The Freedom We Often Take for Granted - Cinnamon Roll Croissants

My son and I also happen to love cinnamon rolls. I've shared my homemade cinnamon roll recipe here before, but there's one small problem. He always wants them for breakfast, and making them from scratch means getting up around 3:00 in the morning if we're planning to eat at a civilized hour.

So when I stumbled across a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Croissants, I thought, "Now we're talking."

To be fair, they're not really croissants. They're more like cinnamon rolls shaped like croissants. But honestly, nobody around our house seemed to care. They disappeared just as quickly as regular cinnamon rolls.

The best part wasn't even the recipe. It was learning that I could make them the night before. Shape them, put them in the refrigerator, and let them rest overnight. The next morning, I pulled them out before heading out for my run, let them proof while I was gone, and by the time I got home all I had to do was preheat the oven, throw them in to bake, jump in the shower, and twenty minutes later we had warm cinnamon rolls...croissant-shaped cinnamon rolls...waiting for us.

That's a whole lot better than a 3:00 a.m. alarm.

One final warning. The cream cheese frosting is outstanding. The biggest challenge wasn't baking the croissants. It was keeping my wife from standing over the bowl eating spoonfuls of frosting before it ever made it onto the pastries.

Cinnamon Roll Croissants

Serves: About 10 large bakery-style rolls

Ingredients

Dough

• 3/4 cup warm milk

• 1/2 cup sugar, divided

• 1 package (2½ tsp) active dry yeast

• 1/2 cup sour cream (or full-fat Greek yogurt)

• 1/2 cup very soft butter

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 4½ cups flour

• 3/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon Filling

• 1/2 cup softened butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2½ tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp vanilla

Egg Wash

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp milk

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• 2 tbsp butter, softened

• 1¼ cups powdered sugar

• 2–4 tbsp heavy cream

• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Bloom the yeast in the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar for about 7 minutes.

2. Mix all dough ingredients and knead until smooth. Allow the dough to rise for 30–45 minutes.

3. Mix together the filling ingredients.

4. Roll the dough into a 20 x 12-inch rectangle and spread the filling evenly over the surface.

5. Cut into 10 triangles, slit the wide end of each, then roll toward the tip to create a croissant shape.

6. Proof for 30–60 minutes.

7. Brush with the egg wash and bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes, until lightly golden.

Cool for about 10 minutes before topping with the cream cheese frosting.

Make-Ahead Tip

After shaping the croissants, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let them sit at room temperature for 60–90 minutes before baking. It's an easy way to have fresh, homemade pastries without sacrificing a full night's sleep.

A Few Notes

Full-fat Greek yogurt works well in place of sour cream.

Use 2–3 tablespoons of heavy cream for a thicker frosting or all 4 tablespoons for a thinner drizzle.

These are best served warm.

Try not to let your spouse discover the frosting bowl before you're finished decorating.

This is What I Heard...

Unless you've been completely unplugged from the internet, you've probably seen what's become one of the unexpected stories of the tournament. Visitors from around the world are posting videos about their first experiences in America. Taco Bell. Free chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants. Waffle House at 1:00 a.m. Buc-ee's. Costco. Yellow school buses. Fire trucks. Things most of us hardly notice anymore.

What's funny is that they're seeing these everyday experiences with the excitement of a kid at Disney World.

If you haven't come across any of them yet, here's one of my favorites. It's a guy from England who spots a yellow school bus and a couple of fire trucks and is absolutely convinced he's stepped into an American movie.

Some of these videos are genuinely hilarious.