A Croissant Cinnamon Roll is a combination of flakey homemade croissant dough, wrapped in a buttery brown sugar walnut filling and topped with the most irresistible cream cheese glaze. It’s the perfect modern creation of a classic cinnamon roll.
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Where I Had My First Croissant Cinnamon Roll
This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite European style cafes in Salt Lake City Utah. Eva’s Bakery. Every time I dine there I have to order a croissant cinnamon roll with my meal or coffee and one to go. They are so good! It’s literally like the cinnamon roll and croissant went on a date, skipped to dessert and made a baby. Flakey, gooey, buttery and full of cinnamon and walnut crunch. I will never be the same after eating one.
Tips for Making the Perfect Croissant Cinnamon Roll Every time
- Before making the rolls read the recipe very carefully and make sure you have the time and patients to make them. These cinnamon rolls require more attention than a normal recipe. Take extra care.
- Set out the ingredients for the dough before beginning. The eggs need to be room temperature. As well as the butter. Look at the ingredients and the temperature that they need to be at so the dough comes together effortlessly.
- Bake with a high protein flour like an organic bread flour or organic unbleached all purpose flour. It’s higher in gluten protein, helping the dough to rise vertically while baking, allowing steam to get into the cracks so the croissants are tall and flakey, with a more open crumb and chewy texture. I love baking with King Arthurs Organic All Purpose Flour. Or Costco typically has a good organic all purpose flour.
- Use quality butter. Butter is very important in getting baked layers in the dough. You want butter that is about 84-87% fat with no water or other additives. Kirkland Grass Fed Butter or Kerrygold Grass Fed Butter are my favorite to use.
- Learn how to laminate well. Lamination is the art of layers in baking and pastries. Where butter is folded into the dough multiple times to create alternating layers of butter and dough. If you don’t fold the dough the right way, roll it out correctly or miss a step then the butter will seep out while baking. Leaving you with sad, fatty, doughy rolls. So read the instructions carefully and follow them exactly.
- Preheat the oven (about 30 minutes before baking) and use an oven thermometer to check the temperature to ensure your oven reaches the proper temperature.
You Can Prepare the Dough and Bake the Next Day
- You can prep the dough the day before baking. Just cover the croissant cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the refrigerator to rise the second proof overnight. The next morning, remove the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and place onto the counter top (in a warm area) for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Then bake 350 F for a 30-45 minutes until flakey and golden brown. Frost and enjoy.
Eva’s Copycat Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
A Croissant Cinnamon Roll is a combination of flakey homemade croissant dough, wrapped in a buttery brown sugar walnut filling and topped with the most irresistible cream cheese glaze. It's the perfect modern creation of a classic cinnamon roll.
Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls
Equipment
- 1 9×13 deep dish pan or large cookie sheet pan
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Flour Paste
- 1 cup organic whole milk or milk of choice
- ⅓ cup organic all purpose unbleached flour
Yeast Mixture
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon honey
Dough
- 4 cup organic all purpose unbleached flour
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ teapoon sea salt
- yeast mixture
- flour paste
Butter Block
- 1 cup grass fed butter softened
Walnut Cinnamon Filling
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 cup finely, chopped walnuts optional
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup grass fed butter melted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup grass fed butter softened
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ cup organic powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by making the flour paste by combining the milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly while making the yeast mixture.
- For the yeast mixture add warm water, yeast and honey to a small bowl and gently whisk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 5 minutes in a warm place until foamy and bubbly.
- To the bowl of the stand mixer add flour, sugar and sea salt. Mix gently until combined. Add oil, eggs, the yeast mixture and flour paste to the bowl. Attach the dough hook, turn the mixer to low and mix until the dough comes together. Then knead on medium speed for 5-7 minutes. The dough should be somewhat sticky and smooth.
- Remove the dough, using a dough scraper from the bowl. Grease the bowl and place the dough back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm place. About 2 hours. I like to place my dough in my turned off oven with the oven light on to rise.
- While the dough is rising make the butter block. Place 1 cup of softened butter in the center of a gallon ziplock bag. squeeze out all the air and zip it closed. With a rolling pin work the butter into all corners of the bag. Place the butter into the refrigerator to chill.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the doubled in size dough to a 13×18 rectangle.
- Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and cut the butter block out of the bag. Place the butter block on one side of the rolled out dough, an inch away from the border.
- Then fold the dough in half like closing a book. Use your fingers to seal the butter in.
- Now fold the bottom third up and over the middle. Then the top over the middle. And fold it in half like a book again. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes roll the dough out again into a large 13×18 rectangle. This time fold it over from the shorter side to the middle (vertically) like a letter. Then fold the other side over the middle. Now fold the bottom up to the middle and the top over the middle. You should have a pretty nice square. Cover in plastic wrap and allow the dough to chill another 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Roll the dough out one last time to a 13×18 rectangle. Be patient with the dough. It will be tougher to roll out every time but I promise it will get there. Once rolled out make the filling.
- For the filling melt the butter and add the brown sugar, ground cinnamon and coarsely chopped walnuts (an easy way to chop them is to place in a blender and pulse a few times.) Mix everything together until combine and slather evenly onto the croissant dough.
- Roll the dough with the filling lengthwise up into a log. Cut the dough using a sharp knife or flavorless dental floss into 12 equal cinnamon rolls. Place the cinnamon rolls onto a lightly greased 9×13 deep dish pan. Or place them on a cookie sheet, more spread out for a more crispy bake. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place the croissant cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator over night.
- The next day, remove the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and let them come back to room temperature (about 30 minutes) while the oven preheats to 350 F.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 45 minutes if using a 9×13 deep dish pan or about 25 minutes if using a 13×19 cookie sheet pan.
- While the croissants are baking make the frosting.
- For the frosting, add the butter and cream cheese to mixing bowl and beat them together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until combine. Whip in the heavy cream until the frosting is thick and creamy.
- When the timer goes off, remove the rolls from the ovens and immediately dollop frosting onto each one. Then go back and swirl the frosting over the tops.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter (out of the sun) for up to 3 days.
- To re warm place a cinnamon roll on a heat proof plate, in the toaster oven for 3-5 minutes.
Notes
You can prep the dough the day before baking. Just cover the croissant cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the refrigerator to rise the second proof overnight. The next morning, remove the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and place onto the counter top (in a warm area) for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Then bake 350 F for a 30-45 minutes until flakey and golden brown. Frost and enjoy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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