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Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Banana bread cinnamon rolls with a banana-flavored, soft sweet-roll dough and a cinnamon-sugar swirl. Finished with brown butter cream cheese frosting that melts into every swirl for a gooey, golden-top breakfast.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
rising 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 2 ripe bananas Mashed until smooth.
  • 0.75 cup warm milk Warm, not hot.
  • 2.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 0.33 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Filling
  • 4 tbsp butter, softened
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbsp brown butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9x13 baking dish

Method
 

Make and rise the dough
  1. Mix mashed ripe bananas, warm milk, instant yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl until combined, then rest 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Add softened butter, egg, all-purpose flour, and salt, then knead until smooth and elastic.
  3. Cover and rise the dough for 1 hour, until puffy and noticeably expanded.
Shape and rise the rolls
  1. Roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly greased surface.
  2. Spread softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly.
  3. Roll up tightly into a log, then slice into 12 rolls.
  4. Place the rolls in a greased 9x13 pan and cover, then rise 30 minutes until the centers look swollen.
Bake and frost
  1. Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until the tops are golden.
  2. Beat brown butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth, then spread over warm rolls so it melts into every swirl.

Notes

For best texture, knead just until smooth (not dry) and keep the dough covered during both rises to prevent a skin from forming. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm briefly before serving. Freeze frosted rolls up to 2 months (wrap well) and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter swap, use low-fat cream cheese for the frosting while keeping the brown butter for flavor.