Best Cinnamon rolls recipe! Soft and gooey cinnamon rolls. Light and fluffy on the outside with a creamy Rompope frosting.
Extra soft and gooey...simply delicious!
Christmas is coming and it only means I’ll be diving into making these traditional best cinnamon rolls recipe that are soft and gooey. These cinnamon rolls recipe are a KILLER at family and friends gathering. The rolls are creamy, light, and fluffy filled with layers of mascabado brown sugar and Christmas spices.
On top it is slathered with Rompope frosting and white chocolate, garnished with pecan nuts. Once these cinnamon rolls starts coming out of my oven, everyone is literally waiting by the kitchen, and patiently waits to see if they are lucky enough to swoop one into their mouths.
Each year I try to introduce something new to the family. A new pie, a new cake, even new sugar cookies. Though they like them all, they still prefer and request this BEST cinnamon rolls with Rompope Frosting. My kids love breaking them apart with their little fingers and poke holes inside and investigate the sugar and cinnamon. It’s so soft and gooey sometimes they laugh maniacally when the bread is stuck at the roof of their mouth. It’s a warm and cozy treat that is essential for winter.
I love bringing a big plate of this homemade cinnamon rolls to dinner parties and everyone makes room for dessert. I always get asked what the frosting is because everyone got used to the cream cheese frosting. Revealing it is a Rompope Mexican liquor based frosting melted and combined with white chocolate always have new testers go “wooowwwww!!.”
This post is about the Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe.
Tested and Compared
We tried other cinnamon rolls around our area as well. We’ve tried a lot of grocery store cinnamon rolls and it’s a bit on the dry side with an over sugary frosting. We also tried Cinnabon rolls and they are perfect and delicious in Every-way; however, the frosting is again over saturated with sugar and artificial vanilla flavouring.
Sugar
I feel like today everything is just over the top when it comes to sugar. Most of us has built a high tolerance with sugar intake and fat consumption. From this high level of intake of highly processed ingredients, our taste buds have gotten used to this standard. I’m sure everything at this point tastes and feels delicious; however, sugar is a huge health concern for many of us.
Sugar is addicting, and studies have shown that over and over again limiting sugar is highly recommended for all of us. If you make your own cinnamon rolls, you get to control your sugar and fat content. This cinnamon roll recipe has been catered to that health concern. I’ve created the recipe where I’ve put the minimal amount of sugar where it is still taste, yet not over powered by sweetness.
I got the perfect BEST cinnamon rolls recipe for you that you’re going to love while staying moderately more healthy (compared to eating a regular Cinnabon Rolls), with a Rompope liquor frosting that has a bit of a special twist, I know you’re going to like!
Why You Will Want to Make This Cinnamon Rolls
What makes this gooey soft cinnamon roll unique is the frosting. Instead of using cream cheese, I use a Mexican liquor called Rompope. In the frosting it also has vanilla and white chocolate. Because the frosting is dissolved and cooked on a stove top, the alcohol in the liquor evaporates and only leaves the taste of Rompope and white chocolate in the frosting.
If you’re feeling naughty and you know you’re just serving adults, you can always give less cooking time, so the liquor is less evaporated. Honestly Rompope liquor content is very minimal and I doubt your boozy friends will feel an ounce of anything.
Rompope Liquor
It is a Mexican creamy liquor make with egg yolks, vanilla flavouring, milk, sugar, and alcohol. Imagine eggnog sold in the liquor store. The taste is quite similar to eggnog. Usually venders start to sell it during winter season and closer to celebration months like beginning of November and Christmas.
The drink is rich and spiced. Some of the most popular Rompope Brands in Mexico are Santa Clara, and the Holandesa Brand. Those are found in almost any grocery store in Mexico. It is believed that the Santa Clara Rompope was created by Clarisa’s Nuns in the convent of Santa Clara, in the city of Puebla.
Origin
Rompope is a famous drink here in the city of Puebla and rumour has it, that it was originally made here in Puebla as well. Its origins go all the way back to colonial times when the nuns of the Santa Clara Convent used to prepare it for the priests and other religious authorities of the Catholic Church.
