Almond Sweet Rolls
Soft and fluffy almond sweet rolls with a creamy frangipane filling and cream cheese frosting. If you’re a fan of almond croissants, you’ll love these sweet almond rolls
AD This post has been sponsored by Westgold butter.
These delightful rolls use a subtly enriched sweet roll dough that’s both tender and packed with flavor. I always use this same fluffy dough because it’s so good and makes the softest rolls. It’s in my blueberry rolls and strawberry cinnamon rolls and slightly adapted for my red velvet cinnamon rolls.
You can knead this sweet dough by hand or using a stand mixer. It’s filled with a homemade frangipane filling made with ground almonds, butter, eggs, almond extract, and sugar. It’s super delicious and makes these almond cinnamon rolls reminiscent of almond croissants. I use it in this pear galette too!
In this recipe, I have used Westgold unsalted butter. It’s made with milk from grass-fed cows, farmed on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, and uses a traditional churning process. You could also use their salted butter. It’s creamy and flavorful, and perfect in the dough.
Is frangipane the same as marzipan?
Marzipan is a dense and smooth almond paste made from almonds, sugar, water, and sometimes egg whites. It’s much firmer and can be used as a fondant for cake decoration or be molded into shapes. Frangipane is much softer and more spreadable.
Ingredients
Find the amounts of the ingredients for this recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a little more information about some of the ingredients needed.
- All-purpose flour. A strong all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%. You could also use bread flour.
- Yeast. Active dry yeast or instant dry yeast. The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dried yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty foolproof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability.
- Granulated sugar – The dough itself doesn’t make overly sweet rolls, as the sweetness comes from the filling and topping.
- Large eggs – In both the dough and the frangipane filling.
- Whole milk – Adds a little richness
- Westgold butter – This is also used in the dough and filling. It can be salted or unsalted butter.
- Almond flour – same as ground almonds. You can use almond meal too, which has the skin of the almonds in it too.
- Almond extract. This enhances the almond flavor. If you don’t have it, it could be replaced with vanilla extract though the rolls will be much milder in taste.
Method
The dough
In a small saucepan, heat milk until it’s lukewarm, around 95-104°F / 35-40°C. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this milk mixture sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
Add the flour, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture.
Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix until a thick dough forms.
Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time.
Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the soft dough is strong.
Kneading by hand
Alternatively, knead the dough by hand. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon until it forms a shaggy ball. Pull it onto a floured surface and knead a few cubes at a time in the butter.
Knead by hand for around 10 minutes until it becomes an elastic and smooth dough. If you need a break, take it. The dough responds well to resting time.
Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel.
Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 ½ hours. The total time will depend on your room temperature.
The dough can also be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
Almond filling
To make the filling, combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy.
Add the almond flour, eggs, flour, almond extract, and salt and beat together until combined.
The filling can be made in advance and refrigerated til needed.,
Shaping
Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, or use a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle measuring around 12×16 inches (30cmx40cm).
Dollop the frangipane over the dough.
Use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving about an inch uncovered on the bottom long edge.
Carefully roll the dough up, from the long side up the top, into a log.
Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using a piece of unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Bake rolls
Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.
Bake the rolls in the oven for around 28-30 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
Frosting
While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt.
Beat on medium-low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy.
Let the baked rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the frosting on the warm rolls. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Storing
Leftover almond cinnamon rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them in the microwave before serving.
Almond Sweet Rolls
Soft and fluffy almond sweet rolls with a creamy frangipane filling and cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 240g (1 cup) whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 530g (4 ¼ cups* ) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 85g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted Westgold butter, softened
Frangipane filling
- 113g (1/2 cup) Westgold unsalted butter, softened
- 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 100g (1 cup) almond flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream cheese frosting
- 113g (4oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 30g (2 Tablespoons) Westgold unsalted butter, room temperature
- 180g ( 1 ½ cups) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- Pinch of salt
- Sliced almonds for topping
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk until it's lukewarm, around 95-104°F / 35-40°C. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this milk mixture sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
- Add the flour, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture.
- Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix until a thick dough forms.
- Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time. Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the soft dough is strong.
- Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 ½ hours. The total time will depend on your room temperature.
- The dough can also be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
- The filling: Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Add the almond flour, eggs, flour, almond extract, and salt and beat together until combined. The filling can be made in advance and refrigerated until needed.
- Grease or line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, or use a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle measuring around 12x16 inches (30cmx40cm).
- Dollop the frangipane over the dough. If the filling has been in the fridge, it might need some mixing to soften it back up first. Use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving about an inch uncovered on the bottom long edge.
- Carefully roll the dough up, from the long side up the top, into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using a piece of unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
- Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.
- Bake the rolls in the oven for around 28-30 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy.
- Let the baked rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the frosting on the warm rolls. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 524Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 362mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 10g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
