Fluffy Frangipane Rolls

would win in a fight against an almond croissant

“Frangipane” = a fancy AF French word for a delicious sweet almond paste. This is typically found inside and on top of an almond croissant - a thick layer is spread inside the day old croissant and slathered on top; you get the two beautiful textures of the gooey filling and the slight crunch of the top layer. I have been craving an almond croissant but 1) they are the furthest thing from vegan and 2) croissants are a bitch to make at home. Thus, the fluffy frangipane rolls were born! All of the goodness of an almond croissant, but much simpler to make at home. & tbh they give almond croissants a run for their money.

Ingredients

Sweet Roll Dough

Inspired by my all-time fav, Nora Cooks Vegan

• 2 cups milk (I used Simple Truth unsweetened almond)

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons instant yeast

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I always use Country Crock avocado oil plant butter)

• 5½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp salt

Frangipane Filling

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted & cooled

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ cup almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Almond Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 4 tablespoons cream (I used Country Crock plant cream)

• ½ tsp almond extract

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup sliced almonds, for topping

Instructions

Make the sweet roll dough

1. Warm the milk in the microwave for about 90 seconds. Not too hot, just warm enough to get the yeast to work its magic.

2. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the sugar, yeast, and warmed milk. Mix for about 3o seconds until the sugar is dissolved and let sit until it becomes foamy on top (give this at least a couple minutes). If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be dead! If there’s no activity whatsoever, start over with new yeast.

3. Once your yeast has done its thing (good job little buddy, you’re alive and well and becoming something bigger), add the stick of softened butter, 5 ½ cups flour, and salt. Pulse your mixer on the lowest setting until the flour incorporates a bit, so it doesn’t fly out of your bowl and all over your shirt (speaking from experience, & it’s always a black shirt). Once mostly combined, turn your mixer to a medium speed and let mix for about 2- 3 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It may still stick to the bottom, that’s okay!

4. Plop the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, then add to a large greased bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled - this took my dough about 30 minutes.

Make the frangipane filling & bake

1. While your dough is doubling, make the frangipane filling by adding your ingredients to a medium bowl and stirring them to combine - it’s the easiest thing you’ll ever do!

2. Once your dough has risen, plop your dough (I really enjoy using the word “plop”) onto your floured surface, and roll out with a floured rolling pin to form a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick.

3. Now for the fun part! Set aside about ⅓ of your frangipane filling for topping - with the rest of it, spread a thick layer onto your dough all the way to the edges. Starting at the edge furthest from you, roll the dough towards you to form a log, seam on the bottom - some filling may come out of the seam, that’s okay! Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 rolls and place into a greased 9x13 baking dish or two 8x8 baking dishes. Spread the rest of your frangipane onto the tops of the rolls - this will add a nice lil’ crunch.

4. Bake for 25-3o minutes until golden brown on top & cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Make the frosting & assemble

1. To a medium bowl, add your frosting ingredients & stir. This should give you a thick but spreadable frosting. If it’s simply too thick, add a couple more tablespoons of your cream to thin it out a bit.

2. Once your rolls are cooled (wait at least 1 hour - I know, it’s hard), spread a generous amount of frosting on each roll & top with slivered almonds. Enjoy!

   

   look at dat FLUFF

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