These caramel pecan cinnamon rolls are super soft, gooey, and great for your next brunch. They’re made with a classic brioche dough and filled with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salted caramel, and pecans. Topped with a creamy salted caramel icing.
I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with you all! Cinnamon rolls are some of my favorite things to make and I’m currently obsessed with these caramel pecan cinnamon rolls. They would be such a great dessert to serve during a fall brunch (word on the street is they’re great with coffee and mimosas), or as a special Saturday morning treat.
Why You’ll Love These Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- The dough is easy to make and not intimidating at all. I used my favorite cinnamon roll dough recipe as a base and built the filling and icing around it. Just follow the step by step in this recipe and you’ll be a cinnamon roll dough expert in no time!
- They’re filled and topped with homemade salted caramel sauce. You can certainly use store bought caramel as well, but if you’re feeling up for the adventure then I’m here with you.
- Pouring heavy cream into the pan before baking results in extra fluffy and soft cinnamon rolls as the dough soaks up the extra liquid and fat.
Key Ingredients & Equipment
EQUIPMENT
- An electric mixer: I like to use a stand mixer to knead dough, as it allows for better control over the amount of flour that goes in and makes the process easier. If I’m kneading by hand, I often need to add a lot more flour to prevent sticking, which impacts the final texture of the cinnamon rolls. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can use a hand mixer with hook attachments, or kneading by hand works just fine here! Your rolls may just turn out a little different from mine but will still be delicious.
- A baking dish. I’ve recently come to love baking cinnamon rolls in cast iron since it gives them an even bake and nice browning, but any baking dish or combination of baking dishes work well. For this recipe, I split the rolls between a 13″ cast iron skillet and a small casserole dish.
- Rolling pin and a flat surface
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, sugar, salt
- Whole milk: Whole milk has more fat, which means more flavor and richer dough. However, you can substitute skim milk or even non-dairy milk as well
- Active dry yeast: This recipe calls for 2 ½ tsp of active dry yeast while most standard packets of yeast contain 2 ¼ tsp. It is completely fine just to use a packet if that’s all you have. However, if you buy your yeast in a jar, the extra ¼ teaspoon just gives these rolls a little extra floof.
- Unsalted butter: Used for the dough, the filling, and the icing! It needs to be very soft for the dough and filling and melted for the icing.
- One large egg, at room temperature. To quickly bring the egg to room temperature, soak it in a bowl of very warm water for 10 minutes.
- Dark brown sugar and cinnamon: these go into the cinnamon roll filling
- Finely chopped pecans: use very finely chopped pecans in this recipe for the most even distribution and crunch. Many stores will sell ‘pecan chips’ which work perfectly. Otherwise, you can chop whole pecans by hand or with a food chopper.
- Salted caramel sauce: Homemade if you can (instructions included in the recipe), but store bought works too!
- Heavy cream: A secret to amazing cinnamon rolls is to pour some heavy cream into the pan before baking them. The dough soaks up some of the liquid and the rest caramelizes to create and ultra soft and decadent roll.
- Additional ingredients for icing: powdered sugar, milk, and optional pumpkin butter.
How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce
Rolled into these cinnamon rolls and smothered on top is a homemade salted caramel sauce. You can absolutely use store bought caramel sauce, but for that old-fashioned homey flavor, I promise homemade is worth it!
To make homemade salted caramel you only need five ingredients: sugar, water, butter, heavy cream, and sea salt.
How To Make Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Activate the Yeast
- Heat milk in the microwave until it is just warm to the touch (around 110°F). Too hot and it’ll kill your yeast. I have no shame in pulling out my instant read meat thermometer and sticking it into the milk to check.
- Stir in a tablespoon of sugar.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top and gently stir it.
- Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
You will know the yeast is ready when it starts to bubble and form a creamy foam at the surface of your milk. It’ll also smell like you’re taking a craft brewery tour. If you don’t see any foam, then your yeast is probably dead, but no big deal just start over!
Make the Rolls
Combine dry ingredients in the mixer and then pour in the milk, butter, and the egg. Bring the ingredients together to form a dough, and then knead with your mixer for around 6-8 minutes.
The dough will be very sticky at first but do not panic. It will get smoother and more elastic as you knead it and the gluten strands build up. You can add additional flour if the dough continues to be super sticky, but try not to over do it. At the end, your ball of dough should pull cleanly from the sides of the mixing bowl, but still stick a little bit at the base. It’ll be tacky but not unmanageable.
