Forget about cinnamon rolls, these pistachio sweet rolls are about to become your new favorite breakfast sweet. Made with a pillowy soft homemade dough filled with a perfectly balanced, pistachio filling with notes of orange and honey–need I say more?
Pistachio Sweet Rolls
I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I don’t want a cinnamon roll. I know, I know, I know. But sometimes you want a pillowy, soft classic cinnamon roll and other times you want something with a little more *pizzaz*. That’s where these pistachio sweet rolls come in. They’re made with our classic, soft sweet roll dough, but instead of a cinnamon sugar filling they’re filled with a perfectly balanced pistachio filling with hints of honey and orange. The result is delicious and unique and special enough to serve up for a celebration!
Ingredients for Pistachio Sweet Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are one of those magical confections that taste like they have a million ingredients in them but actually call for basic pantry staples you probably already have on hand. Here’s your shopping list for these pistachio rolls”
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is perfect for creating a pillowy soft, tender, slightly bready dough. I’ve also had success making these with bread flour, but I find bread flour makes them a bit chewier!
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll need a little granulated sugar to active the yeast and also to sweeten your dough slightly! You’ll also need some granulated sugar to mix up the pistachio filling!
- Instant Yeast: We usually use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise for these homemade cinnamon rolls, but any rapid instant yeast will work here! You can also use regular active yeast and double the rise times!
- Butter: You’ll need butter for both the cinnamon roll dough and the cream cheese frosting. We prefer using unsalted butter so you can control how much salty is going into your baked goods! That being said, if all you have on hand is salted butter that will work totally fine too!
- Milk: Any kind of milk will work in this recipe, but for a super soft, buttery dough we recommend using whole milk! You’ll also need a few tablespoons of milk to whip up your icing!
- Eggs: These homemade rolls are made with an enriched dough, meaning the recipe calls for one egg! It will give your dough a soft structure and the perfect doughy texture!
- Pistachios: You’ll pulse up raw, unsalted pistachios to make the scrumptious filling!
- Honey: If you don’t have honey on hand you can always omit this, but it really deepens the flavor profile of the pistachio filling in the loveliest way!
- Orange zest: Orange zest really pushes these rolls over the edge! If you prefer a more intense orange flavor you can also add 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water to the pistachio filling!
- Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar to sweeten and thicken your icing!
What kind of pistachios should you use to make these sweet rolls
For the best bright green color we recommend using unsalted, raw pistachios! If you can only get your hands on roasted pistachios, don’t worry–those will work too! Roasted pistachios are delicious and the flavor is a little deeper, but they do tend to be a little more brown than green which isn’t as cute for these pistachio sweet rolls.
I know I probably don’t have to say this, but please be sure to remove the shells from your pistachios (or buy shelled pistachios to make your life way easier!) before making the pistachio filling for these sweet rolls.
How to store pistachio sweet rolls so they stay soft for days
It can be tempting to eat the whole pan of these sweet rolls in one sitting (and I wouldn’t judge you for it), but as someone who has done this before and it hoping to save you the stomachache, rest assured that these bad boys are just as tasty the next day, so you can certainly save some for later. Here are our top tips for storing these homemade cinnamon rolls so they stay pillowy soft for days!
- Underbake the rolls slightly: I think we all can agree that the best part of a homemade sweet roll is the ooey-gooey center. Be sure to underbake your rolls slightly so they don’t dry out and stay soft while you’re storing them!
- Store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped: The more air your sweet rolls are exposed to the staler they will get. We recommend storing your rolls in an airtight container for best results, but you can also cover your pan really well in plastic wrap or tinfoil. They’ll stay freshest in the fridge, so wrap ’em up tightly and pop them in the fridge for leftovers!
- Heat up before eating: All sweet rolls are always best gooey and warm. Simply pop your roll in the microwave for 30 seconds or in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes to heat it back up to that fresh baked warmth!
Happy baking, sweet friends!
XXX
Forget about cinnamon rolls, these pistachio sweet rolls are about to become your new favorite breakfast sweet. Made with a pillowy soft homemade dough filled with a perfectly balanced, pistachio filling with notes of orange and honey. These gooey rolls are finished off with a drizzle of icing for the ultimate sweet finish!
Prep Time:
1 hourCook Time:
30 minutesTotal Time:
3 hours an 30 minutesYield:
12 rolls 1xCategory:
breakfastMethod:
yeastedCuisine:
american
Prep Time:
1 hourCook Time:
30 minutesTotal Time:
3 hours an 30 minutesYield:
12 rolls 1xCategory:
breakfastMethod:
yeastedCuisine:
american
Units:
Scale:
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours an 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: yeasted
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg, room temperature
For the pistachio filling
- 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted pistachios
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
For the glaze
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine 2 cups of the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the milk and butter for 30 seconds until warm and the butter is mostly melted. The mixture should be warm, but not hot. If it is too hot, make sure to let it cool before adding to the yeast to prevent killing the yeast. Add the warm milk and butter to the flour mixture.
- Add the egg.
- Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high until completely combined, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl and add 1 more cup of flour, beating until combined. Add the remaining cup of flour in a little at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and you can stretch a piece of dough out between your fingers without it breaking. This means the gluten has developed and your dough will be pillowy soft.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, make the filling. In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse the pistachios until they break down into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, granulated sugar, honey, orange zest, water and orange blossom water (if using) and pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a smooth, spreadable paste. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of water to get it to a spreadable consistency!
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a long rectangle about 18 x 12 inches on a well floured surface.
Spread the filling all the way to the edge of the dough. - From the long end, roll the dough away from you into a tight roll, sealing the bottom edge down by pinching the dough together.
- Use floss or a very sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even rolls. Place the rolls in a 9 x 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with a dish cloth and allow to rise for another hour until doubled in size and puffed up.
- Bake the rolls at 350°F for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and no longer doughy. Allow to cool.
- While the rolls cool, make the frosting. In a mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk together until smooth. Drizzle the icing all over the 12 rolls. Enjoy warm!
Keywords: pistachio sweet rolls
