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Calling all whiskey lovers! A warm, buttery, soft bun is filled with cinnamon sugar, glazed with cream cheese frosting, and topped with candied bacon, all while each component is flavoured with Maple whiskey, making it a boozy fun adult treat!
If bacon and pancakes had a love child, I think these cinnamon rolls would be it! Incorporating the maple whiskey is like dressing up, said love child, to go to a fancy ball. More can be said, but do I really need to? Everything you want in an elevated dessert is in these rolls! I promise you, these are worth making! Most of your time will be dedicated to just letting it rest to rise.
Look how soft that dough is! Now imagine taking a bite and tasting the crunch of the bacon, the sweet cream cheese frosting and the fall flavour of cinnamon wrapped with a rich, pillowy dough followed by a hint of Maple whiskey. Is it working? Are you dashing into the kitchen yet? Meet you there!
*Good To Know*
- I struggle with making yeast dough. Do you have any tips?
I have 6 tips on how to make foolproof yeast dough. You can read about it here. - How should I store cinnamon rolls?
Cinnamon rolls should be wrapped individually with plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. They will keep up to:
-2 days at room temperature
-7 days in the refrigerator
-3 months in the freezer - What other types of glaze can I make?
If you don’t want to use whiskey, you can add a Tablespoon of coffee, espresso or vanilla extract to the glaze. You can also make a simple sugar glaze instead of cream cheese frosting. - Can I reduce the recipe?
My recipe yields 15 rolls. You can reduce the recipe by half (except for yeast) if you want to make fewer rolls. - I want to keep these kid-friendly, do you have a recipe?
Yes, I do! You can follow my classic cinnamon roll recipe here. - I can’t find Maple flavoured whiskey; what else can I use?
If you can’t find maple-flavoured whiskey, mix 1/2 cup regular whiskey with two tablespoons maple syrup or two teaspoons maple extract. Bourbon is another excellent alcohol substitute.
The candied bacon is optional, so if you want to include it you can make it ahead by following my recipe here: “Maple Whiskey and Brown Sugar Candied Bacon”.
Prefer a cinnamon roll recipe without alcohol? You can go to my recipe here: “Soft Buttery Cinnamon Rolls”.
Ingredients you will need:
For the sweet dough
- whole milk (3.25% M.F.)
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- kosher or sea salt
- bread flour
- instant yeast
- eggs (room temperature)
- Maple whiskey (or bourbon)
For the filling
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- kosher or sea salt
- Maple whiskey (or bourbon)
For the cream cheese glaze
- cream cheese (room temperature)
- icing sugar
- Maple whiskey (see the theme here?)
- milk or heavy cream
For the candied bacon topping (optional)
- Follow recipe instructions here: Maple Whiskey and Brown Sugar Candied Bacon
How to make the sweet dough
Prepare the sweet butter
Add cold (cubed) unsalted butter, brown sugar, whole milk, and salt in a medium heat-proof bowl—microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the mixture and heat for another 30 seconds. Continue to stir until the butter is fully melted. Do not overheat this! We want the liquid just warm enough to melt the butter. Any hotter, and you take the risk of killing the yeast. Once the butter is melted, add the maple whiskey and stir to combine. If you have a food thermometer, check that the temperature of the sugar liquid is between 105°F – 115°F or 41°C – 46°C. If it is not in this range, heat the liquid or cool it to be within it. It is the ideal temperature the yeast will thrive (like a warm blanket for them).
Tip
- For more information on making a fail-proof yeast dough, you can read about it here.
- Forgot to set ingredients out for them to warm to room temperature? You can get my tips on how to do this quickly here.
Work smarter, not harder… by using a stand mixer!
How to proof the sweet dough
In a large bowl, add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil. Shape your dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl to coat. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean hand towel over it. Place your dough into the pre-warmed oven and turn the heat off. Set your timer to 1½ hours. No peeking! Keep the oven door closed until rise time is complete. You can read more about it here if you want to know more helpful tips for creating foolproof dough every time.
How to make cinnamon rolls
When the proof time is complete, lightly puncture the dough with your fingers to release air bubbles and scrape it out of the bowl onto your counter that is dusted with flour. Sprinkle a little flour onto the dough, then with a rolling pin, flatten it into a rectangle with dimensions of 26-inch width x 20-inch length and a 1 cm thickness. Lightly dust your pin in between rolling to prevent the dough from sticking to it.
In a medium heat-proof bowl, melt cold butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, ground cinnamon, maple whiskey, and salt to the butter and stir to combine. Spread the cinnamon butter filling evenly onto your dough and leave a 2-inch gap closest to you (see pictures for reference). This gap will be the seam once you roll the dough together.
Start at the top and tightly roll dough into an even-sized log towards the edge with the 2-inch gap. Brush the rolled log with melted, unsalted butter. The butter will make it easier to pull rolls apart after they are baked.
How to cut cinnamon rolls
In the past, I used a knife or a dough scraper to divide my cinnamon rolls but found that it flattened the rolls slightly and squeezed some of the fillings out. My new method uses a long sewing thread to cut the dough log into clean, perfectly shaped cinnamon rolls. If you do not have sewing thread, you can use a serrated knife to help make clean cuts into the dough.
Lightly mark the dough log with a knife into even sections, then cut logs into 15 rolls using a clean, long sewing thread along each section you marked. Brush melted butter inside two 10-inch round springform pans or two 9×13-inch casserole dishes. Place rolls cut side down into the pan, two inches apart. Lightly dab melted butter on top of each cinnamon roll. I like to cover the rolls with a hand towel for a second rise, but you can also leave them uncovered. Place the pans back into the prewarmed oven (between 100°F – 170°F) for a second rise for 30 minutes up to 1 hour or until they have doubled in volume.
