Strawberry Rolls

5 from 5 votes

A spring twist to cinnamon rolls. These strawberry rolls filled with a chocolate and strawberry filling are soft, bouncy and delightful. Freeze dried strawberries are blitzed into a sugar and used in the filling and frosting.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Rising and Assembly Time2 20

Total Time3 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $9

Ingredients

Dough:

1/3 cup lukewarm milk (79ml)
1 packet active dry yeast (7g/2 1/2 teaspoons) (*see below for instructions with instant yeast)
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)

Strawberry Sugar:

3/4 cup freeze dried strawberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)

Filling

1/4 cup unsalted butter (57g)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (25g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt

Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter (57g) at room temperature
3/4 cup reserved strawberry sugar (recipe above)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

To Make the Dough:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl by hand), mix together the mil and active dry yeast. Allow to activate and get all foamy, about 8 minutes.
Crack in the eggs and mix using a dough hook. If the egg yolks don’t break up, feel free to grab a fork and mix it all up until combined. Pour in the flour and salt. Mix together until mostly combined and then add in the cubed butter, one cube at a time until it comes together. Knead for about 5 minutes by hand or in the machine. The dough will be slightly sticky—that’s ok! Grease a bowl with oil or cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, spraying or coating the top.
Cover with a lid or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. It should be soft and supple; it’ll have risen by 50%.

To Make the Strawberry Sugar:

You’ll need a high-powered blender for this. Think a BlendTec, Ninja or Vitamix. Add the freeze-dried strawberries and sugar to the blender. Blend on high for about 1 minute. It should end up looking like pink-colored powdered sugar.Let it settle before removing the top of the blender bc it will create a “smoke”. We’ll be using this for the filling and the frosting. Remove 3/4 cup of strawberry sugar and set aside. We'll be using this amount of 3/4 of a cup for the frosting.

To Make the Filling:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the paddle attachment) or using a medium bowl and a fork, add the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until it forms a paste that’s completely combined.

To Assemble the Rolls:

Lightly flour your work surface and remove the dough from the bowl and place the dough into the center. Lightly flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle that measures 15“x 18“ If it’s not a perfect rectangle, that’s totally ok.
Add the filling to the rectangle of dough, spreading it out into an even very thin layer, stopping from about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle the remaining/reserved strawberry sugar on top of the smoothed out chocolate.
Roll the dough farthest from you, going toward you.
Using a serrated knife OR a piece of unflavored floss, trim off the ends. And then cut the log of dough into 12 equal pieces. Mine measured about to be 1 1/2-inches long. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking pan or baking sheet. You can also use multiple baking dishes. Whichever works best for you.
Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffy and lightly golden brown.

To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl) with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and the butter until smooth. Next, add the reserved 3/4 cup strawberry sugar, vanilla, pinch of kosher salt and heavy cream. Beat for a full 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

To Serve:

When the rolls come out of the oven, pour the half or ALL of the icing over the rolls and smother the with the icing.

Notes

Tips and Tricks:

Instant yeast - You can use instant yeast with this recipe. To do so, simply whisk it with the flour and salt. Instant yeast is added to the dry ingredients while active dry yeast should be activated.
Freeze dried strawberries - You can find freeze dried fruit (including strawberries) at most grocery stores in the dried fruit and nut sections.
To Make these Ahead - Make the dough and let it proof in the fridge overnight. You can also make the filling and let it stand at room temp until you’re ready to use it.

Equipment:

Nutrition