So, I have to admit that I was a little jealous of the crazy snow storm on the east coast. Living in Fargo for 5 years, we were used to blizzards (though not of that magnitude) and it was always kind of fun to be snowed in and have lazy days at home, eating grilled cheeses and watching movies.
Joel and I were talking about how much the kids would love to play in that amount of snow and that it would be taller than Hannah, crazy. We watched a lot of news coverage on Saturday and were just amazed by it all. Oh and did you see the panda video? Totally made all that snow worth it, right?
I made these glorious strawberry rolls on Saturday and dreamed that beautiful snowflakes were falling outside. And I didn’t leave the house. And I wore leggings and a sweatshirt all day. So I was with you all in spirit.
I used my favorite sweet roll dough recipe then made a quick, 3 ingredient homemade strawberry filling to slather in the middle before rolling them up. Then I slathered them in a super rich and decadent cream cheese frosting.
I’m telling you, I think I like these better than a traditional cinnamon roll. The strawberries add an extra sweetness but the addition of extra cream cheese in the frosting, without adding more powdered sugar, makes sure they are not over the top sweet.
Wouldn’t these rolls be just perfect for Valentine’s Day morning? Valentine’s happens to fall on Sunday this year so you could totally get up early to surprise the ones you love with a bomb breakfast.
Oooor, you could make these the night before (hoping they don’t wonder what’s making all that noise over the Netflix) up to the point of baking then cover them tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate. Then you could bake and frost them fresh in the morning. Many options people. I’m looking out for you.
You could even add some fun Valentine’s sprinkles on top to make them extra festive. Who doesn’t love sprinkles? If you’re looking for a way to give back to those special people in your life, make them these strawberry rolls. Or if you deserve a little pampering (everyone does) print out the recipe and leave it on the counter. Hint hint.
- 1 (1/4 ounce) rapid rise yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, very soft
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups flour
- 3 cups frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Knead for 2 minutes, or until a smooth ball forms. Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm place to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- While dough is rising, make strawberry filling. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Pour strawberries into saucepan and cook, stirring often, until they have softened (about 5-7 minutes). Using a potato masher, mash until only small bits of strawberries remain. Stir in sugar and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch to form a slurry. Pour into the strawberry filling and stir well. Let it bubble on the stove, stirring constantly, until it has thickened to almost a jam consistency. Pour into a heat proof bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Roll out dough to approximately 21-inches long by 16-inches wide. Spread cooled strawberry filling evenly over the dough. Working carefully along the long edge, roll the dough tightly until you meet the other long edge. Slice into 12 equal size portions and place in a greased 13x9-inch pan. (If you are baking the next day, cover with plastic wrap at this point and refrigerate). Cover rolls with kitchen towel and allow to rise 30 minutes more.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls 12-15 minutes, until they are just starting to turn golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and salt and mix again. Add powdered sugar and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Remove rolls from oven and spread with prepared frosting.
January 25, 2016 at 11:56 am
OMG!!! love this gonna have to make ASAP!!! then I will make them again for Valentines!!
January 26, 2016 at 9:10 am
Ooh, these look wonderful! Strawberries are my favorite fruit (possibly my favorite food?!), so these look way better than traditional cinnamon rolls to me. I may just have to print this recipe out and leave it on the counter before Valentine’s Day… 😉