Caramelized White Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Caramelized white chocolate cinnamon rolls take cinnamon rolls to a level… think pillowy soft brioche dough swirled with caramelized white chocolate and cinnamon sugar, and balanced with the tang of cream cheese frosting!
How to make caramelized white chocolate cinnamon rolls?
This recipe is one of the oldest on Baran Bakery and one of my favorites as well! Honestly, anything covered in caramelized white chocolate is my favorite. And this dough, it’s only got one rise time and it’s perfectly pillowy soft. The filling is made of the caramelized white chocolate, brown sugar and cinnamon and then of course, topped with cream cheese frosting.
Dough with instant yeast
We all know that no one wants to wait around for their dough to proof TWICE. So yeah, instant yeast is the way to go. The yeast doesn’t require any activation so I mix it right up into the flour and salt and then pour over my wet ingredients.
Here you’ll want to knead the dough (I use a stand mixer with a hook attachment) until the gluten is strong enough to peel away from the edge of the bowl. If you’re kneading by hand, the dough should be significantly less sticky and you can also do the windowpane test. Stretch a piece of dough until it becomes so thin in the middle that you can see light through it. If it breaks before you can see light through it, keep kneading.
Caramelized white chocolate filling
If you’ve never made caramelized white chocolate, it’s basically just roasting white chocolate until it turns a gorgeous caramel color. You can use it as is, or mix it with cream to make liquid gold, aka caramelized white chocolate ganache.
For the filling, I spread that liquid gold onto my dough, then top it with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Cream Cheese Frosting
My favorite frosting for cinnamon rolls is cream cheese frosting, duhhh! The tanginess of cream cheese plays well with the sweetness of the white chocolate and warmth of the cinnamon.
I use the frosting base from my brioche cinnamon rolls. Sometimes I brown the butter, like I did with my apple butter cinnamon rolls or add marshmallow fluff like my s’mores cinnamon rolls.
I prefer my frosting to be thicker so that when I spread it on warm rolls, it melts on top. You can also make it thinner, like a glaze, by adding extra milk or cream, like I did with my brown butter lemon cinnamon rolls and my chocolate cinnamon rolls.
I also added some of that liquid gold to my frosting because, well they are called caramelized white chocolate cinnamon rolls after all.
How to store cinnamon rolls
In general, cinnamon rolls are best served fresh and warm. If they’re not served immediately, it’s best to reserve the frosting and frost them before serving. The rolls can stay in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days (unfrosted) and refrigerated for up to a week. When serving cinnamon rolls, reheat them in the microwave or the oven just until they’re warm and then frost.
If they are frosted and not eaten right away, refrigerate them and reheat them before serving, keeping in mind the frosting will melt and probably look separated but it will still taste good.
Ok I’m done ranting. If you have any questions or suggestion, comment down below and if you make these cinnamon rolls make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram! As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
