Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Dough

1 package active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (as per yeast package directions, typically 100-110°F)

½ cup milk

¼ cup sugar

⅓ cup unsalted butter melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½ cups shredded carrot (approximately 3-4 large carrots)

4 cups flour

Filling

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon cloves

Glaze

3 Tablespoons cream cheese softened

3 Tablespoons milk

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, egg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.  Add in 2 cups of flour and the shredded carrots and mix until smooth.  Add additional flour ½ cup at a time until the dough is easy to handle.  Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.  When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15×9 inches.  Spread the melted butter on top of the dough.  Mix the cinnamon, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the butter.  From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. Then cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12.  Coat the bottom of your 9×13″ baking dish with some additional melted butter and sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together in the dish and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes. Preheat the over to 350°F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.  While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk in until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. You can also add some flavorings such as vanilla, a teaspoon of orange extract, or another flavor.  Pour the glaze over the rolls.