Let the dough rise for an hour in a warm spot, and then dump it out onto a floured surface and roll it into a 12×16 inch rectangle. Spread cinnamon sugar filling across it in an even layer, and then drizzle gobs of caramel over everything and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Roll the dough into a long tube, cut it into 12 equal pieces, and then lay the pieces into your baking dish to rise again until the rolls are visibly puffed up. Pro tip: use floss to cut the rolls for the cleanest cuts you ever did see. Immediately before baking, pour some heavy cream evenly into the pan.
Can I Make These Overnight?
Yes! You can make these caramel pecan cinnamon rolls overnight. After forming the rolls and laying them into the baking dish, you can cover them and let them rise overnight in the fridge. When you get up in the morning all you need to do is preheat your oven and pop them in! This is perfect if you do not have a lot of time in the morning to make the dough.
I recommend letting the rolls warm up a bit on the counter while your oven preheats for the best results.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or rating to share your thoughts and help others on the internet find this recipe.
Or, take picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your fluffy caramel pecan cinnamon rolls!
Have fun baking and check out some of my other favorite cinnamon rolls like these orange cinnamon rolls or these milk bread cinnamon rolls.
Pin & Save for Later
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over or tap (on mobile) any image in this post (pick your favorite or use the one below), and use the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Homemade Salted Caramel (or use store bought)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 4 tbsp salted butter, cut into slices
- ⅔ cup heavy cream, warmed to room temperature
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 2½ tsp (or one packet) active dry yeast
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 tbsp very soft unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, partially melted
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
Additional Ingredients (for baking)
- 5 tbsp heavy cream
Icing
- 2 tbsp melted, unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp caramel sauce
Instructions
Make Caramel Sauce (if using homemade)
- Heat the sugar and water in a heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Start melting the sugar. It will begin to clump up as the water evaporates. Pick up the pan every once in a while and give it a few shakes, resisting the urge to stir. As the sugar melts, it will turn an amber color. Begin stirring once the sugar has almost completely melted. This whole process will take around 6-10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat and add the butter, whisking it in until it's fully combined.
- Pour in the heavy cream while continuing to whisk. Make sure the heavy cream is at room temperature or warmer (use a microwave to heat it up if needed). After the heavy cream is mixed in, cooking stirring and cooking for another 1-2 minutes to start thickening the caramel.
- Remove from heat and pour into a separate bowl. Whisk in the salt and the let the caramel cool down completely before using.
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Warm the milk in the microwave to 110°F, or just warm to the touch. Stir in one tablespoon of the sugar until it is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast on top and gently stir it in. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until you see a layer of foam on top. If this does not happen, then start over.
- While the yeast is activating, combine the flour, remaining 3 tbsp of sugar, salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the hook attachment.
- While running your mixer on low speed, start streaming in the milk mixture, then add the butter, one piece at a time, and then lastly the egg. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead until a dough starts to come together.
- After that, continue kneading the dough for around 8-10 minutes until it is smooth. The dough will be very sticky at first, but become less-so as the gluten builds up. Add a few more tbsp of flour if needed. Your dough will be ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl, but will stick a little at the bottom. The final dough will be tacky but manageable.
- Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
Filling the Rolls
- To make the filling, use a fork to mix the partially-melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together until you have a smooth paste.
- Transfer the dough to a flat, floured surface, and roll it into a 12×16 inch rectangle–it doesn't have to be perfect. Spread the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a ½" rim around the edges.
- Drizzle 4-5 tbsp of caramel on top, followed by a layer of the finely chopped pecans.
- Starting with the long end facing you, begin tightly rolling the dough, jelly roll style, away from you so that you form a long tube. Pinch the ends to seal it off. Then, cut it into 12 equal slices.
- Grease or line a baking dish of your choice. Place the rolls, spaced 1 inch apart, into the pan. Cover and let rise again for 30-45 minutes, or until the rolls look puffed up and have doubled in size again. You can also cover and let them rise overnight.
Baking & Icing
- Preheat the oven to 360℉ (yes 360℉). Immediately before baking, pour the heavy cream evenly into the baking pan you're using so that it surrounds the rolls.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the rolls start to turn golden on top. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes.
- To make the glaze, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Spoon the glaze on top of the warm rolls and sprinkle with some additional pecans or caramel if desired. Enjoy while fresh!
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