Comfort Me with Offal

Adapted from a recipe by Ree Drummond, “Pioneer Woman” blogger/cookbook author/food television star, these Oklahoma- style rolls get a final, generous glaze, subtly flavored with real maple syrup and brewed coffee.

PAN SAUCE:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

DOUGH:

Flour for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

FILLING:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

COFFEE GLAZE:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

1. For the pan sauce, spread the butter in a 9 by 13-inch pan. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the butter.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Roll out to a 16 by 20-inch rectangle.

3. For the filling, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Spread the dough with the butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Starting with a short side, roll up and form into a tight 18-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 9 slices. Place each slice, spiral side up, in the prepared pan. Cover with tea towels and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until the rolls have risen and browned.

5. For the glaze, whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over the warm rolls.

Little chunks of caramelized pineapple flavor the pan sauce for these rolls, which becomes the topping when you invert the rolls after baking.

PAN SAUCE:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pineapple chunks (juice reserved)

1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

9 maraschino cherries, cut in half

DOUGH:

Flour for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

CINNAMON FILLING:

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. For the pan sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it melts. Stir in the pineapple chunks and juice and cook until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken, about 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, remove from the heat, and divide the sauce between two 9-inch square pans. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Arrange half the cherries, cut side up, in the bottom of each prepared pan.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut in half. Roll each half out to an 8 by 12-inch rectangle.

3. For the filling, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Set aside. Spread each half rectangle of dough with half the melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough, starting with a short end, to form a tight 9-inch cylinder. Cut each cylinder into 9 slices. Place each slice, spiral side up, in a prepared pan. Cover with tea towels and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the rolls have risen and browned. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving platters.

Bacon makes everything better, including cinnamon rolls! Choose bacon that’s not very smoky and cook it very crisp, so it’s like a crunchy nut in the pan sauce.

PAN SAUCE:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened apple cider or juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

DOUGH:

Flour for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

CINNAMON FILLING:

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. For the pan sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it melts. Stir in the cider and cook until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt, remove from the heat, and pour into a 9-inch square baking pan. Cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the bacon over the pan sauce.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Roll out to an 8 by 12-inch rectangle.

3. For the filling, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Spread the dough with the butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough, starting with a short end, to form a tight 9-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 9 slices. Place each slice, spiral side up, in the prepared pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the rolls have risen and browned. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.

In 1929, William Dreyer named his new ice cream ἀavor after the stock market crash on Wall Street. If the combi-nation of chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows is great in ice cream, another food we obsess about, it’s also fabulous for a cinnamon roll.

PAN SAUCE:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

DOUGH:

Flour for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

ROCKY ROAD FILLING:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

VANILLA GLAZE:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. For the pan sauce, spread the butter in a 9 by 13-inch pan.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut the dough in half. Roll each half out to an 8 by 12-inch rectangle.

3. For the filling, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Spread each dough rectangle with half the butter. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, along with half of the marshmallows and chocolate chips. Starting with short side, roll the dough up and form into a tight cylinder. Cut each cylinder into 6 slices and place, spiral side up, in the prepared pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until the rolls have risen and lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

5. For the glaze, whisk all ingredients together. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls.

The flavors of coffee, sugar, and cinnamon combine in these wake-you-up rolls in pull-apart form. You simply dip pieces of dough into melted butter, then spicy sugar, and arrange them in a Bundt pan. A coffee glaze provides the sweet finish.

PAN SAUCE:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup toasted, chopped pecans

COFFEE CINNAMON FILLING:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DOUGH:

Four for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

COFFEE GLAZE:

1/3 cup freshly brewed coffee

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

1. For the pan sauce, spread the butter on the inside of a 12-inch Bundt pan and scatter with pecans.

2. For the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and instant coffee granules in a small bowl. Have the melted butter ready in another bowl.

3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Dip each piece in melted butter and roll in the filling. Place in the prepared pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes or until risen and browned. When the rolls are done, let them rest in the pan for 1 minute. Then, loosen them from the sides of the pan and invert the rolls onto a serving plate.

5. For the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk until well blended and remove from the heat. Drizzle or brush the rolls with glaze.

Cinnamon rolls with a taste of the Far East? Why not? Tropical cinnamon combined with lemony Szechuan pepper creates an intriguingly delicious filling that makes your tongue tingle a bit at the end of a bite. The fresh grated ginger in the glaze makes these little rolls even more irresistible. Enjoy these with a steaming cup of herbal or green tea.

PAN SAUCE:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

DOUGH:

Flour for dusting

1 recipe Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough

FILLING:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

FRESH GINGER GLAZE:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh gingerroot

1. For the pan sauce, spread the butter in the bottom of two 9 by 9-inch pans.

2. Cut the dough in half and transfer to a floured surface. Roll each half out to an 8 by 12-inch rectangle.

3. For the filling, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and Szechuan pepper in a medium bowl. Spread each dough rectangle with 3 tablespoons of the softened butter and sprinkle with half the filling. Starting with the 12-inch side, roll the dough up and form into a tight cylinder. Cut each cylinder into 9 slices and place, spiral side up, in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the rolls have risen and browned.

5. For the glaze, whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over the warm rolls.