Coffee rolls are a decadent breakfast treat of pillow soft cinnamon rolls, stuffed with a rich and sweet coffee filling, and slathered with a creamy espresso frosting.
Picture a cinnamon roll, but with the intense flavor of espresso seeping into every layer, from the dough to the frosting. Count us in! These coffee rolls are definitely for anyone who enjoys the bold taste of espresso. These bad boys will perk you up better than a pot of strong coffee.
We love to make a batch of these rolls around the Christmas holidays, but they’re also excellent for a weekend brunch.
Ingredients
- Active dry yeast – for making plump and pillow soft coffee rolls.
- Espresso powder – for deep, rich, chocolately coffee flavor
- Butter – for a little bit of fat in the dough and to add depth to the cream cheese frosting.
- Light brown sugar – for the classic rich, slightly molassesy cinnamon roll filling.
- Cinnamon – the other key component to cinnamon roll filling.
- Milk – 1%, 2%, or plant milk work equally well in this dough. We typically use 1%.
- Egg – binding agent in the dough.
- Granulated sugar – hint of sweetness in the dough. Also helps to activate the yeast.
- Vanilla extract – for a touch of vanilla flavoring in the dough and frosting.
- Salt – to complement all the other flavors in these rolls.
- All purpose flour – for structure and elasticity.
- â…“ less fat cream cheese – for the creamy, slightly tangy espresso cream cheese frosting. We use 1/3 less fat cream cheese to cut back on the fat content without sacrificing flavor.
- Confectioner’s sugar – for thickening and sweetening the frosting.
Tips for Making Coffee Rolls
- Hand knead the dough – A lot of cinnamon roll recipes lately use the bread hook on the stand mixer to make the dough. But we are in favor of hand kneading. You are less likely to over knead the dough or add too much flour when hand kneading, saving you from tough, dense dough. Hand kneading yields light and fluffy rolls and is definitely worth the extra work.
- Give the yeast time to activate – for the best results give the yeast 10 minutes to activate in the water before adding the other ingredients. You should see bubbles in the water if the yeast has activated.
- Use lukewarm water – water temperature is crucial to yeast dough. Too hot, and the yeast will die. Too cold, and the yeast won’t activate. Both will result in your dough not rising properly. You need to use water that is just slightly warm. Run your wrist under the faucet to test for the right temperature.
- Proofing time will vary – the time it takes for your dough to rise will vary based on how warm or cold your kitchen is. If it is warmer, it will proof faster, while a colder room will take more time. Therefore, the times listed are just guidelines. For the first proof, the dough should double in size. For the second proof, the rolls will almost double in size.
- Add the flour gradually – to avoid adding too much flour, mix it in gradually. The dough is done when it is elastic and no longer sticky.
- Adjust baking time for the type of pan – glass and metal pans bake differently. This recipe is based on a metal 9″ pie dish. Metal pans cooks slower than glass pans, so if you are using a glass pan, you’ll need to decrease the oven temperature by 25℉. Metal pans are preferred for baking cinnamon rolls because they better distribute the heat and allow for more even baking. Glass pans cook the outside of rolls more quickly, resulting in rolls with a crispy outside but an uncooked inside if you don’t adjust the oven temperature.
How to Make Coffee Rolls
Make the Coffee Roll Dough
Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes to activate.
Add the espresso powder to the warm milk to dissolve it. Add the espresso mixture to the yeast mixture. Stir in the egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt.
Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining flour ¼ to ½ cup at a time, stirring to incorporate. When the dough becomes too difficult to stir, turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, then knead it until fully incorporated. Repeat until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Lightly mist the bowl with cooking spray and return the dough to it. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and store in a warm area to raise for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the dough roughly doubles in size. *Your dough may need more time to rise. It should double in size before your shape the rolls. If it does not double, your yeast did not activate properly and you’ll need to start over.
Shape and Cook the Coffee Rolls
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, espresso powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Roll the dough out to a rectangle roughly 12×18 inches. Spread the butter out along the rectangle and sprinkle with a generous amount of the coffee-sugar filling.
