No Rise Cinnamon Rolls
Well the wait is almost over for all the good little girl and boys out there. One of the hardest things to do at this time of year is to wait. I pride myself on being a very patient person, but when it comes to food, the patience quality I have goes out the window. When I am hungry, I need to eat. Just ask my sister, Melissa, she is really good at telling when my blood sugar is low. On Christmas morning, we all end up at my parents’ house to watch my sister Laura open her presents, we then sit down to an enormous breakfast after all the presents are unwrapped. Usually on the menu we have creme brulee french toast, sausage & egg casserole, pancakes, and lots of other goodies.
I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorite traditions. If you are worn out from all that unwrapping, and need to eat, I think these cinnamon buns would be the perfect addition to your Christmas morning breakfast. The dough comes together quickly and there is no rising time involved. Yes that’s right, no waiting time. Simply process the dough, roll it out, fill it with sugary goodness, and bake. You will have delicious, impressive cinnamon buns on your table in no time. The baking time will depend on your oven, I baked ours for about 22 minutes, but I am also married to the man who likes his rolls a little bit under baked. So what are you waiting for, you are only a little bit of time away from ooey, gooey deliciousness!
No Rise Cinnamon Rolls
(Yield: 8 rolls)
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
- 3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
- 1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 9 oz. all purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
For the Filling:
- 3/4 oz. unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
For the Glaze:
- 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoons skim milk, or as needed
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 8 or 9″ baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine the ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in food processor and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don’t overprocess). The dough will be soft and moist.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×15-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and spices. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and press gently into the surface. Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.
With a sharp knife, cut the roll into equal pieces (I got 8). Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.
Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the rolls, and transfer them to a serving plate.
In a small bowl, mix the softened mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. Add milk as needed to achieve desired consistency (I used about 1 1/2 tbsp). Spread or drizzle onto warm rolls. Let stand 10 minutes (or as long as you can stand) and serve.
