Sweet rolls and sugar cookies both remind me of the holidays, so it seemed natural to combine the two. This ooey gooey treat taste like a classic holiday sugar cookie, but in sweet roll form.
This recipe uses an ingredient that might come as a bit of a surprise–mashed potatoes. As odd as it sounds, it adds moisture and fluffiness to the dough, but the taste is unaffected. I usually use leftover mashed potatoes, or prepared from my local grocer.
You can also make this ahead of time and shape the dough into rolls, then place in the refrigerator overnight to slowly rise. Remove in the morning and allow them to finish rising before baking for a delicious holiday morning treat.
Sugar Cookie Sweet Rolls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- Dough:
- ¾ cup milk, warm but not hot
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup mashed potatoes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sprinkles
- Filling:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Frosting:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod discarded
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add milk, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let sit about 10 minutes, until bubbly. Add eggs, vegetable oil, mashed potatoes, and salt, mixing to combine. Add about 2½ cups flour and sprinkles, and mix until a rough dough forms. With mixer on low speed, continue adding ½ o 1½ cups flour, a few spoonfuls at a time, until dough comes together but is still soft and a bit sticky to the touch (you may not need all flour or may need a tad more if too sticky--this will depend on consistency of the mashed potatoes you use). Increase speed of mixer to medium speed, and allow dough to knead for about 10-15 minutes until smooth, soft, and elastic.
- Dump dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise in a draft-free spot for about 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Once dough is nearly doubled, spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. When dough is ready, punch dough down, and dump onto a floured surface. Roll out dough into a large rectangle about 12x18 inches.
- To make the filling, stir together ½ cup softened butter, brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Spread evenly over the rolled out dough. Roll dough tightly along the long edge to form a long roll. Cut log into 12 thick, even pieces. Arrange in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot. Allow to rise again until nearly doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- When dough is nearly ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls in preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, until cooked and starting to become lightly golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool.
- While the sweet rolls cool, make the frosting. In a medium size mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add almond extract, vanilla, vanilla bean, salt, and cream. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, another 5 minutes or so. Spread on cooled sweet rolls, then sprinkle with additional sprinkles, if desired.
Would you recommend substituting instant mashed potatoes?
I haven’t tried this in this specific recipe, but I have with other doughs. I would prepare the instant mashed potatoes then add (as you would regular mashed potatoes), but you may need more or less flour depending on the liquid content of the instant mashed potatoes you use (so go by look/feel of the dough as you slowly add remaining flour in the recipe). If you try it out, let me know how it works out!