This recipe has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. These always make me think of Christmas morning. Growing up my Mom only made these for holidays, specifically Christmas morning breakfast. I usually make and bake them ahead of the holidays, then freeze them. On Christmas morning, warm a roll in the microwave and enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Ingredients
1 batch of sweet roll dough (recipe below)
Caramel topping ingredients:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (if using)
Filling ingredients:
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (if using)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter softened
Directions
In 2-quart saucepan make caramel topping by heating brown sugar and ½ cup of butter to boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in corn syrup. Pour into one 13x9 inch pan or two 9-inch pans. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
In a small bowl mix all filing ingredients except butter, set aside.
Flatten dough into a 15x10 inch rectangle. Spread with 2 tbsp butter, sprinkle with filling and nuts. Roll tightly from 15-inch side. Cut into 12 pieces.
Places slices slightly apart in prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. They should double in size.
Bake in preheated 35o˚F oven for 30-35 minutes. Let stand 2-3 minutes in pan, then turn upside down on a heatproof serving tray or plate. Leave in pan for at least 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls. Remove pan, serve warm.
Sweet Roll Dough
At the holidays I double the recipe for this dough. Half I make into the sticky buns the other half into dinner rolls. You can make both ahead, freeze and then defrost the day before using them. For dinner rolls I recommend warming them in the oven before serving. Another time saving trick is the dough can be made the night before as well. Once the is kneaded put it in a greased bowl inyour fridge. In the morning take it out punch it down and let it rise, then follow the recipe steps to make your dinner rolls or sticky buns.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 package active dried yeast
- ½ cup scalded milk (cooled so it doesn’t kill your heast)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup shortening or butter softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 3 ½ to 4 cups flour
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine water and yeast. Stir in milk, sugar, shortening, salt, egg and 2 cups of flour, beat with dough hook until smooth. Mis in enough flour to make sough easy to handle. It should be slightly sticky but still easy to work with.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 min.) Place ina a greased bowl, cover and let rise till doubled (about 1 ½ hours).
Punch down, let rise again until almost doubled (about 30 min). Shape for whatever recipe you are using.
If making dinner rolls, shape let rise for about 20-30 min, then bake rolls at 400˚F for 12-15 minutes, brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven.