Almond Joy Rolls

makes about 15 rolls

recipe adapted from Whip it Up!

for the dough:

  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1/4 oz. sachet active dried years
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

for the filling:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate

for the glaze:

  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 4-6 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • pinch of salt

Turn oven to the lowest setting to create a makeshift proof box.

Mix yeast in a small bowl with warm water (temperature between 100-100F). Let sit for 10 minutes, until yeast has bloomed.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add the buttermilk. Set aside.

In a large heatproof bowl mix together the salt, egg and sugar. Mix in the butter-buttermilk mixture, then add 2 cups of the flour and mix until it’s all combined. Add the yeast mixture along with the remaining flour. Mix until the spoon’s not really doing its job, then use your hand to finish kneading it all together for another minute or so.

Turn off your oven and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and place inside for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make your filling. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, almond extract, salt and shredded coconut.

On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough and sprinkle with most of the almonds, reserving a few for the top. Finish with the chopped chocolate and carefully roll up the dough, starting from one long end of the rectangle until you’ve got a long log of dough. Cut the knobby ends off of the rolls and cut log into about 15 rolls.  Carefully transfer each roll to a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise for another 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. If the almonds start to brown, tent rolls with aluminum foil.

Make the glaze by stirring together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. After rolls have been out of the oven for at least 15 minutes, drizzle the glaze over the top. Serve warm.