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    Home » Breakfast

    Fig Walnut Morning Rolls

    5 from 7 votes
    2 Comments

    Sep 1, 2021

    (updated Apr 18, 2022)

    by Kimberlee Ho

    Jump to Recipe

    Dried figs, toasted walnuts, honey and cinnamon combine to produce a gorgeous filling for a fun take on the traditional cinnamon roll in these Fig Walnut Morning Rolls.

    These Fig Walnut Morning Rolls make for the perfect weekend bake to serve your family. Drizzle with local honey when serving for an extra special touch of goodness.

    these fig walnut morning rolls bake up beautifully

    Disclosure: I have included links to some great products and services that I think you’ll love. I use them myself and only recommend them because I love them. If you purchase via the links I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Cinnamon Rolls filled with Figs, Walnuts and Honey

    This filling is glorious and such a wonderful alternative to traditional cinnamon rolls. Believe you me, there is nothing wrong with traditional cinnamon rolls! All I'm saying is, if you want to change it up, this is a fantastic recipe to try.

    To make this filling, start by toasting walnuts in a 350ºF (177ºC) oven for 8-10 minutes. All you do is spread raw walnuts on a baking sheet and pop in the oven. That's all!

    Just watch to make sure they don't burn. Every oven bakes differently, so start checking the walnuts around the 7-8 minute mark to be sure they're not getting too well done. While these are baking, you can also put together some self-rising flour pancakes for a fun variety at breakfast!

    These honey fig cinnamon rolls with walnuts aren't as hard to make as you might think.

    Allow the toasted walnuts to cool then crush them up in a ziplock bag with a wooden mallet or rolling pin. You likely won't use all the walnuts for the filling. This is a good thing because toasted walnuts are such a delightful topping for yogurt or ice cream!

    With the walnuts all nice and toasty, next you'll process the dried figs, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like the photo below.

    The dried fig filling for these honey walnut cinnamon rolls takes it to another level.

    How to Make Fig Walnut Morning Rolls

    It's time to make this soft, delicious sweet dough. I won't go over the full recipe here since it's written out in detail in the recipe card below. However, I do want to make a few important points about preparing this dough that are important for success.

    • Be sure your yeast is fresh, otherwise the dough will not rise, creating very dense fig walnut morning rolls. If you're unsure, I'd recommend buying new yeast from the grocery store just to be on the safe side
    • When adding the yeast to the warmed milk/butter mixture, use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the milk. Anything over 110ºF (43ºC) will kill the yeast. Sometimes this takes patience to allow the milk to cool down enough. Sometimes it means sticking the milk mixture in the fridge for a few minutes to speed along the cooling down process!
    • If you do not have a scale with which to weigh the flour, measure your flour using the spoon and level technique. Spoon the flour from its container/bag into your measuring cup, do not pack it down (ever), and level off the top using a knife or the back of the spoon. Measuring the flour correctly will produce fluffy fig walnut morning rolls rather than overly dense, dry ones
    • While not required, chilling the dough overnight not only increases the flavor of the dough, but chilled dough is also much easier to work with when rolling out and filling
    • Be sure the butter is very soft, but not melted, when spreading it onto the dough. Trying to spread cold butter onto dough will definitely result in holes and tears to the dough and frustration to the baker. To get it soft, leave it on the counter overnight and place it next to (not on top of) a warm stove. It should be spreadable but not melted
    • Unfortunately, fresh figs, while gorgeous and so delicious when in season, will not work in this recipe. Fresh figs contain too much water/moisture which will result in soupy filling vs a thick and sticky filling made up of dried figs, toasted walnuts and honey
    • To cut the fig walnut morning rolls, I recommend using a very sharp knife. This will allow you to easily slice through the dough without crushing it or causing it to become misshapen. Alternatively, you can use unflavored dental floss like I recommend in my cinnamon rolls recipe (there's even a video showing how to do this on that page!)
    You can make the dough for these fig walnut cinnamon rolls the night before.
    These fig walnut cinnamon rolls would be perfect for brunch.
    It's important to let the dough rise when making cinnamon rolls.
    The dough is a blank canvas, ready for the dried fig and walnut filling.
    Everything good starts with a layer of butter right?
    Roll up your cinnamon rolls to keep all that delicious filling inside.
    When rolling these honey fig walnut cinnamon rolls, make sure all that delicious filling stays inside.
    To make sure your cinnamon rolls cook evenly, cut the ends off.
    Cut your dough into cinnamon rolls to enjoy for brunch.
    Making your own cinnamon rolls is a great way to start your morning.
    Make these cinnamon rolls with a fig and walnut filling the night before you want to enjoy them.
    It will be hard to wait for the dough to rise before you enjoy these delicious cinnamon rolls, but it will be so worth it!
    Walnuts add the perfect crunch to these honey fig cinnamon rolls.

    Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.

    The dried figs in these honey walnut cinnamon rolls are the perfect filling.

