As promised I share with you these decadent gooey Dulce de Leche Sweet Rolls! And in every soft layer you will find pieces of candied pecans and topped with a coffee glaze that is out of this world! This has been on my bucket list for the longest time. Dulce de Leche is creamy and tastes similar to caramel sauce, however there are subtle differences between the two. While caramel sauce is made with sugar, water and heavy cream; Dulce de Leche is made with sweetened condensed milk. Caramel sauce only takes a few minutes to make, but it takes a few hours for sweetened condensed milk to simmer into a creamy caramelized sauce aka Dulce de Leche. While I would have loved to make my own Dulce de Leche, I was in a pinch for time and picked up a jar that was ready to go. Sometimes giving yourself a break is a good thing. I did make time to spice up some pecans with some sugar and spice that truly made these rolls special. The inspiration for these rolls and especially the coffee glaze is inspired by Yvette at Muy Bueno Cookbook. From my kitchen to yours, I hope 2023 will be a year filled with good health, happy times and delicious food to be shared with those you love!
I like to make the candied pecans first so they have time to cool before you chop them into bits to go in the filling. You’ll need raw pecans, unsalted butter, freshly ground red chile, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and water.
Add pecans to a heated cast iron skillet. Toss the pecans as they begin to toast and become aromatic.
Add the butter and stir as it melts.
Add the ground chile, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and water.
Stir to coat the pecans.
Cool the pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside
Time to make the brioche dough. It’s the ultimate sweet dough to make any kind of sweet bread or rolls. You’ll need flour, yeast, salt, water, honey, eggs, and softened butter.
Mix together in a small bowl the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of honey. Let sit for a few minutes as it begins to foam and rise.
When the yeast is ready to go, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the remaining honey, eggs and softened butter. Mix together with a wooden spatula.
Add the flour a little bit at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until it begins to form into dough. Attach the dough hook and turn on low speed to knead the dough together.
Continue on low speed until the dough has formed and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be sticky and wet.
Generously sprinkle flour over a work space and gently knead the dough. Use just enough flour to form the dough into a ball.
Place the dough into a large bowl and cover with a cup towel. Set in a warm place to rise (approximately 2-3 hours).
The dough should double in size, like this.
Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on your work surface, divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rectangles.
Roll out one half of the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
You’ll need 2 tablespoons of softened butter for each half of the dough. I usually place the butter in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds and it comes out creamy and ready to spread.
Spread the softened butter with a spatula over the rolled dough leaving a 1/4 inch around the edges.
I used 1/2 cup of Dulce de Leche to spread on each half of dough.
Spread the Dulce de Leche over the dough. Chop the candied pecans and measure out 1/4 cup for each half of dough.
Sprinkle the candied pecans over the Dulce de Leche spread.
Begin rolling along the long edge toward you. When you have a long roll, pinch the edges underneath. Use a sharp knife or dental floss to make 1 inch slices.
Take a small pat of butter and run along the bottom and around the sides of (2) 9 inch round or square bake pans. Place the cut rolls into the pan leaving enough room in between for them to rise and spread out. Prepare the other pan and prepare the rolls as per instructions above. Place both pans in a warm space and cover with a cup towel.
Allow to rise and double in bulk.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown on top.
I wish there was scratch and sniff when these rolls come out of the oven.
Make a glaze with confectioners sugar, whole milk, brewed coffee, melted butter and vanilla extract. Whisk together and drizzle over the warm rolls. If you remember, sprinkle a few more candied pecans over the rolls before you add the glaze. Those little candied gems really make these rolls.
Dulce de Leche Sweet Rolls with Candied Pecans and a Coffee Glaze
Brioche Dough
3/4 cup Lukewarm Water
3/4 tablespoons Yeast
3/4 tablespoons Kosher Salt
4 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Honey
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
3 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
Dulce de Leche Filling
1 cup Dulce de Leche
1/2 cup Candied Pecans, recipe follows
4 tablespoons Butter, softened
Coffee Glaze, Inspired by Muy Bueno Cookbook
2 cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons Whole Milk
2 tablespoons Brewed Coffee
2 tablespoons Butter, melted
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Candied Pecans
8 ounces Raw Pecans
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 teaspoon Red Chile Powder, I used Guajillo Chile which was mild in flavor. Use NM Red Chile for a spicier flavor.
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Water
To make Candied Pecans: Place pecans in a warm cast iron skillet and stir as they become fragrant. Stir in the butter and stir until all the butter has melted. Add the ground chile, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and water and stir as the mixture thickens and coats the pecans. Transfer pecans to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool. Set aside
To make Brioche Dough: Add the water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of honey in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let the yeast sit for a few minutes to activate and begin to bubble and foam. Add the remaining honey, eggs and softened butter. Stir with a wooden spatula.
Begin to add the flour a little at a time. Stir the flour into the liquid ingredients until it begins to form into a dough. Use your dough hook and mix on low to incorporate all the flour into the dough. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. The dough will be sticky and wet. Prepare a work space and generously sprinkle with flour. Knead the dough with enough flour to form a round ball. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a cup towel and place in a warm area to rise (approximately 2 – 3 hours).
When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down the dough and using your previous works space knead the dough until it is easy to work with. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rectangles. Take one rectangle and roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
Spread 2 tablespoons of the softened butter with a spatula over the rolled dough leaving a 1/4 inch around the edges. Next spread 1/2 cup of the Dulce de Leche over the butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the candied pecans evenly over the spread and gently begin to roll the long side of the dough from the bottom up until you have a long roll. Tuck the ends underneath to seal. Slice the rolls or use dental floss to cut rolls in 1 inch slices.
Prepare (2) 9 inch round or square baking pans by rubbing a pat of butter on the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Place the cut rolls in the pan leaving a little bit of space around each roll to rise and expand. Prepare the reserved dough and fillings as instructed above to make another pan of rolls.
Place in a warm space and cover with a cup towel. Allow to rise and double in bulk. Bake rolls for 25 – 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.
To make Coffee Glaze: Whisk together the confectioners sugar, whole milk, brewed coffee, melted butter and vanilla in a bowl until it becomes a smooth glaze. Drizzle over warm sweet rolls.
Makes approximately 20 sweet rolls.