Coconut Cinnamon Rolls
Decadent and soft coconut cinnamon rolls with a spiced coconut almond macaroon filling. Topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.
Equipment
- stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
- 8" square baking tray
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Dough
- ¼ cup full fat milk or whole milk, warmed to 104°F (40C), plus a little extra for the egg wash before baking
- 2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour or plain flour
- ¾ cup bread flour or strong flour
- 3 large eggs ideally at room temperature, one of the eggs divided into yolk and white
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing a bowl
Ingredients for the Filling
- 7 oz sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon almond flour
Ingredients for the Topping
- ¾ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon spreadable cream cheese
- 2 teaspoon full fat milk or whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 oz sweetened shredded coconut half toasted (see note)
Instructions
Instructions for the Dough
- Begin by sprinkling the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar over the warmed milk. Stir this together and set aside for about 10 minutes for the yeast to become foamy.
- Add the flours, remaining sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Give this a quick stir.
- Once the yeast has activated (developed a foamy top), add this to the flour, immediately followed by 2 whole eggs and 1 egg white. Reserve the remaining egg yolk for an egg wash before baking. Place the remaining yolk in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap to store in the refrigerator in the meantime.
- Turn the mixer to a low setting and knead for about 15 minutes until you have a dough that is beginning to pull itself from the sides of the bowl. (see note)
- After 15 minutes, keep the mixer on a low setting and slowly add your butter a few pieces at a time. Once these have all been added and are incorporated into the dough, continue kneading for about 15 minutes until the dough is again pulling itself away from the sides of the bowl. (see note)
- Scrape the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place this in the refrigerator to proof slowly overnight (or for about 8 hours, until doubled in size).
Instructions for Filling
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the filling ingredients - the condensed milk, coconut, almond flour, almond extract, cinnamon and ginger.
- Once the dough is finished its first slow proof, line a square baking tray with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape into a rectangle. Roll this out into a large rectangle, about 12" wide by 15" long.
- Spread the filling mixture over the surface of the dough leaving a small gap around the edges. (see note)
- Roll the dough into a tight log from the bottom to the top. Then using flavorless dental floss or a thin kitchen twine trim the uneven ends and divide the dough into 9 roughly equal rolls.
- Place the rolls in the lined baking pan and cover with a kitchen towel to proof for about 2 hours at room temperature, until doubled in size.
Instructions for Baking and Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan).
- Add a splash of milk to the reserved egg yolk and beat together with a fork to make an egg wash. Brush this over the top of your proofed rolls.
- Bake these in the centre of your preheated oven for about 30 minutes until risen and golden.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the frosting.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk and almond extract until smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the warm rolls. Then sprinkle with a mix of toasted and untoasted sweetened shredded coconut.
Notes
The coconut can be toasted while you bake your cinnamon rolls or in advance. Line a baking tray with some aluminium foil or parchment paper and spread coconut flakes on it. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown and crisp. I toast half of my coconut for the topping in this recipe.
When kneading the dough, you may need to pause the mixer early on and scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that the flour is fully incorporated.
This is a wet and sticky dough, especially after adding the butter. Don't be worried if, even after 15 minutes, it is not pulling itself cleanly from the sides of the bowl and is still sticking to the base of the bowl. This is normal. The dough should be showing signs that it is holding together and should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it is leaving wet dough clinging to your fingers.
For the purposes of filling cinnamon rolls, it is useful to leave a gap around the edges, especially on the left and right side. Once you roll the dough up from top to bottom, you'll be able to trim these unfilled ends off and discard them.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 391mgPotassium: 235mgFiber: 3gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 497IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @waitingforblancmange or tag #waitingforblancmange!