Baking a variety pack of four different cinnamon roll flavors transforms a single-flavor tray into a versatile, gourmet experience. A visually appealing experience that blends the comfort of a homemade dessert with the excitement of modern flavor experimentation. It caters to different tastes within a single batch, making it an ideal choice for brunch, gifts, or, as some suggest, sharing.
Moving beyond the classic brown sugar and cinnamon, you can incorporate modern, diverse fillings and toppings. Examples include raspberry-lemon, apple pie, salted caramel, chocolate-hazelnut, orange zest, carrot cake, cardamom, pumpkin or even cream cheese icing variations.
Use one consistent, high-quality yeasted dough for all four variations to ensure even baking times. By packing them together in a small pan, they stay soft and pillowy, a common goal in high-quality homemade baking.
Who doesn’t love a tray of warm, gooey rolls? If you’re a fan of the variety pack, you’re likely drawn to the balance of textures and the social, flexible nature of the format.
It caters to different palates. While some people crave the classic ‘ooey-gooey’ cinnamon, others might prefer more adventurous toppings.
Including plain rolls in a variety pack ensures that even if you don’t love the experimental flavors, you still have the ‘good ole plain’ ones to fall back on.
Recently, Brion & I had to make a trip out to BC. While waiting in the airport I picked up a magazine to look at and came across a great looking cinnamon roll recipe I thought I should try. For something different I thought it would be nice to do a variety pack instead of just one filling. This is what developed from that idea.
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- 200 gm (about 1 medium) potato, cooked, peeled, mashed & cooled slightly Do not add anything to potatoes when mashing them.
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 300 gm raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup sugar OR to taste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- pinch of salt
- 300 gm blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
Ingredients
Dough
Raspberry Filling
Blueberry Filling
Cinnamon Filling
Lemon Curd Filling
Cream Cheese Drizzle
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- In a small bowl, combine lukewarm milk, & 2 Tbsp of the sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add in the yeast & allow to sit until frothy.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, eggs, salt & butter. When yeast mixture is proofed, add to potato mixture, combining well.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour & remaining sugar. Combine with wet mixture until dough forms a ball. Knead on a work surface for about 10 minutes then place in a greased bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap & a towel. Allow to rise in a draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, make fillings so they have time to chill before using them. IF YOU FEEL THEY WILL NOT BE CHILLED ENOUGH, PREPARE THEM A DAY AHEAD & KEEP IN THE REFRIGERATOR. TAKE FILLINGS OUT WHILE THE DOUGH IS RISING.
- RASPBERRY & BLUEBERRY FILLING: Add the raspberries (or blueberries), sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest & salt to a saucepan over low heat. Keep stirring until they begin to break down. Once the berries have broken down & released their juices, turn the heat to medium & allow the mixture to boil, stirring for around 4-5 minutes. As the mixture boils, it will thicken & become jelly-like. Make sure to keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Once thick, remove it from the heat, scrape it into a bowl & allow to cool.
- CINNAMON FILLING: In a small bowl stir together brown sugar & cinnamon. Measure out 1/4 cup softened butter for spreading.
- LEMON CURD FILLING: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, if using, lemon juice, zest, & salt until smooth. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, making sure to scrape the corners of the pan to prevent scrambling. Cook for 5–8 minutes until the mixture thickens & coats the back of the spoon. It should just begin to bubble. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the cold, cubed butter one piece at a time until completely melted and smooth. Pour the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a jar or bowl to remove any bits of zest or egg. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until completely cold and firm.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle & cut into four sections. Apply the 4 different fillings, tightly roll up filled rectangles into spirals. Pinch dough to seal seams.
- Cut each roll into 3 slices; arrange in prepared baking pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown & done in center. While rolls are baking prepare cream cheese drizzle.
- CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE: In a bowl, beat softened cream cheese, softened butter & vanilla with a mixer on medium until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in enough milk, 1 tsp at a time, to reach drizzle consistency.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a small spatula, loosen rolls from pan. Place a wire rack on top of pan; place one hand on top of rack & other hand under pan & carefully invert pan with rack (use pot holders to protect your hands). Lift pan off rolls.
- Drizzle as many of the rolls as you wish. Serve warm.
For the mashed potato, prick a 10-ounce unpeeled potato all over with a fork. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Halve potato and scoop pulp out of skin into a small bowl; discard skin. Mash the potato pulp with a potato masher or an electric mixer on low speed.
