The idea began when I spotted a photo online labeled “Tahini Cream Cheese Frosting.” Those words immediately brought to mind Smitten Kitchen’s carrot muffins with tahini glaze and their carrot cupcakes with maple cream cheese icing. Soon the flavors—tahini, maple, and cream cheese—started to merge in my imagination, and I could almost taste the blend. I realized the carrot-maple-tahini-cream-cheese pairing had to exist.
Given the choice between a muffin and a sweet, yeasted roll, I will always choose the yeast bread. To showcase the carrot-maple-tahini-cream-cheese combination at its best, I decided to adapt it into a sweet roll.
I could have adapted a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but instead I turned to a pumpkin bread dough from Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg. Their “bread in 5” approach uses a dough that can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to five days before baking—ideal if you want to bake only a few rolls at a time. This dough also doesn’t require a stand mixer, which was especially helpful the first time I made these rolls—coincidentally the day my mixer broke.
The maple-tahini-cream-cheese icing is everything I hoped for and more. It’s spoon-licking good. Trust me—you need these rolls in your life.
Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Maple-Tahini Cream Cheese Icing
Carrot cake reimagined as cinnamon rolls. Adapted from the pumpkin cinnamon roll method in Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 260 g peeled, roughly chopped carrots
- 495g all-purpose flour
- 5 g / 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 8 g / 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 98g / 1/2 cup lukewarm water (100 F)
- 85g / 1/4 cup honey
- 49 g / 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil
For the filling:
- 1/3cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- 2tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the icing:
- 4.8oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B or extra dark)
- 1 generoustbsp tahini (well-stirred)
Instructions
Make the dough:
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Steam the chopped carrots until very tender. Cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth; a few small bits are fine. Cool the purée to lukewarm.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, yeast, and spices. Make a well in the center.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the carrot purée with the lukewarm water, honey, and oil.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula, then use your hands until no dry flour remains.
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Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
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After 2 hours, place the covered dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days.
Shape the cinnamon rolls:
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Line two 9-inch round or similarly sized pans with parchment paper.
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Combine the granulated and brown sugars with the ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
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Remove the chilled dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Dust with flour, shape into a ball, and create surface tension by stretching and rotating the dough.
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Roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 9 by 24 inches, keeping the long edge facing you. Add flour as needed and keep a bench scraper nearby if it sticks.
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Brush melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly, leaving a clean 1 cm strip along the far long edge. Moisten that strip with a little water.
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Roll the dough tightly from the edge closest to you into a long log.
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Slice the log into 12 even slices and place them cut-side up in the lined pans, six per pan. There will be space between them—don’t worry, they’ll rise to fill the gaps.
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Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature for 75–90 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
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Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
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When the rolls are puffed and slightly risen, remove the plastic and bake 25–30 minutes until lightly browned and set in the center. The internal temperature should be about 195°F (90°C).
Ice the rolls:
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Beat together the cream cheese, maple syrup, and stirred tahini with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth.
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Spread the maple-tahini cream cheese icing over the warm rolls and serve.
Recipe Notes
Although this recipe yields 12 rolls, the dough stores well in the refrigerator, so you don’t need to bake them all at once. The total dough weight is about 2 lb; you can weigh out 1 lb to make six rolls one morning and save the rest for another day, adjusting filling and icing quantities as needed.
The original cinnamon roll this is adapted from calls for slightly more butter, sugar, and cinnamon. The amounts here provide a balanced filling, though you can increase them if you prefer a more indulgent result.
An easy, clean way to slice the log is to use nylon thread or fishing line: slide the thread under the log where you want a cut, wrap the ends around the log, and pull the ends in opposite directions to slice cleanly.