Over time, the drink’s popularity surpassed the convent walls, and the nuns sold it as a means of income, along with mole paste, candies, and other items that they prepared. Nowadays, Rompope (along with Tequila and Mezcal) has a privileged place among traditional Mexican drinks.
Where To Find It
If you’re looking for Rompope outside of Mexico, you can find them in the special liquor store. You can try online places like Amazon. Maybe even a Latin corner stores will have it.
If you tried all these place and you still can’t find it, you can always replace Rompope with your regular egg nog you can find during the holidays at the grocery store. You’re never out of option, but there’s also a good substitute for this recipe!
Muscovado Sugar VS Brown Sugar VS Regular Sugar
So why do we use muscovado sugar instead of your other regular sugar? Firstly, muscovado sugar is less refined, so it retains much of its molasses component. Where as brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added back to it.
The amount of molasses determines whether it is “light” or “dark”: the darker the sugar, the more molasses it contains. And your regular white sugar (probably the saddest thing I have to explain today) is highly processed sugar where it is processed further to remove any excess molasses and create smaller crystals, resulting in a sweeter taste.
The major difference between them, from a cook’s point of view, is taste, and it’s especially noticeable in recipes where the sugar is a star ingredient. Muscovado sugar has more complex flavours, with more pronounced caramel and toffee notes.
Brown sugar and muscovado sugar are used for more dense baking goods like peanut butter biscuits, zucchini bread, and rich cookies. The flavour really comes through in the finished product, and because the molasses in the sugar retains moisture, it will result in baked good that are softer yet denser.
In the opposite end of the spectrum, white sugar is used in a number of baked goods that require adequate rising, such as meringues, mousses, soufflés, and fluffy baked goods. White sugar will rise to a greater extent, allowing more air into the dough and resulting in an airier texture.
Conclusion
All in all, sugar is sugar, and the nutritional value comparing all three of these sugar is so minimal lets just say they are the same. If you’re looking for a healthier option for sugar, I believe there are none here to recommend. Instead, make an effort to follow a healthier diet, only eating foods high in added sugar sparingly.
A balanced diet that consists mostly of whole, nutrient- dense foods — especially vegetables and fruits — provides the nutrients that your body needs for optimal health.
Cinnamon Rolls with Rompope Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 TSP instant yeast
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- ¼ TSP sea salt
- ¾ cup whole milk slightly warm
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 TSP vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter melted
Sugar Filling
- ½ cup mascabado sugar add 1/4 cup if you want more sugar taste
- 2 TBSP ground cinnamon
- 1 TSP ground clove
- ½ cup butter soft
Rompope Frosting
- ¼ cup Rompope liquor
- 2 ounce white chocolate chips
- 2 TSP vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup toasted pecans
Instructions
Cinnamon Dough
- In a stand mixer attach the hook attachment. Add the flour, yeast, brown sugar, and salt. Give it a good stir. While the hook is running in slow, slowly add the milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Mix for 5 minutes. Cover with film and let it sit for 1 hour or more at a warm area in the house. Let it double or triple in size. If your house is on the colder side, you might need to let it rest for 2 hours. Alternatively you can put the resting dough in the oven with the lights on.
Sugar Filling
- Add the sugar and spice together. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Dust your work surface with some flower and roll the dough out. Punch out the air and roll out a rectangle about 10x16 inches. Spread the soft butter evenly over the dough. Spring the sugar filling evenly and make sure the edges are also sprinkled. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll tightly away from you, and form a long log. At the end, pinch the edges to incorporate into the log. Give it a couple gentle roll so it mends together well. Using a sharp knife, cut 12 -15 rolls and place it in the baking dish. Put a towel on top and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Take out the towel and bake for 25-30 minutes, until you see the top is slightly golden brown (not too much!).
- Meanwhile make the frosting by using a pot in the lowest heat setting, whisk together the Rompope, white chocolate, and vanilla. When you see the chocolate has almost fully melted, take it off the heat and whisk wildly until it is all melted. Add in the powder sugar.
- Spread the frosting on the warm rolls and garnish with pecan nuts
