Waking up to these freshly baked Sweet Potato Cinnamon rolls is a special treat. When they are homemade, from scratch, they are even more special. The mashed sweet potatoes gives extra tenderness and moisture to this dough, and it also adds a pretty color. These are filled with a buttery cinnamon filling, and then iced with a cream cheese frosting, while piping hot. Bet you can’t eat just one!
What’s not to love about freshly baked Cinnamon Rolls? When my son was little, we used to cruise the shopping mall. He’d excitedly beg ask me to buy him a Cinnabon.
How could I resist those baby blues?
day.)
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Helpful equipment: Silicone mat, for shaping the dough. Unscented dental floss (unused, obviously!) for slicing the dough.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup milk
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato about 2 sweet potato, baked
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 packets active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons; I prefer SAF Instant yeast
- 4 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice plus
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
For the filling:
- NOTE: I buy Baker’s Cinnamon Filling from www.kingarthurflour.com because it makes the BEST cinnamon filling To make your own you will need:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter very soft
- For the icing:
For the icing:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 Tbsp. butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup optional (not pancake syrup)
Instructions
- Bake the yams at 375F for about 45 minutes, on a foil-lined baking sheet, until soft. Carefully cut open and scrape out the flesh. Set aside to cool.
For the dough:
- Heat the milk and the 4 tbsp butter together in a small pan on the stove over low/medium heat until the butter melts and the milk is warm to the touch. Remove from heat, let cool about 10 minutes (temperature should be around 100 degrees—like warm bath water. If it’s hotter than that, the yeast will die and the rolls won’t rise!) sprinkle in the yeast and stir so yeast will dissolve. Let yeast mixture sit for five minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the mashed sweet potato and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or spices of cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice).
- Add flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the yeast and milk.
- Knead for about six minutes on medium speed with the dough or paddle attachment. The dough should be smooth and elastic when you’re done.
- Flour your hands (you’ll thank me, as the dough is a bit sticky), and push the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm area to rise for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- NOTE: I turn my oven on WARM for 3 minutes, then shut it off. Place the dough into this warm draft-free zone and your dough will rise super fast– like in an hour…maybe less.
- If you took my advice, and bought the King Arthyr Flour Cinnamon Baker's Filling, mix 1 cup of filling mix, with 4 Tablespoons water and whisk until smooth, set aside.
- Otherwise, make your filling:
Otherwise, make the filling:
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Remove dough by dumping it onto a lightly floured surface. (I use a silicone mat, so that I need less flour). Roll out to a large rectangle and spread soft butter on top. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture on top keeping an inch bare around the sides.IF using the KAF Cinnamon Filling, using an off-set spatula, spread leaving about a 1" border.
- Gently roll up dough so it resembles a log. Slice dough into 1 inch slices and place in a greased 9 x 13″ dish. Cover with a dishcloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- NOTES: I use a long piece of unscented (obviously unused) dental floss. to make perfect slices. Once again, I use that quick WARM method in the oven to make for a warm and draft-free place for the second proof. The rolls are ready to bake in 30 minutes!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 22-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
For the glaze:
- Whisk together the softened cream cheese and butter, then add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. You want the glaze to be thick, but not like cement.
- Once the rolls are removed from the oven, immediately add a large spoonful of frosting over each roll, and then spread with the back of the spoon. The glaze will ooze over each roll.
- Enjoy while still warm.
Danielle Imstuffed says
beautiful and delicious. Love the floss tip!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
These are absolutely gorgeous!
Velva says
Holy cow Debby,…I would swoon over these sweet potato cinnamon rolls. This is a beautiful addition to the holiday morning or brunch meal.
Velva
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Kathleen says
Oh girl these look crazy delish!!!
The Short (dis)Order Cook says
…and I am very glad that you did!
I much prefer sweet potatoes to pumpkin. Good call!
Anne @ Webicurean says
These look incredible! I have two breadmakers too, but I definitely let my KitchenAid do all the heavy lifting when it comes to kneading dough (especially when making raviolis)!
Christine says
These sound so wonderful! Love the dental floss idea for cutting them!
Joanne says
I actually totally stopped being scared of yeast after I learned to add a bit of sugar and see if it foams or not before forging ahead. These cinnamon rolls look amazing! And since they have a vegetable in them, they're obviously health food right?
Monica H says
Those look so darn good! I've made them with pumpkin and I've made sweet potato rolls, but never thought of this. yum!
Roz P. says
Debby, you are doing an excellent job of tempting me to totally blow my weight-loss efforts! But I can always tell myself that since there are sweet potatoes included it is healthier for us! I will probably not stop by before Thanksgiving, so I'd like to extend a wish for a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours, Debby!
Big hugs,
Roz
Gloria says
absolutely amazing!
Mrs. Jeffries says
I made these for a big family breakfast over the holiday weekend… the recipe was easy to follow. The dough did what it was supposed to. It was a dream to work with. They were beautiful! Even before baking they looked divine. But they TASTED EVEN BETTER! I am very thankful that I found your blog. You helped me provide a beautiful breakfast gift for my family.
admin says
Mrs. Jeffries,
I wish you had an email, so I hope that you check back. Thank you for telling me that these were a success! Thanks for your kind words.
Alisa says
The recipe cards on your site seem to have vanished! We can't see any of them and have tried a couple of browsers. I really want to see the cinnamon roll recipe! If you could fix it or email me that would be great. Thank you!
Pinoy Kitchenette says
That is so deliciously beautiful… im not that good in baking but you've just inspired me to try it now!
New fan and follower here..
admin says
Alisa, the recipe cards are there. I use Mozilla, but can also see them with Explorer and Google Chrome. If you send an email to me foodiewife@gmail.com I will send you the link.