As mornings get colder and homes fill up with far-flung family members, the desire for a cozy, warming breakfast increases. Dishes like overnight French toast casserole, homemade waffles, and buttermilk pancakes become the norm after a summer of smoothies and açaí bowls. It finally feels right to start the day with a sweet, gooey, warm cinnamon roll. Whether you make your own from scratch or buy it from the frozen aisle to heat up, there’s one ingredient to add to the topping that will up that cozy factor to stave off the winter chill: maple syrup.
To make your own maple cream cheese frosting, simply beat softened cream cheese with a bit of softened butter. Then, hand mix in powdered sugar and maple syrup. It’s simple, rich, and delicious. If you bought cinnamon buns with their own frosting or glaze, you can mix maple syrup into that or drizzle it on the pastries right out of the oven. Or, for some added richness, make a maple butter to slather on when they’re hot. The sweet, caramelized nuttiness of the maple pairs perfectly with cinnamon. The flavor duo is like a warm sweater for the season.
Other ways to boost your rolls
Maple isn’t the only way to make your buns special. Another great flavor that pairs well with cinnamon and warm bread is caramel. We recommend spreading some of the sweet sauce onto the bottom of your cookie pan before you place the rolls in. Then bake, flip over, and enjoy.
Pumpkin is another inviting ingredient to add. If you bought the treats in a can to cut out and bake, you can unroll the dough and spread pumpkin puree mixed with a bit of sugar and spices on the insides and roll it back up. Making pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls from scratch is especially easy if you use store-bought pizza dough. Other fantastic fillings you can spread into the buns are Nutella, cookie butter, berry jam, apple butter, or lemon curd.
An even simpler way to add other tastes is to sprinkle them on top. Crushed nuts like pecans or toasted hazelnuts work well. You can also crunch up Biscoff cookies to put on top instead of unrolling the dough to spread cookie butter. There are so many good flavors to add and so many simple ways to add them that it makes sense to vary things up when you bake!