Calling all whiskey lovers! Soft sweet dough is filled with cinnamon butter, 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!
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 9x13-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.
Notes
Do I have to make candied bacon for this recipe?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".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 freezerWhat 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.