. Looks yummy though!
Depending upon which computer you have you could take a screen shot by using the snipit tool or command+shift+4 (mac). Then it will be a picture you can print! Presto! = )
Or, better yet, use the print button at the top of the recipe? This works for me perfectly.
Perfection.
Monday just got WAY better! How could you possibly beat getting to eat your cinnamon roll and have your carrot cake TOO!
Neither raisins nor walnuts offend me… these look scrumptious! What a perfectly lovely way to start a Monday morning. So sad that I’m off to eat a bowl of raisin bran instead of one of these beauties…
Literally two of my favorite things in the world – such a match made in heaven!
Can you make the dough a day ahead and then bake?
absolutely! make the dough up to the first rise. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. when ready to bake in the morning, take the dough out of the oven. Allow to come to room temperature and proceed as instructions indicate!
The perfect combination! Must be a little bite of heaven.