This homemade cinnamon rolls recipe uses olive oil for extra fluffiness and healthy fats and has the best icing made with melted, gooey white chocolate.
The best Cinnamon rolls are homemade! These little gems are soft, moist, gooey, fluffy and sticky because of the olive oil and the white chocolate icing. Yes, for me, this is the best icing because white chocolate pairs incredibly well with the brown sugar and the cinnamon in the filling making every bite an unforgettable experience. I’m not kidding guys! The white chocolate, brown sugar, and cinnamon combination is just heavenly! That’s why you basically OWE IT to yourself to also save this baked white chocolate cheesecake recipe with mint and cinnamon. It’s a recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again ☺
Homemade cinnamon rolls recipe with olive oil?
Yes! Olive oil cinnamon rolls are totally a thing! Even before you start baking them, you’ll be amazed by the way they smell. And you won’t miss the butter, I promise! Olive oil contributes some healthy mono-unsaturated fats and makes them soft, gooey, and very fluffy. Just make sure you don’t over-bake them if you want them to stay moist and gooey! For me, these are the best cinnamon rolls ever! And since we’re talking about olive oil, I just can’t help myself but to mention these olive oil baklava fingers with lots on nuts, cinnamon and other spices, many extra crunchy layers of fyllo and some flavored syrup to bind it all together. Have you tried something like this? If not, you’re certainly in for a treat!
Note: If you don’t have olive oil, you can substitute butter 🙂
The best cinnamon rolls icing – white chocolate
OK, I know what you think… Lots of you are familiar with the classic cream cheese-based icing but put your doubts aside for a second, forget the cream cheese and just use some real white chocolate. It will transform your icing into a gooey, luscious, deeply aromatic, creamy and sticky glaze that will make your cinnamon rolls equivalent to a decadent dessert, with the added bonus that you can also have them for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack. White chocolate works very well with a bit of fruity olive oil, something you can also confirm by trying this salted white chocolate and olive oil magic shell, which is ideal not only for all of your ice creams but for many other desserts, as a white chocolate sauce.
Needless to say that the amount of icing given in the recipe is the minimum! You can increase it to your liking. I usually coat the cinnamon rolls entirely with the white chocolate icing, but this time I wanted the photos to show some of the rolls also, so I used it sparingly.
Some notes/tips:
- Use real white chocolate and not candy melts!
- Generally, in dough recipes, don’t use all the flour at once. Keep a small amount aside and use it if the dough is sticky.
- As with all doughs with yeast, don’t let the yeast touch the salt and use lukewarm water (very warm water can kill the yeast and the cinnamon rolls won’t rise).
- Though it is not necessary, for the best flavor you should let the dough rest in your fridge overnight. This way you can have freshly-baked cinnamon rolls in the morning.
You may also like these recipes:
- Chocolate stuffed Greek Easter bread (Tsoureki Gemisto)
- Tahini and chocolate stuffed crumble muffins
- Best whole-wheat, olive oil and grated apple pancakes
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- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) active dry yeast
- 3/4 cups (180 grams) warm milk
- 2 medium eggs, (110 grams weighed without the shells)
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) olive oil
- 1/3 cup (70 grams) white sugar
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups (420 – 480 grams) bread flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 – 3/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5.3 oz (150 grams) white chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Baking dish about 14 x 10 inches in dimensions (36 x 25 cor a round one, 12-13 inches (30-32 cin diameter)
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Proof the yeast: Transfer the yeast, the milk, and two tablespoons of the flour to the bowl of your electric mixer and stir to combine. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes until it becomes foamy.
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Make the dough: Add the eggs, the olive oil, the sugar, the salt, the vanilla extract, the cinnamon, and most of the flour (reserve about 1/2 a cup). Beat with the dough attachment until you get a soft and elastic dough (about 10-15 minutes). The dough should be somewhat sticky. If it seems too sticky, add the rest of the flour and kneed some more.
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First rise: Cover the bowl with a towel and transfer to a warm place. Let it rise until tripled in volume (about 2-3 hours). After this step you can refrigerate the dough overnight, or continue to the next step.
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Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a rectangular shape approximately 19 inches long and 13 inches wide (48×33 cm).
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Brush the surface of the dough with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, except one edge of the long side. Mix together the brown sugar and the cinnamon and cover the brushed surface of the dough. Roll the dough starting from the long side, to form a log. Cut the log into 12 pieces, about 1.6 inches (4cin thickness, and transfer them to your baking dish.
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Second rise: Transfer the rolls to a warm place until almost doubled in volume (about 30 minutes to 1 houand preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. If any of he centers of the cinnamon rolls pop up, gently press them down after baking.
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Make the icing: melt the white chocolate with the olive oil in over a water bath / double boiler (you can also melt it in the microwaves stopping and stirring every 20 secondand drizzle over the cinnamon rolls.
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Let them cool and eat!
If you don’t have olive oil, you can substitute butter.
Use real white chocolate and not candy melts! Real white chocolate contains only cocoa butter as fat and no other kind of vegetable fat.
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What a beautiful recipe and photography!!! Not many things are as comforting as the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon buns!!!
Can’t wait to try the olive oil and white chocolate combination.
Thank you Katerina!
I could eat those every day, I think you’ll love them too 😊
These cinnamon rolls looks incredible Makos. Nothing like the aroma of fresh cinnamon rolls coming straight out of the oven!!! Love the addition of White Chocolate icing!