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Good morning and Happy Sunday, blog family! I hope you find yourself filled with loads of joy and coffee this morning, maybe even with a bit of spare time to whip up these bananas foster cinnamon rolls that I’m about to share with you. I’ve got the lineup of fun things to watch, read, and eat this week, so get comfy in your favorite chair and let’s chat!

2017 Restaurant City of the Year

Brett and I are planning a trip to Chicago for my birthday this year! Luckily, the city was just named restaurant city of the year by Bon Appetit Magazine. Read this article’s rundown on why Chicago is THE place to catch a meal and be sure to tell me all of your favorite spots there to check out!

Carpool Karaoke 

It’s no secret that I love carpool karaoke. James Corden is a wizard of musical comedy and I constantly find myself chuckling at his sketches. The folks at Apple must agree, because they have just launched an original series of carpool rides that you can watch exclusively on Apple Music. I fell in love with Will Smith’s episode and plan to catch up on the rest. Perhaps you should too?

Roasted Sugar

Did you know you could roast sugar?  Apparently it’s totally a thing, so excuse me while I put roasted sugar in everything from here on out. Stella Parks is a dessert genius and I cannot wait to try her method that she shares in this article. Roasted sugar cookies? Yep. Roasted sugar ice cream? You betcha. Roasted sugar everything from now until forever.

Taylor Swift 

Are we all still reeling from the new Taylor Swift single that was released last week? I’ve been a loyal fan of Tay for many years now, but I find myself puzzled, if not mildly disappointed, in the direction the album appears to be going. I’ll keep listening to 1989 and Red on repeat while I wait for the full album to be released, but I really do hope she surprises us with this one. I ran across this article that dishes on who Taylor’s past songs were written about. Nothing warms my heart like reminiscing on her former flames, and if that’s weird for an almost 30 year old to admit then I’m sorry, I’m not sorry.

Aimee’s 3rd Birthday

My Aimee girl’s 3rd birthday is next week (How? Why? Stop Growing!!). We aren’t having a major blowout this year, but I am looking forward celebrating with cake, ice cream, and a few other birthday surprises. If you’ve got any special days coming up soon, be sure to check out my blog archives for cake recipe inspiration. Also, this is my fave spot for candles and cake toppers. Ya welcome.

Bananas Foster Cinnamon Rolls

These bananas foster cinnamon rolls were inspired by the classic New Orleans dessert. Last summer, Brett and I took a cooking class where I learned to make bananas foster for the first time, and I fell in love with the idea of including caramelized syrup and rum-soaked bananas in other baked goods. These bananas foster cinnamon rolls are the result of that dream.

If you’re unfamiliar with the process of making cinnamon rolls, you can check out my other two recipes here and here, or read up on Ree’s tidbits about making cinnamon rolls. She is The Godfather of cinnamon rolls so I highly recommend starting there. Once you have your dough made, the next steps are fairly straightforward.

Making the Cinnamon Rolls

First, roll out your dough into a long, slender rectangle. Lather up the dough with melted butter and then sprinkle on some brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Next comes the bananas which should be sliced into thin, slivered coins; we want the bananas to roll easily with the dough so be sure not to leave any large chunks. Starting with one of the long ends, roll your dough tightly from end to end, like you’re working on a typewriter, and pinch the ends to seal in the filling. Slice equal-sized rolls and leave them to rise while the oven preheats. Bake the bananas foster cinnamon rolls until golden brown, and refrain from eating them all before you make the sauce. Trust me- you’re going to want to something to soak up that goodness with.

Making the Foster Glaze

To make the glaze, cook butter and sugar in a cast-iron skillet until the sugar has melted. Add the bananas and some spice, allowing the mixture to bubble and caramelize. Next comes the entirely optional (but oh-so-delicous) boozy part where we add in some rum. Add the liquor and remove the pan from the heat, tilting the skillet just slightly away from you. Using a long-handled lighter, carefully ignite the mixture and allow the alcohol to flame and burn off. (Sidenote: This step, if executed well, will make you look like a flambe guru, but no one wants to eat breakfast rolls that smell like burnt hair. Keep your bangs close and your eyebrows closer.) Allow your foster sauce to cool slightly before drizzling over top of the bananas foster cinnamon rolls.