    Looking for more breakfast recipes? Give these a try:

    • Close-up image of easy homemade cinnamon sticky bun fresh out of the oven
      One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
    • Cinnamon sugar donut muffins are so delicious.
      Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
    • Double Chocolate Chip Muffin close-up with bite taken out, milk behind
      Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
    • Double Crumb Crumb Cake | kickassbaker.com #crumbcake #easyrecipe #easyrecipes #coffeecake #breakfast #dessert #nutfree #peanutfree #nonuts #cinnamon #newyork #brunch#topping #bestrecipe
      Easy Double Crumb Crumb Cake
    These fig walnut morning rolls are the perfect way to start your day.

    FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!

    Top these delicious cinnamon rolls with extra honey for even more goodness.

    Fig Walnut Morning Rolls

    Looking for an alternative to cinnamon rolls? You have got to try these Fig Walnut Morning Rolls! Serve them warm with a drizzle of honey.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Rising Time: 13 hours
    Course: All Recipes, Breakfast, Brunch
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 590kcal
    Author: Kimberlee Ho
    US Customary - Metric

    Ingredients

    Toasted Walnuts

    • 1 cup walnut halves or pieces

    Dough

    • 1 cup milk
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • 4 ¼ cup all-purpose flour divided
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 envelope instant yeast approx. 2 ¼ teaspoons
    • 2 large eggs room temperature

    Filling:

    • ½ cup honey
    • 1 cup roughly chopped dried figs
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 pinch salt
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter very soft

    Egg Wash:

    • 1 large egg lightly beaten mixed with 1 teaspoon water

    For serving:

    • honey for drizzling optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Toast the Walnuts

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC). Place the walnuts onto a baking sheet in an even layer and toast in the oven 8-10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place in a sealed ziplock bag and crush into tiny pieces with the flat side of a wooden mallet or rolling pin. Set aside. This step can be completed up to one week prior to using the walnuts in this recipe.

    Make the Dough

    • In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter. Heat on low and stir until the butter is melted and the milk is warm to the touch. If needed, let the milk mixture sit for a few minutes until it is warm but not hot. (It should be around 110°F / 43ºC).
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 cups flour, sugar and salt until combined. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, add yeast and lukewarm milk mixture and stir by hand to combine. Add the flour mixture and eggs and mix on medium-low speed with the dough hook until combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to form a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. Remove dough and gently form it into a ball with your hands. Place it in a bowl greased lightly with vegetable oil and cover with plastic wrap.
    • Allow the dough to rise 1 - 1 ½ hours in a warm spot in your kitchen then place in the fridge at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours. The dough will eventually double in size in the fridge and it’ll be much easier to work with once it’s cold. Overnight refrigeration also helps develop the flavor of the dough. If you are in a rush, let the dough rise 1 - 1 ½ hours, skipping the chilling overnight piece. The dough may be a bit more difficult to work with when it’s not chilled, as it’ll be softer.

    Make the Filling

    • Just before you are ready to remove the dough from the fridge, make the filling by placing the figs, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture forms a thick, sticky paste. Set aside.
    • Butter a 9x13-inch rectangular baking pan. Set aside.
    • Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Flour a clean work surface and carefully dump the dough out. Roll out dough into a large rectangle until the dough is about  ¼ inch thick and measures approximately 16” x 12”. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough using a small offset spatula, getting as close to the edges as possible. Dollop the fig honey mixture evenly over the dough and spread into an even layer using the offset spatula. Lastly, scatter the crushed toasted walnuts evenly over the dough. You likely will not need all the walnuts to sufficiently cover the dough. Save them to sprinkle on your yogurt or ice cream.
    • Roll the dough into a cylinder, beginning from the long end, pinching to seal the end to the cylinder once you've reached the end. Using a sharp knife, cut ½ inch off each end. You may discard these ends or squeeze them into the pan to bake with the rest of the rolls. Cut the dough in half in the middle then cut each half in half, repeating once more for each piece until you have 8 evenly sized rolls. Carefully place the rolls in the prepared pan in a 2x4 pattern. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size, in a warm spot (no warmer than 80°F) in your kitchen. Placing the rolls next to a warm stove or in a cold oven with the light on works really well.
    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

    Brush with Egg Wash

    • Once doubled in size, brush the rolls lightly with beaten egg mixed with a teaspoon of water.
    • Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan by running a knife around the edges, lifting out with a small offset spatula. Drizzle with honey when serving, if desired.

    Notes

    • These rolls are best when served warm the day they are made. They’ll keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Warm gently in a 350°F (177ºF) oven for 5-10 minutes before serving
    • Unbaked rolls can be frozen after step 8 for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature for one hour before baking
    • Rolls may be cut smaller to make more than 8. Please note, nutrition information is based on 8 large rolls

    Nutrition

    Calories: 590kcal
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    Fig Walnut Morning Rolls | kickassbaker.com pin for pinterest

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    Filed Under

    BreakfastOvernightIntermediateFall
    « Brownie Crinkle Cookies
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      Comments

    1. Jen Bakes

      January 09, 2023 at 8:29 pm

      5 stars
      Made these for Christmas morning and they turned out perfect! Such a delicious treat. For the fig filling I didn’t read the recipe closely and ended up mixing the butter directly into the fig paste (whoops) it all came out just fine!

      Reply
      • Kimberlee Ho

        January 12, 2023 at 8:31 pm

        So happy to hear that, Jen! And good to know it works well either way ☺️.

        Reply

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