Soft & Fluffy Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 6 votes

Soft & Fluffy Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

These soft & fluffy Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls are about to become your favorite cinnamon roll recipe! There are carrots incorporated into the brioche dough, and both the dough and the filling are perfectly spiced.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Rest Time1 15

Total Time2 10

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Breads & Donuts, Breakfast, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Rolls

Servings: rolls

Calories: 619kcal

Author: Mike Johnson

Ingredients

For the Brioche Dough:

330 g all-purpose flour
7 g instant dry yeast
30 g dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
120 g milk warm
57 g unsalted butter melted
1 large egg (50 g)
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
65 g shredded carrots patted dry on paper towels

For the Filling:

71 g unsalted butter softened
125 g dark brown sugar
1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
40 g chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

55 g cream cheese softened
30 g unsalted butter softened
120 g powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
15 g milk
40 g chopped walnuts (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To Make the Brioche Dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, instant yeast, dark brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add the milk, butter, egg, vanilla bean paste, and carrots, and mix until the ingredients are just barely combined and a shaggy dough forms.
Using the hook attachment, beat on low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 7-8 minutes longer. *If you do not have a stand mixer with a hook attachment, knead the dough by hand in this step for about 10 minutes.*
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Prepare the filling while the dough rests.

To Make the Filling and Assemble:

Add the butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to a medium bowl and combine using a fork until a thick paste forms. Set aside until needed.
Grease the bottom and sides of a Lodge Baker's Skillet and set aside. (See notes on alternative baking pans) Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch it down and, using a rolling pin, roll into a 10×12-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick.
Spread the cinnamon sugar filling all over the dough and then sprinkle on the chopped walnuts, if using. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 10-inch-long log and cut it into 7 even rolls. Arrange them in the prepared Baker's Skillet. Cover the skillet and allow the rolls to rise for 50-60 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. While the rolls are baking, make the icing.

To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and milk and whisk until smooth and combined. If the icing is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar; if it's too thick, add more milk.
Drizzle and spread the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls once you remove them from the oven. Top with chopped walnuts, if using. Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

If you don't have a 10-inch cast iron skillet, you can also bake these cinnamon rolls inside of a jumbo muffin pan or in an 8x8-inch pan (just be sure to grease the bottoms and sides so they don't stick).

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