Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

I have decided that I want to live in a city where I can walk to everything: stores, restaurants, entertainment. Aside from the fact that this would be infinitely more fun than living in suburbia land  (where "exciting" is the fact that they are paving the streets around my house soon and we will be jockeying for off cul-de-sac parking like women at a sample sale), I would not need a car.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love having a car. I love the freedom it gives me.

{Hear that car? I still love you, please don't be offended by this post.}

What I don't love about car ownership is the cost. I mean, the cost aside from buying it in the first place, which has gotten exceedingly ridiculous if you have looked at cars lately.  Cars seem to age like women do: good with regular maintenance until a certain age, and then everything starts to fall apart all at once.

{I speak from experience, people. I mean, who knew 34 could be so hard on a girl?}

First you need new tires. Fine. Then brakes. Okey dokey. Those are to be expected, right?

Then the A/C needs help. So you spend a few hundred getting that fixed. But it still doesn't work right...and then the alternator goes.  You'd think once you got that all taken care of, everything would be fine. Until it starts to squeak.

At this point, drained of money and patience, I just tend to roll up the windows and turn on the radio. Poof. Sound gone.

So yeah. I think I want to live in a place where I don't need a car. Because I would much rather buy butter, sugar, and chocolate than pay for a pesky timing belt.

We all know how much my husband likes carrot cake. When I make him treats I want him to eat, I either do peanut butter or carrot cake. He got both for his birthday last week. These were for breakfast. And, yes, he ate one!

I reeeallllly like this cinnamon roll dough. Yes, it takes time...but it's sooooo worth it. It's a sweet, rich egg dough that you fill with a sugary, cinnamony filling. I added carrots and ginger to the filling...to make it more carrot-cake-like. Then you add a nice helping of cream cheese icing, and well, perfection ensues.

I promise you...even if you don't like carrot cake (ahem...I know who you are ladies...) you will like these. Cream cheese frosting hides the evidence...but see those little flecks? Yup, carrots. That makes these totally healthy. Carrots for breakfast!

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

by Crazy for Crust (Recipe adapted from Baked Bree)

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 1/8 teaspoon yeast (half a packet)
• 1/2 cup warm milk (microwave for 30 seconds)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2-3 cups flour (I used 2 1/2)

For the filling

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/8 ginger
• Heaping 1/4 cup shredded carrots (about 1 medium)
• 2 teaspoons flour

For the Icing

• 1/2 package cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Add the yeast to the warm milk and let it sit for five minutes, until it starts to foam.
2. Mix the butter, sugar, salt, and eggs in the bowl of a mixer. (You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer at this point.) Add the yeast/milk mixture.
3. Add the flour slowly. Start with one cup and then add an additional cup. (I needed a total of two and half cups for the dough to come together.) You can use your dough hook for this step, or your hand mixer, but if you are using a hand mixer you will need to get your hands dirty towards the end to get all the flour mixed in.
4. Once dough comes together, spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough inside and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. (I do this the night before, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove it from the refrigerator and let sit for a half hour or so.
5. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Work the mixture with a fork until it comes together.
6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut it in half along the longest side. Spread the dough on each half and then roll them up. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let rise for one hour. (You have two long rolls at this point.)
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
8. Cut each roll in half, then cut each half in three pieces, for a total of 12 cinnamon rolls. Place one roll in each muffin tin slot. Bake about 10 minutes until golden.
9. While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Beat together cream cheese and butter. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread on warm cinnamon rolls.

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Do you love cinnamon rolls? Check out these other fab recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cinnamon Rolls by The Domestic Rebel
Mini Cake Batter Cinnamon Buns by Sally's Baking Addiction
Oreo Truffle Cinnamon Rolls by Inside BruCrew Life
Best Cinnamon Rolls by Something Swanky
Cinnamon Cinnabun Cake by Shugary Sweets

Enjoy!

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