After the second rise is complete, remove your baking pans from the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). If you use springform pans, line two baking trays with aluminum foil and place each springform pan inside the baking tray. This will catch excess butter/sugar that may leak and smoke in your oven. Bake one pan at a time on the middle oven rack for 25 – 30 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, mix a block of room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and maple whiskey with a whisk until smooth. Cool cinnamon rolls for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the springform, then glaze each roll with 2 to 3 Tablespoons of icing and sprinkle chopped, candied bacon on each roll.
Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Whiskey Glaze & Candied Bacon
Ingredients
For the yeast dough
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cups brown sugar, packed
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons Maple whiskey, or Bourbon
- 1½ cups whole milk (3.25% homogenized)
- 7¾ cups bread flour, + 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1 envelope)
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
For the filling
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
- 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup Maple whiskey, or Bourbon
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the glaze
- 9 ounce cream cheese (1 block), room temperature
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Maple whiskey, or Bourbon
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk (3.25% M.F.), or heavy cream
Other
- ½ cup unsalted butter (for brushing), melted
INSTRUCTIONS
For the candied bacon topping (optional)
- It is optional to use the candied bacon topping, but if you opt for it, you can make the candied bacon first before getting started on the rolls. Follow my recipe here:https://sweet2savoury.com/recipes/appetizers/maple-whiskey-brown-sugar-candied-bacon/
To make the sweet dough
- Preheat your oven to the lowest heat setting; usually, this ranges between 100°F to 170°F. Always go with the lowest setting possible.
- Add cold (cubed) unsalted butter, brown sugar, whole milk, and salt in a medium heat-proof bowl—microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the mixture and heat for another 30 seconds. Continue to stir until the butter is fully melted. Do not overheat this! Once the butter is melted, add the maple whiskey and stir to combine. If you have a food thermometer, check that the temperature of the sweet butter liquid is between 105°F – 115°F or 41°C – 46°C. If it is not in this range, heat the liquid or cool it to be within it.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Then, add 3 cups flour to your stand mixer bowl and all the warm liquid sweet butter. Mix everything at low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. Add room temperature egg one at a time and scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead the dough at medium-low speed for 10 to 15 minutes until it is no longer sticky to the touch. Knead in 2 more Tablespoons of bread flour if the dough is still sticky.
- In a large bowl, add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil. Shape your dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl to coat. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean hand towel over it. Place the bowl into the pre-warmed oven and turn the heat off. Set your timer to 1½ hours. No peeking! Keep the oven door closed until proof time is complete.
To make the cinnamon rolls
- Lightly puncture or punch down the dough with your hand to release air bubbles. & scrape it out of the bowl onto your counter dusted with flour. Sprinkle a little flour onto the dough & flatten dough with your rolling pin to a rectangular shape with 26-inch width x 20-inch length and a 1 cm thickness. Lightly dust your pin in between rolling to prevent the dough from sticking to it.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, melt cold butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, ground cinnamon, maple whiskey, and salt to the butter and stir to combine. Spread the cinnamon butter filling evenly onto your dough with a spatula and leave a 2-inch gap closest to you. This gap will be the seam once you roll the dough together.
- Start at the top and tightly roll dough into an even-sized log towards the edge with the 2-inch gap. Brush the rolled log with melted, unsalted butter. The butter will make it easier to pull rolls apart after they are baked.
How to cut & bake cinnamon rolls
- Brush melted butter inside two 10-inch round springform pans or two 9×13-inch casserole dishes. Lightly mark the dough log with a knife into even sections, then cut logs into 15 rolls using a clean, long sewing thread along each section you marked. Place rolls cut side down into the pan, two inches apart.
- Lightly dab melted butter on top of each cinnamon roll. I like to cover the rolls with a hand towel for a second rise, but you can also leave them uncovered. Place the pans back into the prewarmed (between 100°F – 170°F) oven for a second rise for 30 minutes up to 1 hour or until they have doubled in volume.
- After the second rise is complete, remove your baking pans from the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). If you use springform pans, line two baking trays with aluminum foil and place each springform pan inside the baking tray. This will catch excess butter/sugar that may leak and smoke in your oven. Bake one pan at a time on the middle oven rack for 25 – 30 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
For the cream cheese glaze
- To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, mix a block of room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and maple whiskey with a whisk until smooth. Cool cinnamon rolls for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the springform, then glaze each roll with 2 to 3 Tablespoons of icing and sprinkle chopped, candied bacon (see notes) on each roll.
Equipment
Tips
-2 days at room temperature
-7 days in the refrigerator
-3 months in the freezer What other types of glaze can I make? If you don’t want to use whiskey, you can add a Tablespoon of coffee, espresso or vanilla extract to the glaze. You can also make a simple sugar glaze instead of cream cheese frosting. Can I reduce the recipe? My recipe yields 15 rolls. You can reduce the recipe by half (except for yeast) if you want to make fewer rolls. I want to keep these kid-friendly, do you have a recipe? Yes, I do! You can follow my classic cinnamon roll recipe here. I can’t find Maple flavoured whiskey; what else can I use? If you can’t find maple-flavoured whiskey, mix 1/2 cup regular whiskey with two tablespoons maple syrup or two teaspoons maple extract. Bourbon is another excellent alcohol substitute.