Starting at the long end of the dough, tightly roll the dough into an 18 inch long log. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 10 to 12 rolls (if you want larger rolls, cut into 10 pieces; if you want smaller rolls, cut into 12 pieces). Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9-inch pie or cake pan, leaving some space between the rolls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let raise for 45 minutes, or until rolls almost double in size.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the tops. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack while you make the frosting.
Frost the Coffee Rolls
Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla and espresso powder. Add the confectioner’s sugar ¼ cup at a time until incorporated.
You can adjust the amount of confectioner’s sugar based on your preference for the consistency of the frosting. For thinner frosting, use up to ¾ cup of sugar. For thicker frostings use 1-1½ cups of sugar. If you add too much sugar, you can thin by adding a few teaspoons of milk.
Spread the frosting onto the rolls. You may have extra frosting. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerate – cover frosted cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I prefer not to store frosted cinnamon rolls at room temperature since the frosting can spoil.
- Reheat – reheat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee rolls are basically cinnamon rolls made with espresso powder in the dough, filling, and frosting for notes of coffee flavor.
With espresso powder in the dough, filling, and cream cheese frosting, coffee rolls have a fairly strong coffee flavor.
Yes! Espresso powder contains caffeine. We use Delallo espresso powder in our recipe, which contains about 36 mg per 1 tsp serving. Therefore, for this recipe each roll contains a little under 14 mg of caffeine (for 12 rolls).
The dough will roughly double in size during the first proof and if you lightly press your finger into the center of the dough, it should spring back. On the second proof, the shaped rolls should almost double in size.
Both work, but for cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, metal pans are the best option. Glass pans cook faster, but more unevenly than metal pans, making it more likely to have cinnamon rolls with a gooey inside, but crispy outside. This recipe is written for a metal 9″ pie pan, so if you are using a glass pan you will need to decrease the oven temperature by 25℉ to avoid unevenly cooked cinnamon rolls.
Check out our other breakfast bakes
- Greek yogurt strawberry muffins
- Easy apple muffins
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- Chocolate chip banana bread
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
- Chocolate banana muffins
- Cranberry dark chocolate scones
Coffee Rolls
Equipment
- 9 inch round metal pie pan OR 9×13 inch rectangular metal baking dish (you can use glass pans too, but decrease the oven temperature by 25℉)
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough℉
- ¼ c warm water
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ c warm milk (1%, 2%, or plant milk)
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp plant/vegan butter or unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2-2½ c white whole wheat flour (more if needed)
Coffee Cinnamon Filling
- ½ c light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp espresso powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp plant/vegan butter or unsalted butter, room temperature
Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz â…“ less fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp plant/vegan butter or unsalted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- ¾-1 c confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Make the Coffee Roll Dough
- Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes to activate.
- Add the espresso powder to the warm milk to dissolve it. Add the espresso mixture to the yeast mixture. Stir in the egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt.
- Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining flour ¼ to ½ cup at a time, stirring to incorporate. When the dough becomes too difficult to stir, turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, then knead it until fully incorporated. Repeat until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly mist the bowl with cooking spray and return the dough to it. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and store in a warm area to raise for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the dough roughly doubles in size. *Your dough may need more time to rise. It should double in size before your shape the rolls. If it does not double, your yeast did not activate properly and you'll need to start over.
Shape and Cook the Coffee Rolls
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, espresso powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Roll the dough out to a rectangle roughly 12×18 inches. Spread the butter out along the rectangle and sprinkle with a generous amount of the coffee-sugar filling.
- Starting at the long end of the dough, tightly roll the dough into an 18 inch long log. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 10 to 12 rolls (if you want larger rolls, cut into 10 pieces; if you want smaller rolls, cut into 12 pieces). Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9-inch pie or cake pan, leaving some space between the rolls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let raise for 45 minutes, or until rolls almost double in size.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the tops. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack while you make the frosting.
Frost the Coffee Rolls
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla and espresso powder. Add the confectioner's sugar ¼ cup at a time until incorporated. You can adjust the amount of confectioner's sugar based on your preference for the consistency of the frosting. For thinner frosting, use up to ¾ cup of sugar. For thicker frostings use 1-1½ cups of sugar. If you add too much sugar, you can thin by adding a few teaspoons of milk. Spread the frosting onto the rolls. You may have extra frosting. Serve and enjoy!
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