These Spiced Pear Cinnamon Rolls are light and fluffy with a buttery brown sugar pear filling, warming spices and maple glaze. Perfect as a sweet brunch or dessert. Delicious and easily adaptable for vegan!
How to Make Spiced Pear Cinnamon Rolls
(Full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
There are no shortcuts with these pear cinnamon rolls, but it’s all worth it if you want to end up with the fluffiest, stickiest treat that’s just so hard to eating!
First step: make the dough. I used a stand mixer to make things easier, but you could also knead by hand if you must. Start by placing your yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with bread hook attachment. Wait until the yeast is foamy. If it doesn’t do anything, this means your yeast is probably past it’s expiration date and you’ll need to start over with fresher package.
Add the flour and melted butter to the bowl of the stand mixer and knead the dough until soft and springy. If the dough is still clinging the sides of the bowl, you can add a couple tablespoons more flour, but err on the side of a stickler dough to prevent tough cinnamon rolls.
Scoop up the dough and place it into a well oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this may take more or less time.
While the dough rises, make the spiced pear filling. Allow a stick of butter to come to room temperature (or just zap it int he microwave for a few seconds) until soft. Mix the brown sugar and spices in with butter then peel and chop your pears into small cubes. I like leaving the pears raw so they don’t become mushy while baking.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down to get the air out and roll it out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle that’s about a 1/2 inch thick. Try not to re-roll your dough or it will become tough and difficult to work with. Spread these filling on top and sprinkle over the pears. To the best of your abilities, roll everything up into a log and pinch the ends so the filling doesn’t escape.
I used a very sharp knife to cut these spiced pear cinnamon rolls into even pieces. This part may get a little messy, but they don’t have to be perfect. If any filling squeaks out, just nudge it back in once the rolls are cut. Place the pieces into a baking dish and set aside to rise for another half hour while the oven preheats.
Bake the spiced pear cinnamon rolls for about 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. You can also insert a knife into the center to check to make sure they’re no longer doughy.
Finally, whip together a quick maple glaze with powdered sugar maple syrup and a little milk to thin it out. Drizzle the glaze over your warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Can These Pear Cinnamon Rolls be Made Vegan?
Yes! I actually made these pear cinnamon rolls using vegan butter and non-dairy milk. My go-to for baking are Earth Balance baking sticks and soy milk, but feel free to use your favorite substitutions. I have successfully replaced the butter in the dough for olive oil. This yields a slightly denser dough, but it’s still delicious.
Tips for Success
- Try to find fresh pears that are ripe, but not mushy. If the pears are too soft, they will be difficult to peel and cut, while underripe pears may not soften enough in the oven.
- Slicing these pear cinnamon rolls can be a bit tricky because the pear filling likes to escape. I recommend using a very sharp knife to cut each roll and placing your hand or bench scraper up against the open side to prevent leakage.
- Keep in mind that the pear cinnamon rolls will rise quite a bit in the oven, so make sure to a little room in between each one. If you prefer your rolls to be a little more gooey, go ahead and pack them in. Just remember that they may have to bake longer for the center to cook through.
More Recipes to Try:
- Sticky Gingerbread Date Cake
- Miso Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Apple Butter Blondies
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins (No Yeast)
- Orange Apricot Sticky Buns
Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpeaon Instagram and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Spiced Pear Cinnamon Rolls
These Spiced Pear Cinnamon Rolls are light and fluffy with a buttery brown sugar pear filling, warming spices and maple glaze. Perfect for brunch or dessert and easily adapted for vegan.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 3/4 cup warm water (110-115º F)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling
- 1/2 cup softened butter (I used vegan)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 2 large pears, peeled
For the maple glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with a bread hook, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar, and allow to stand for 5 minutes to let the yeast foam.
- Add the melted butter (make sure it’s not too hot), 3 cups flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then add the remaining flour.
- Knead for 5-6 minutes, until smooth and springy. You may need to add a little more flour, but err on the side of stickier dough.
- Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, make the filling. Mix the softened butter with the sugar and spices. Chop the pears into small cubes.
- Grease a 9x13” baking dish and preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Punch down the dough and roll out onto a floured surface into a rectangle, that’s about a 1/2 inch thick. Use a spatula to spread the filling mixture over the dough and sprinkle the chopped pears on top.
- Starting from the wider end, do your best to roll into a tight log, pinching the ends to seal. Use a sharp knife or piece of twine to cut into 12 equal pieces (or 18 for smaller cinnamon rolls.) Place the slices in the baking dish and cover with plastic wrap to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.
- While the cinnamon rolls bake, make the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls and serve.
Notes
To make these cinnamon rolls vegan, use vegan butter and non-dairy milk.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 large cinnamon rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 325mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 5g
All nutritional info is an estimation
