You can have a lazy Saturday morning and enjoy a hot-from-the-oven pastry with little effort with this easy caramel pecan roll recipe. Using purchased frozen bread dough, there's only a brief waiting period (a 30-minute rise) before it's ready to pop in the oven. Brew a pot of coffee and wait for everyone to wake up, flocking to the delightful smell of these sticky, soft rolls. Bonus: This caramel pecan roll recipe using frozen ingredients makes a whopping 24 rolls that can be prepped up to 24 hours in advance. It's the perfect quick cinnamon roll recipe for serving a crowd or sharing with friends and neighbors.
How to Make Creamy Caramel Pecan Rolls
Once you thaw the white frozen bread dough, you'll roll it out like you would regular cinnamon roll dough. Top with butter, a cinnamon-sugar mixture, and raisins (if you like) before rolling up, slicing, and placing into two pans that have a sweet base made from powdered sugar and heavy cream. Once baked, the sticky rolls are flipped onto a plate to reveal the caramel- and pecan-topped rolls.
Creamy Caramel Pecan Roll Ingredients
Here are the items you'll need to make these shortcut sweet rolls.
- Heavy Cream: This creates a rich, caramel-like topping for the base of your rolls. You can use plain milk in a pinch or one of our Test KItchen's other go-to heavy cream substitutes.
- Powdered Sugar: Sift your powdered sugar first to ensure smooth, lump-free caramel toping.
- Pecans: We think these nutty rolls get amazing from pecans, but walnuts, pistachios, and cashews would make a great substitute.
- Frozen Bread Dough: Instead of making a yeasted dough from scratch, using pre-made frozen white bread dough is both cost-efficient and a timesaving ingredient. If you can't find white bread dough, plain pizza dough from the deli section will also work.
- Butter: Melted butter or margarine is brushed onto the rolls before sprinkling with cinnamon-sugar.
- Raisins: This is an optional filling ingredient that adds a chewy bite. Feel free to experiment with other dried fruits such as dried cranberries or snipped dried cherries.
- Brown Sugar: The deeper molasses flavor in brown sugar gives the pecan rolls their caramel flavor.
- Cinnamon: A must-have aromatic spice for the warm, comforting cinnamon roll flavor.
Ingredients
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1 ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
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⅓ cup whipping cream
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1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
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½ cup packed brown sugar
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1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
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2 16 ounce loaves frozen white bread dough or sweet roll dough, thawed
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3 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
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¾ cup raisins (optional)
Directions
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Grease two 9-inch round baking pans; set pans aside. For topping, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and whipping cream; divide evenly between prepared baking pans. Sprinkle pecans evenly over sugar mixture.
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In another small bowl stir together brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll each loaf of dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
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Roll up each rectangle starting from a long side. Seal seams. Slice each roll into 12 pieces. Place, cut sides down, on topping in pans.
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Cover; let rise in a warm place until nearly double (about 30 minutes). Break any surface bubbles with a greased toothpick.
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Bake in a 375 degree f oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown (if necessary, cover rolls with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully invert rolls onto a serving platter. Serve warm. Makes 24 rolls.
Make-Ahead Tip
Prepare as above through step 3. Cover with oiled waxed paper, then with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Before baking, let chilled rolls stand, covered, for 30 minutes at room temperature. Uncover and bake chilled rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Continue as directed.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 172 | Calories |
| 6g | Fat |
| 25g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 24 | |
| Calories 172 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 6g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol 9mg | 3% |
| Sodium 19mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 25g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 9g | |
| Protein 3g | 6% |
| Calcium 40.4mg | 3% |
| Iron 0.4mg | 2% |
| Potassium 39mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.