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I am so proud of these rolls. They were good from the start, but I kept finding excuses to make them again and again because “that recipe needs testing” one more time. No, it didn’t. I just really wanted to make them. They are exactly what I like all at once, both as an end product and as an experience. Kneading the dough and watching it go from shaggy to silky smooth, letting it sit and rise, knowing something exciting is happening. Smooshing together the filling and smelling all the spices and sweetness come together. The shaping and rolling and cutting of the buns. The way they rise and get fluffy and soft and gooey in the oven. It is comfort on comfort on comfort. I can feel my deeper breaths returning as I describe them. These are like cinnamon rolls, but with the cream cheese frosting baked into them, there is even more goo and spice and no sad, dry part in the middle, only a sublime final bite.
Cinnamon and Spice Cream Cheese Rolls
TL;DR: Make dough and let it rise for 21⁄2 hours. Mix up filling. Roll out the dough and spread the filling over it. Roll it up, slice, and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.
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Cinnamon and Spice Cream Cheese Rolls
TL;DR: Make dough and let it rise for 21⁄2 hours. Mix up filling. Roll out the dough and spread the filling over it. Roll it up, slice, and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.
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Ingredients
Dough
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3 1/2 cups
all purpose flour plus extra to dust the countertop
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1 1/2 teaspoons
fine sea salt
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1/4 cup
sugar
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2 1/4 teaspoons
instant yeast (1 package)
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3/4 cup
water at room temperature
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4 tablespoons
unsalted butter melted; plus more, at room temperature, for greasing the bowl
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2 large
eggs
Filling
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1/2 cup
unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
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4 ounces
cream cheese (1⁄2 package), at room temperature
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1 cup
light brown sugar packed
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1 tablespoon
ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon
ground cardamom
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1/2 teaspoon
ground ginger
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cloves
Instructions
Make the dough: Place the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Give it a quick stir.
Place the water, melted butter, and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk, breaking up the yolks, until the liquid becomes frothy and yellow, about 1 minute.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients:
With a stand mixer: Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer to low and slowly pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture until it comes together into a shaggy dough, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and knead on a low-medium setting until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
By hand: Lightly flour a clean countertop. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms. Dump the dough onto the counter and knead until it is smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.
Grease a large bowl lightly with butter. Shape the dough into a ball, place it seam side down in the bowl, then turn it over so that every side of the ball is lightly greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a moist towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, 2 to 21⁄2 hours. It can take more or less time depending on humidity and heat levels. The hotter and more humid, the faster it grows.
While you are waiting for the dough to rise, make the filling: Place the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves together in a bowl and cream together with a mixer or wooden spoon to form a smooth paste.
When the dough has risen, dust your countertop with flour. Punch down the dough and form it into a short log. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1⁄4 inch thick.
Using a spoon or palette knife for icing cakes, spread the filling evenly over the rectangle of dough. Roll it up lengthwise, like a carpet. Slice the log into 12 rolls as evenly as you can.
Place the 12 rolls into a glass baking dish with the swirl facing up. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a moist tea towel and let them rise until they have puffed up just a bit and are getting chummy with one another in the dish, 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake the rolls until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are just golden, about 25 minutes. (You should be able to see the color of the bottoms through the glass baking dish.) You want them fully cooked, but not overcooked, or they won’t be as gooey as you want. Serve them as soon as they are cool enough to handle and not burn anyone’s tongue. They will keep, covered, in the fridge for a few days, or if you want to save some for later, wrap them up and freeze them for up to a couple of weeks.
Recipe Notes
Note: I like to prep this recipe in advance to make mornings a little easier. The dough can be made through Step 4, covered, and refrigerated. The next morning, put it on the counter, do your thing for 1 hour as it comes to room temperature, then make the filling and continue with the recipe.
Around the holidays in Canada, butter tarts—a pastry case full of a sort of butterscotch goo often with raisins added—are everywhere. The filling is very sweet, a little grainy and delightfully in between liquid and solid. The original recipe is simply butter, brown sugar and eggs, and it’s wonderful. But swapping some of the sugar for maple syrup, adding a hint of nutmeg, some extra salt on top and an optional lime spiked whipped cream brings some depth. I find these perfect for a moment of quiet reflection with a cup of hot tea.
The crust I’m using here is kind of between pie and tart dough. A bit flaky, but not sweet and easier to work with than pie dough.
Salted Maple Butter Tarts
A flaky pastry case filled with rich maple caramel and topped with a little extra salt and an optional lime spiked whipped cream.
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Salted Maple Butter Tarts
A flaky pastry case filled with rich maple caramel and topped with a little extra salt and an optional lime spiked whipped cream.
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Ingredients
Crust
1/2 cup
unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups
all purpose flour
1 tsp
sea salt
1
large egg
2 Tbsp
water
Filling
2
large eggs
2/3 cup
granulated sugar
1/4 tsp
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup
maple syrup
1/2 tsp
sea salt (plus more for finishing)
1/3 cup
unsalted butter
Lime Whip (optional)
1/2 cup
whipping cream
1 Tbsp
granulated sugar
zest of
1 lime
Instructions
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Freeze the butter for 10 minutes.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture and gently mix with hands so flour is coating the butter.
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In a small bowl, crack the egg and add the 2 Tablespoons of water and whisk. Pour it into the bowl and quickly and gently mix the dough until is forms a reasonably coherent dough. You are not going for smooth, just together.
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Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill for 1 hour or longer.
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When ready to make the tarts, set the oven to 375 F. Set out a 12 tin muffin tray.
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Cut the cold dough into 12 equal pieces and roll them into rough circles, being careful not to overwork. Sprinkle some flour on the counter to prevent sticking and roll out each piece until it is about wide enough that you can fit it into the muffin tray like you would be making a little cup with at least ½ inch of excess pastry coming above each tin.
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Do this for each of the 12 tins then set the whole tray in the fridge while you make the filling.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until they are slightly lighter yellow, about a minute. Grate in the fresh nutmeg if using, then add the salt and maple syrup and whisk to combine. Finally pour in the melted butter and whisk until light and smooth.
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Using a ladle, fill each pastry lined muffin tin with filling, fill a little below the top so the filling has a bit of room to expand.
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Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned and the filling is bubbling all the way through. After you pull them out, sprinkle each one with a generous pinch of sea salt or flaky finishing salt like fleur de sel if you have it. Let them cool in the tins completely or remove while still warm to fully cool on a rack or plate.
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If making the whipping cream simply whisk the cream, sugar and lime zest together until soft peaks form. Dollop onto the tarts and enjoy!
As a rule, summer is the time for simple foods, cool foods—crisp salads, raw vegetables dipped into creamy cold things, icy glasses that leave condensation marks on your table. Watermelon everything. But there are exceptions: juicy burgers, fluffy baked potatoes, pretty much anything cooked on an open flame outdoors.
There is also the great fruit pie exception. Who doesn’t want a slice of jammy pie at the cookout?! But pie can be intimidating. And I get it. There are rules. It takes time and attention and we don’t want to be disappointed. Enter the crostata. You can fill it with any fruit, but today we’re going to make a juicy blueberry crostata.
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