Rich, fluffy cinnamon rolls made with a soft brioche dough. Filled with brown butter, pistachios, and cinnamon sugar, and topped off with tangy pistachio cream cheese icing.
Take your cinnamon rolls up a notch with the rich nuttiness of brown butter and the crunch and subtle sweetness of crushed pistachios. This brioche dough comes together easily and creates the soft, pillowy cinnamon rolls of your dreams. Don't be intimidated by the yeasted bread-- I've got you!
Perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch, an unconventional dinner party dessert, or anything in between!
Keep scrolling for some extra tips and tricks, or, as always, feel free to skip right to the recipe!
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Ingredients
- Whole Milk - This needs to be warm, but no hotter than 110°F to avoid killing the yeast.
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar - Light or dark will work.
- Unsalted Butter - Room temperature for the dough and browned and cooled for the filling.
- Instant Yeast - Also known as "quick rise" yeast. Active dry yeast can work in a pinch, but rising times make take longer.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Bread Flour - Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, creating a chewier texture.
- Eggs
- Ground Cinnamon
- Pistachios - Buy unshelled to save some time. Feel free to roast these in the oven for a little bit before adding them to the recipe for a more intense flavor!
- Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese - Full-fat cream cheese works best.
- Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt - In this recipe (and most of my recipes) I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Normal table salt is MUCH saltier salt, so please adjust the salt in the recipe if that is all you have.
Instructions
If this is your first time making bread dough, have no fear! I've added some guidelines below:)
Add the yeast to the mixing bowl with the warm milk and some sugar. It should look foamy after a few minutes if it's active.
After making the dough, it should pass the "window pane test". It should be able to stretch thin enough for light to pass through it without breaking. Keep kneading if it's not quite there yet.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl covered with a tea towel. Place in a warm spot for the first rise.
Once your dough has doubled in size, it's ready to be rolled out.
After the first rise, roll the dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread the chilled browned butter all over and sprinkle the cinnamon, sugar, and pistachio mixture evenly over the butter.
Roll the dough tightly long ways to create an 18" long log. Using a sharp knife, score the dough into 12 even sections. Cut each cinnamon roll and place them in a lined 9" x 13" metal pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size.
Tip: Use dental floss to cut each cinnamon roll to avoid flattening the rolls.
Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown.
Whip up the cream cheese frosting while the cinnamon rolls are in the oven.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for a few minutes, then frost and enjoy them while they're still warm!
Make Ahead Instructions
Since cinnamon rolls are most commonly enjoyed in the morning, I realize most people may not want to start prepping these in the wee hours of the morning. Here are some alternative options:
- The night before, complete steps 1-12 of the recipe. Cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (8-12 hours). In the morning, allow the rolls to come to room temperature and rise in a warm place for about 60-90 minutes before baking.
- Complete steps 1-14 of the recipe, but slightly underbake the rolls. Allow them to cool completely and cover them tightly with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven the next morning, then frost and serve.
Storage
Store these in an airtight container for 1-2 days. They are best served warm the same day they are baked.
FAQ
Yes. Please see my make-ahead instructions earlier in this post.
Under-kneaded or under-proofed dough will make flatter, denser cinnamon rolls. Make sure the gluten has developed by using the "window pane test" shown in the pictures above and that the dough doubles in size with each rise to ensure fluffy cinnamon rolls.
Make sure to take them out of the oven just as the tops are starting to get golden brown. Store the baked cinnamon rolls in an airtight container. Heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave if you're not enjoying them the same day. After a couple of days, the cinnamon rolls will start to dry out.
Weight vs. volume measurements
You will find that the majority of the ingredients in my recipes will be measured by weight (usually grams) instead of volume (cups, etc.). This is to ensure the best results each time you bake. Depending on how ingredients are packed and leveled into a cup measurement, the actual amount of the ingredient can drastically differ. Baking is a science and depends on precise measurements to get consistent results. You can find a kitchen scale for cheap at most grocery stores or online. I love the Escali brand!
