The VERY BEST Cinnamon Buns

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My 10 pm food blog reading took me to Sarah's blog where she showed these gorgeous pull apart cinnamon buns.
She promised that they were easy to make, no yeast involved and were addictive.
She was right on all accounts.

I always have cottage cheese in the fridge, and I was intrigued by the use of it in dough.

These were amazing, warm out of the oven and hard to stop at just one, so if you are watching your weight, skip these, because you won't be able to stay away from them, the smell is intoxicating.

Sarah mentions to bake them 20 minutes and keep an eye on them, you don't want to overcook them, no more than 28 minutes, since ovens vary. Mine needed exactly 20 minutes.

Amazing Cinnamon Pecan Buns (adapted from Fine Cooking & In Praise of Leftovers):

For filling:
3 Tb. melted butter
2/3 c. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 c. pecans
(I added golden raisins, of course)

For dough:
2 c. flour
1 Tb. baking powder
1/2 ts. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. cottage cheese (I used 2% milkfat)
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. granulated sugar
4 Tb. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

For icing:
2/3 c. powdered sugar
2-3 Tb. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
finely grated zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 400 and butter a 9″ springform pan.

Start out by chopping the pecans very fine and mix them together with the spices, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Set aside.



In a food processor, mix cottage cheese, buttermilk, granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla, pulsing for about 10 seconds until just mixed and cottage cheese is pureed. Add flour mixture to cottage cheese mixture, pulsing in short bursts until dough is just beginning to clump.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, kneading a couple times until smooth. Dough will be very soft and fragrant, but surprisingly easy to work with. Roll dough out into a 12″x15″ rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter (I forgot this step!), leaving a little border around the edges. Sprinkle pecan spice mixture over dough. Roll the dough up lengthwise, pinching ends. Using your sharpest knife, cut dough into 10-12 rounds. They will squish a little bit, but don’t worry about it.



Arrange in the springform pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. DO NOT OVERBAKE! This is super essential. (Mine only needed 20 minutes).



Let cool for about five minutes, then whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and orange zest to make your icing. Drizzle icing over buns, let cool for about five more minutes, then unmold the springform.



HEAVEN!

I want to wish all of my friends a very HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!


See you next year!








Comments

Wow! No yeast or rising? This is bookmarked.
Anonymous said…
AGAIN, MY MOUTH IS WATERING!!!
THIS IS MY KIND OF PASTRY!!!!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.
CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THEM.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A HEALTHY ONE FOR ALL.
MIL
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Oh my how I wish I had some of those right now. Looks fabulous.
I can just smell that baking through the house! I may just try these on New Year's morning. I have no cottage cheese, do you think ricotta would work?
Believe me, these are delicious. I had one at Stacey's house last week since the birthday cake was already gone. Happy New Year, Rosemary
StaceyEsq said…
These might even help a New Year's hangover! I certainly intend to put them to the test!

A healthy and happy New Year to you and your family, Stacey! xoxo -- Stacey
kat said…
Wow, these look so good, I can't believe they don't have yeast. Happy New Year!
The Leftoverist said…
Yours look really amazing, Stacey. And I thought the same thing--not the rolls to make if you're aiming for self control :)
Dana said…
I was thinking of making much more involved complicated rolls for New Year's Day at our friends' house but I am just.too.done with baking. I might just have to make these though because they look so good. Very happy New Year to you, Stacey!
Donna-FFW said…
These look spectacular! Not much work involved.. even better..

Happy New Year to you!
Jen_from_NJ said…
WOW - these look so delicious! I bet they are so good warm from the oven. Happy New Year Stacey!!
Bob said…
Holy crap, those look wicked good. Wicked good.

Happy new year to you too!
This is quite an intriguing recipe. I've never used cottage cheese in dough, and I like the simplicity of the recipe.
Wishes for happiness and blessings in the coming year.
sync said…
Wonderful post, Bravo.
Natalie said…
i can't wait to try these!! they look so delish!
The JR said…
You had my attention at cottage cheese!
Pink Salt & Garlic said…
I just made these, oh my! Or, as my 4-year old said "all I can say is um".