Almond Sweet Rolls
Fluffy brioche dough filled with nutty frangipane, these Almond Sweet Rolls are everything. Topped with a simple cream cheese frosting and sliced almonds, they are almond croissants in sweet roll form, and I’m here for it!
Servings: 8 rolls
Calories: 580kcal
Ingredients
Frangipane (almond cream) filling
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Brioche dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Toasted sliced almonds for topping
Instructions
Make the frangipane (almond cream)
- Using a hand mixer, or by hand, cream together the butter, sugar, and kosher salt until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the almond flour, egg, and almond extract and mix until combined and fluffy.
Make brioche dough
- In a small pan on the stovetop, melt your butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add milk and then your egg. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place all-purpose flour, kosher salt, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Use paddle attachment to combine them.
- With your mixer on low, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough with no more visible dry flour.
- Remove paddle attachment and replace with dough hook. Scrape the sides of the bowl and turn mixer on to medium. Knead dough for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency.
- If the dough is wrapping around the dough hook and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, with only a circle of dough attaching itself to the bottom, you're good. Keep mixing for another 5 minutes.
- If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix one minute and check again. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
- Turn mixer back on medium and mix for 4 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands, Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered dough in a warm spot in your house for 1 to 2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Shaping and assembling almond sweet rolls
- Uncover the dough. Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured counter.
- Roll your dough into a 9 inch by 12 inch rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
- Using an offset spatula, or silicone spatula, spread the frangipane evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice into 8 strips along the 9 inch side, or as many rolls as you would like to make with your dough.
- Roll each strip up into a sweet roll and place into a cake pan or cast iron pan that has either been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
Baking
- In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked in the center of the middle roll.
- To ensure the center is fully baked, remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and gently pull the side of a center roll with a fork. If the dough appears raw and gooey, they need more time in the oven. Continue baking for 5 more minutes and check again.
Frosting
- While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in vanilla, and enough milk to reach a soft, spreadable frosting consistency.
- Allow rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle with toasted and sliced almonds, if desired.
Notes
Frangipane, stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, can be made up to one week in advance. You can also freeze your frangipane for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before trying to spread on the rolls
If you have active dry yeast, and you aren’t sure it’s still good, you should proof it. Place into your milk, heated to about 110°F, along with 1 tablespoon of your sugar. It should foam up within 5 minutes. If it is a brand new jar with a long time to expiration, just add it directly to the dry ingredients as written in the recipe. There is plenty of time for it to activate.
If your kitchen is cold, turn your oven on for 1 minute and keep door closed. when your dough is ready to rise, place in the warm oven.
You can make your almond sweet rolls all in one day by shaping them, covering with plastic wrap again, and allowing them to rise another 1 to 2 hours, or until very puffy and if poked it puffs back slowly. Continue with baking as directed in the recipe
Nutrition
Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 1011IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg
