Email
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
On a whim, I decided to try making heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for a fun Valentine’s Day treat. I had no idea if it would work, but I was thrilled with the results. They turned out so cute, I had to share the technique with you even if it’s a bit late to make them for today’s Valentine’s breakfast.
But who says you can only eat heart-shaped food on Valentine’s Day?
You can make heart-shaped rolls from any regular cinnamon roll recipe, but I happen to really like a dough made with buttermilk. I improvised the dough for these rolls from the cinnamon bun recipe in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Enjoy!
Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), softened
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 cups flour (plus extra as needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or use rapid rise or bread machine yeast)
1/2 cup warm buttermilk (90 – 110 degrees F)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Cream butter and sugar using a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy; beat in egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Add buttermilk and flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated.
If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes, adding a bit of flour if necessary to form a very soft dough (will most likely be very sticky and that’s fine). If kneading by hand, scrape dough onto a floured counter top or board and knead, adding only as much flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, for 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn once to coat both sides of dough with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour and a half.
Gently push dough down to deflate and turn out onto a floured counter top or board. Press dough out into a small rectangle then cover and let rest for ten minutes. Meanwhile, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. After dough rests, roll it out into a 20″ x 7 ” rectangle. Brush surface of dough with melted butter then sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Gently press the sugar down into the dough with the palm of your hand.
Starting on a long side, begin rolling the dough towards the center, stopping before reaching the very center. Repeat with other side then roll the two sides together until they meet in the middle. Gently press together.
Slice the rolls into one-inch pieces then transfer to parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets. Shape the pieces into hearts by pinching the bottom of the roll between two fingers.
You should end up with 20 -24 cinnamon rolls, divided between two baking sheets. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let cinnamon rolls rise for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 15 minutes of rising time.
Bake cinnamon rolls at 350 degrees for a total of 15 minutes (or until lightly browned), rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking time if using two oven racks.
Cream Cheese Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 ounces butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (more to taste, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash of milk to thin, if necessary.
Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla then gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread glaze on warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. You may also thin the glaze with a bit of milk to drizzle over the rolls, or decorate cooled rolls using a piping bag and round tip as shown below.
What a super sweet idea!! They’re adorable and I will be making them for my anniversary this year, and add them to my list of Valentine treats! Thanks!
4:22 pm Feb 23rd, 2010What a great idea! I don’t usually bake but you definitely inspired me to try. I LOVE cinnamon rolls and this looks so delish that I will have to look for that old rolling pin and give it a try. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
8:44 am Feb 28th, 2010Mmmm yummy! That looks tasty. Just heard about your blog today and wanted to check it out. I am hungry now. 🙂
12:47 pm Mar 1st, 2010I was going through all of the sites that are going to be in the 55knives book and stumbled across yours. Those cinnamon rolls look delicious!!
12:27 pm Mar 2nd, 2010[…] PINCH MY SALT is the provider of my two recent recipes, this one and the feta turnovers. Both were “nommm nommm” lol. So here’s my revised recipe/directions list if you decide to make some for yourself (and others of course). […]
12:54 am Mar 6th, 2010They look really great and I love the idea of adding buttermilk
10:31 am Mar 6th, 2010iza:)
I will definitely try this, since I love cinnamon rolls, and this is something that you can do even when the Valentine’s season is over, just play up with other shapes and designs!
7:23 pm Mar 13th, 2010Nicole, these immediately made think “Dr. Seuss”! I’m sure they were fantastic!
9:49 am Mar 16th, 2010That’s right, heart-shaped food should not be reserved only for V-day. Something this lovely would be a great treat any day.
5:35 am Mar 30th, 2010I love cinnamon rolls and I often make them but I have never thought I could make such nice hearts! And the decorations are so cute. Next time I am going to try it this way.
2:22 am Apr 22nd, 2010These buns are delightful; I made them recently, and they were perfect! Thank you for such a great, easy to follow and accessible recipe! Pastries are usually a little temperamental, but there were perfect, and delicious!
(As indeed was your Red Velvet Cake recipe, which I made last tear. Everyone looked at me like I was mad, but it was a great hit in the end!)
Esther. xx
3:54 am May 6th, 2010I absolutely love this! I want to make these for no reason right away!
3:22 pm May 12th, 2010Brilliant! I am SO making these this weekend! I adore cinnamon rolls but all too often I shy away from making a batch because I know that I’m committed to a full tray of BIG rolls. Often times they feel like a full meal. With these I’d be inclined to pop them in the freezer and pull a few out when we fancy one without worrying about polishing off an entire tray of big rolls. One of the best ideas I’ve seen in a looong time. Thanks so much!
12:43 pm Jun 2nd, 2010thats great and lovely tastey rollet
3:04 am Sep 19th, 2010tanks for your education and i get highe like british airways
[…] February: Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls […]
7:50 am Jan 1st, 2011Hi! I suppose I recently found this post from a link on another blog (sorry I don’t remember which one). I really like this recipe, but curious about how on earth they can be made fresh and ready first thing in the morning… short of getting up at 4:00am. Any ideas?
thanks!
8:48 pm Feb 8th, 2011[…] I’m breaking out the baking skills and making these Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls inspired by Pinch My Salt. I’ll let you know how it […]
7:44 pm Feb 10th, 2011[…] 2 of Love Week was a success with my Mr. He loved these Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls inspired by Pinch My Salt, but they were quite an adventure to […]
8:07 pm Feb 11th, 2011[…] Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls […]
2:26 pm Feb 28th, 2011What an incredibly fun idea! Can’t wait to make them. 🙂 I’ll be featuring them today, thanks for sharing the tutorial!
8:09 am Jan 17th, 2012[…] You can make just about any food heart-shaped, but nothing tastes and smells as good as fresh baked cinnamon rolls. To speed things up, try buying frozen pre-made bread dough or preparing the dough the night before. Don’t limit these rolls to just Valentine’s day. Baking them for anniversaries and birthdays works just as well. Find the recipe and how-to at PinchMySalt.com. […]
8:04 pm Jan 17th, 2012great idea, glad to find it this year even if it was too late in 2010!
9:18 pm Jan 27th, 2012Hey LOVE this idea! It’s going on my blog. Thanks for the inspiration!!
1:44 pm Feb 5th, 2012[…] “Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls” – Source: Pinch My Salt […]
4:20 pm Feb 6th, 2012[…] Heart cinnamon rolls from Pinch My Salt No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post) Filed Under: Uncategorized sr_widget_id = 2000000034272; sr_widget_width = 300; sr_widget_height = 250; […]
8:55 pm Feb 8th, 2012[…] Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls […]
11:26 am Feb 12th, 2012Hi Nicole,
11:57 am Feb 14th, 2012Thanks for re-posting this idea this year. I made them for an after-school snack for my kids. FYI, I tried adding pink sanding sugar to the filling. It melted and turned the cinnamon goo pink! It was a fun surprise for Valentines Day 🙂
They look so pretty! I always seem to mess things up with the yeast, but next time I give it a go I’ll try to make these ones.
11:26 pm Jan 1st, 2013[…] Start the day off right with heart-shaped cinnamon rolls. Perfect for kids. The recipe can be found at Pinch My Salt. […]
7:38 am Feb 8th, 2013it looks very delicious, perfect for valentine’s day.. 🙂
2:31 am Feb 11th, 2013I am so disappointed I’ve been up late making these for tomorrow and I have failed! I don’t know what I did wrong but they don’t look a thing like the picture and I want to cry! But very nice idea
4:02 pm Feb 13th, 2013Oh, Erin, don’t worry! Mine looked absolutely horrid too, but my husband ate them right up. They ended up being pretty tasty though they looked a mess.
7:26 pm Feb 13th, 2013[…] got the recipe at Pinch My Salt, but they do not have a print out version of the recipe. They do have great photos though. So […]
9:50 pm Feb 14th, 2013Thank you Rhonda! They were a hit dispite looking a mess, once I iced them they did somewhat resemble hearts lol x x
9:09 am Feb 15th, 2013[…] Heart-Shaped PancakesHeart-Shaped WafflesHeart-Shaped FruitHeart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls […]
9:57 am Jan 16th, 2014These look wonderful and I’d love to have some ready for my family before school on Friday. Is it possible to do any of the steps the night before so that you just have to bake them in the morning? I’d love any suggestions—thank you!
3:10 pm Feb 4th, 2014[…] Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls (Recipe) […]
9:05 pm Feb 5th, 2014[…] with some heart-shaped cinnamon rolls are also a sure […]
7:41 am Feb 6th, 2014[…] Life in Wonderland 7. Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches from Martha Stewart 8. Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls from Pinch My Salt 9. Roasted Heart Potatoes from Haniela’s 10. My Heart Goes Nuts 4U […]
9:46 am Feb 2nd, 2015[…] Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls by Pinch My Salt, Heart Shaped Egg-In-A-Nest by Pinch My Salt, Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries by Gina’s Skinny Recipes […]
8:59 am Oct 28th, 2015[…] & Carrot Biscuits from Super Healthy Kids Heart Shaped Egg from Annathered Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls from Pinch My […]
1:13 pm Mar 17th, 2016[…] Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls by Pinch My Salt, Heart Shaped Egg-In-A-Nest by Pinch My Salt, Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries by Gina’s Skinny Recipes […]
12:16 pm Mar 28th, 2016