PrintRecipe
Brown Butter Pistachio Cinnamon Rolls
Rich, fluffy cinnamon rolls made with a soft brioche dough. Filled with brown butter, pistachios, and cinnamon sugar, and topped off with tangy pistachio cream cheese icing.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dough
- 244g (1C) whole milk, warm (100-110°F)
- 75g granulated sugar
- 7g (1 packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
- 113g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 250g bread flour
Filling
- 113g (1 stick) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
- 125g brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 75g ground pistachios
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Icing
- 6oz full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 25g pistachios, blended into a paste
- 80g powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the instant yeast, warm (100-110°F) whole milk, and a spoonful of the sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. Note: This step is optional if you are using instant or quick-rise yeast. If substituting with active dry yeast, do not skip this step. Either way, this step is useful for checking if your yeast is alive.
- Add the rest of the sugar, softened butter, eggs, and kosher salt and mix until combined.
- Switch the paddle attachment to the dough hook and gradually add in the flour while mixing on low.
- Once the dough starts coming together, mix on medium speed for 8-12 minutes until it passes the window pane test (see detailed post above) and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Form the dough into a ball by stretching and folding the sides into the center. Cover with a tea towel and place the bowl in a warm place for the first rise. After 1-1.5 hours the dough should double in size.
- Brown the butter: Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Once melted, continuously stir the butter until it foams and becomes a darker amber color. You will notice darker bits at the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once the milk solids have browned, turn off the heat and transfer the browned butter to a heat-safe bowl. Allow butter to cool. (To speed up the cooling, you can place the bowl in the fridge after 10 minutes as long as you are not using a glass bowl).
- Using a food processor, blend 75 grams of pistachios until chopped into small bits and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground pistachios, and salt for the filling.
- Assemble: Once the dough has completed its first rise and doubled in size, place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12" x 18" rectangle.
- Spread the browned butter (Make sure it's a spreadable consistency at this point. Give it a stir if it hardened too much in the fridge.) over the entire surface of the rolled-out dough using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon, sugar, pistachio, and salt mixture over the spread butter-- you may have a tiny bit left over.
- Slowly roll the dough into a tight, long tube. Start rolling from the long side, and you should end up with a log 18 inches long. Using a sharp knife, score the dough into 12 even sections.
- Grease and line a 9"x 13" metal baking pan with parchment paper. Using dental floss or a knife, cut the dough log into 12 rolls and place them in the lined pan.
- Lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. After 10 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 19-22 minutes at 350°F until the tops are slightly golden brown. Prep the icing while the cinnamon rolls are in the oven.
- Prepare the icing: To make the pistachio paste, blend 25g of pistachios in a food processor until they form a paste. After about 5 minutes, the nuts will release oils that help form the paste.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the room-temperature cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in the pistachio paste, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool slightly before icing a serving. Best served warm!
Notes
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Best served warm the same day.
- Yeast: You may substitute with active dry yeast if that is all you have, but the rising time may take longer.
- Flour: For best results and texture, don't skip out on the bread flour. You can substitute with all-purpose flour if necessary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 487
- Sugar: 22.7g
- Sodium: 304mg
- Fat: 26.7g
- Saturated Fat: 13.5g
- Carbohydrates: 57.4g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 88mg
Keywords: brown butter cinnamon roll, pistachio, cream cheese icing
About Kaylee Hagen
Hi, I'm Kaylee! I'm the recipe developer, writer, and photographer for all things Honey, I Baked a Cake! Formerly a professional musical theatre performer in New York City, I now put my creativity into baking decadent treats to share with friends, family, and you.
Melody Fromage
Love this recipe!!! Such a delicious twist on traditional cinnamon rolls. And the recipe hints were super helpful. These turned out great — best texture of any I’ve ever made.
★★★★★
Dirk Pitt Jr.
Incredible! Not usually a sweet roll fan, but I absolutely love these.
★★★★★
Rachel
My favorite cinnamon rolls!
★★★★★