If you’re into breakfast, brunch, and booze, these bananas foster cinnamon rolls are for you. Include them in your breakfast lineup these coming weeks and let me know what you think.

Don’t forget to be voting regularly for the Saveur Blog Awards! You can check out the link here or in the sidebar of my blog homepage. You’ll find me and a few other friends in the “Best Baking and Sweets” category. As always, thank you for your love and support. Have a great week!

If you like these bananas foster cinnamon rolls, you should check out:

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls 

Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

Orange Cardamom Rolls

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

BBC Popsicles (Bananas, Bailey’s and Coconut)

Banana Cream Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Banana, Chocolate, and Coconut Cream Pie

Print

Bananas Foster Cinnamon Rolls

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

These bananas foster cinnamon rolls are a breakfast take on the classic boozy dessert. Filled with cinnamon sugar, pecans, and bananas, these rolls are topped with a foster sauce that is to die for!

• Author: Kate Wood
• Yield: 16

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 2 cups (480 mL) milk (whole or 2%)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick, 85 gm)) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (100 gm) granulated sugar
• 2–1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
• 4–1/2 cups (540 gm) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 55 gm) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup (70 gm) brown sugar
• 1–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ cup (60 gm) pecans, finely chopped
• 2 bananas, sliced into very thin coins.

For the bananas foster glaze:

• ½ cup (1 stick, 113 gm) unsalted butter, diced into tablespoon sized pieces
• 1 cup (200 gm) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large banana, chopped into ½” chunks
• ¼ (60 mL) cup gold rum
• Chopped toasted pecans (if desired for sprinkling)

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Instructions

To prepare the rolls

• In a large pot, combine the milk, butter, and sugar over medium heat and allow to warm just before the milk is scalding. Remove from burner and allow to cool until luke warm. Add the yeast and allow to dissolve, about 2 minutes.
• Add 3-1/2 cups of the flour to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rest and rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If your dough hasn’t doubled in size within that hour, place the dough in a slightly warmer spot of the kitchen.
• Combine the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and add to the risen dough. Stir to combine. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough overnight or roll out to use immediately. If you decide to save it, punch dough down into bowl if it over-rises.
• Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a 10”x30″ rectangle. Spread the melted butter out evenly on the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the sides. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a small bowl and sprinkle this out evenly on the dough. Cover the entire sheet of dough evenly with little banana slices.
• With one of the long ends closest to you, begin to roll the dough away from you, pinching the dough together at the end to seal your roll. Trim off any shaggy ends (no more than 1 inch) Using a sharp knife, cut 1-1/2” slices of buns from your log of dough.
• Arrange the buns in two 9” round pans or in casserole dishes with about ¾” separation between the buns. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow the buns to rise for 25-30 minutes, or until they are puffed and rounded. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the rolls are ready for the oven, bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for 10-15 minutes and then top with glaze.

To prepare the glaze:

1. Add the butter and brown sugar to a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the pan until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the cinnamon and salt, stirring to combine. Add the diced bananas and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and flipping the banana pieces as needed. Add the rum, stirring briefly to combine. Remove the pan from heat, tilt it slightly away from you, and using a long handle ignite the rum for the alcohol to burn off. If you’re not comfortable doing this safely, you can omit this step. When the flames have burned out, remove the banana pieces and pour the glaze evenly over the top of the cinnamon buns. Sprinkle with toasted pecans, if desired. Serve warm.

Notes

If desired, strain the banana pieces out of the glaze with a strainer. I prefer to keep them in!

Recipe for the dough adapted from Ree Drummond