02 Dec Cranberry, Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Cinnamon Rolls

Now that I’ve eaten my weight in dad’s special, butter-basted turkey, mom’s (ahem, Pepperidge Farm’s) herb stuffing and my sour cream pumpkin pie (minis this time), I can finally, without one speck of hey-one-holiday-at-a-time, lady guilt, write all mushy and excited-like about about CHRISTMAS!!!

TWINKLE LIGHTS! SANTA CLAUS! COOKIES BY THE DOZEN! SNOWMEN! SPARKLY TREES! MARIAH CAREY! (!!!)

So maybe my snowmen have the voice of Michael Keaton and can only be found on Netflix, and my sparkly tree is plastic and pre-lit, straight from the cheap-o aisle at Walmart (a relic from my college days), but you guys, CHRISTMAS!!! The spicy, warm smells wafting out of my oven and the sweet, sweet acrobatic vocals of Mariah’s All I Want for Christmas is You coming from my speakers are enough to make up for the lack of fresh tree smell and sub-freezing temperatures.

I always seem to start off the season with a fairly ambitious list of cookie recipes, festive cocktails and DIYs to accomplish in preparation for Christmas. And I always seem to fall short on the completion of that list. This year is no different. I have a list of ideas long enough to stretch from Austin to the North Pole and well, almost no time to execute on them. In an attempt to be realistic, I’ve managed to narrow said list to a choice, but very important few –however, if I’m being honest with myself, it’s still going to be a stretch. BUT (and that’s a very enthusiastic but) ‘tis the season for miracles (!!!), so can you bet your Christmas-loving butt I’m going to give it my best shot!

Starting now. With these Cranberry, Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Cinnamon Rolls.

One might call them, dare I say, the perfect Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. Once baked, the dough is soft and pillowy on the inside, with a delightfully contrasting golden crust. The filling is a heavenly combination of fresh cranberries, dark chocolate, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Yes, chocolate for breakfast!

This filling y’all, it’s intoxicating. The tartness of the fresh cranberries is pleasantly balanced out by the bitter bite and deep rich flavor of the dark chocolate. Both melt together into gooey perfection and marry perfectly with the nutty, more traditional combination of brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. As the rolls bake, the liquid from the fresh cranberries combines with the brown sugar and melts into a tangy, irresistible syrup that soaks into the bottom of the rolls and creates a chewy, caramel-like base.

And if that weren’t enough, we add a little bit classic vanilla glaze to the baked rolls, mostly to act as glue for chopped pistachios, which add a lovely, almost savory crunch — not to mention a very festive hint of green to compliment the merry crimson color of the cranberries. To cut back on sweetness, you could eliminate the glaze completely and add the chopped pistachios directly to the filling. It’s a matter of preference, and of course dependent on just how sweet your sweet tooth runs. Mine obviously runs on the sweeter side of things.

Cranberries and chocolate aside, what possibly makes these cinnamon rolls the most perfect for Chrismas morning, is the fact that the dough’s second rise happens overnight in fridge. This means, no getting up early or missing precious Santa time to prep the dough. Instead, you can do all the work the day before and then pop them in the oven when you wake up in the morning for fresh, homemade breakfast rolls in less than an hour. Plus, the longer rising time allows for a more complex, delicious flavor to develop. Perfection!

No special notes on this one. I hope you all had fantastic Thanksgivings! XO, Katie

Adapted from the brilliant Deb at Smitten Kitchen.

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