Banana bread cinnamon rolls are seriously the way to my children’s hearts! Homemade cinnamon rolls are a delicious breakfast recipe the whole family will love. Just like classic banana bread, these sweet rolls are a great way to use up over ripe bananas. Topped with cream cheese icing, this cinnamon roll recipe will be a keeper for years to come!
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What’s for Breakfast? Banana Cinnamon Rolls!
Four days ago I went to the grocery store and spent almost $300 on groceries. Today, my house is almost bare of anything that the teenagers may remotely consider ‘food’. There are bagged snacks, no boxed cereal, nothing they can grab and eat.
The only fruit left in my kitchen are a few over ripe bananas and a can of pumpkin puree. I’m telling you, these children (and my husband!) eat like linebackers and stay as skinny as twigs! Since I am NOT going to the grocery store again until Sunday, I banana bread cinnamon rolls so the masses will not revolt out of sheer starvation!
I love baking, whether it is homemade kolaches or an easy apple bread recipe. I came across tons of recipes for homemade cinnamon rolls on the internet. Most were just your average rolled up dough with cinnamon and sugar inside.
However, a few of them actually put pureed fruit INTO the dough to create a totally different type of flavor. Since I have several very ripe bananas in my kitchen, I chose to use banana puree.
You could probably use applesauce, pumpkin puree, or whatever your favorite fruit is. I put the pumpkin puree from my pantry into the cream cheese frosting that I spread on top of my banana bread cinnamon rolls.
Pumpkin and banana actually go really well together! Toss a few pecans into the filling of these homemade cinnamon rolls. Tastier and healthier than the ones that come in a can.
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
The key with making homemade cinnamon rolls is that you need to have patience. Like any bread recipe, these will take time to rise. It is well worth the wait, I promise! Make them on a Saturday while you have the laundry going and it is raining outside.
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Just like classic banana bread, these banana bread cinnamon rolls are a great way to use up over ripe bananas.
Prep Time3 hours
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time3 hours20 minutes
Ingredients
FOR THE ROLLS
41/2 C bread flour, divided
2 packages active dry yeast (I used Red Star)
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 C ripe bananas, mashed, (I used 2 large bananas. If your bananas are very, very ripe you may need to add a few TBSP more flour to your final dough)
1 egg, room temperature
5 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2/3 Cup lowfat milk, warmed to 120 degrees
1 tbsp cornstarch
FOR THE FILLING
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 cu chopped pecans
1 tbsp cinnamon
11/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 C butter, softened
FOR THE FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl combine 3 cups of the bread flour along with the sugar, salt, yeast and baking powder.
In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add in melted butter and egg and whisk until well blended.
Add warmed milk and banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combine.
Add 1 cup flour and corn starch and mix until completely blended
Switch your attachment on your mixer to a dough hook (if you are using a mixer...if not, start kneading!)
Knead dough until it is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly stickier and more dense than a regular bread dough.
Once dough is smooth and elastic looking place it in a greased bowl and cover with a clean towel.
Let the dough rise until it is double in bulk (about an hour)
Return the dough to the mixing bowl, add another 1/2 cup flour and mix using dough hook until smooth and combined.
Turn dough onto large cutting board.
Using plenty of flour to keep things from sticking, roll dough to a 16 x 22 inch rectangle.
Spread softened butter over the dough.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg
Sprinkle this over the dough
Roll up the dough tightly and cut into 12 equal pieces
Place the pieces onto a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish and cover with a clean towel.
Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 hour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake rolls for 20 to 30 minutes or until they are just starting to turn golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Prepare frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Spread the frosting on warm or cool rolls and serve!
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
I love bananas and I love cinnamon rolls and this recipe looks totally irresistible and delicious…my next dessert!
hope you enjoy!