Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
 
 
Ingredients
For the Rolls:
  • 1 cup milk, heated in the microwave for 1 minute or until it reaches around 100°F
  • 2¼ tsp (or 1 – 0.25 oz packet) active dry yeast, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup finely grated carrots
  • 1½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
  • ½ packed cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup golden raisins
For the Frosting:
  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Method
  1. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.
  2. Scatter yeast over warmed milk and allow to activate for about 10-15 minutes, or until frothy.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and melted butter. Set aside.
  5. When yeast and milk mixture is bubbly, stir in the applesauce and grated carrots. Add wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until incorporated. Transfer dough onto a clean lightly floured surface and knead until soft and smooth, adding enough extra all-purpose flour (up to 3 tablespoons) to keep dough from sticking, about 2 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Lightly flour work surface again and roll dough out to about ¼-inch thickness, about a 12-inch x 9-inch rectangle.
  7. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter mixture evenly over the rolled-out dough, leaving about a 1-inch border around the perimeter.
  8. Scatter raisins & nuts evenly over the top and gently push into dough.
  9. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  10. Starting at a short end, carefully & tightly roll the dough jelly roll-style, making sure the filling doesn’t come out at the sides. Gently pinch seam closed. Cut the roll into 8 even pieces and place in prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  11. If you're making this ahead, go ahead and refrigerate now, up to overnight. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
  12. Remove the towel and brush the ½ tablespoon melted butter over the tops of the rolls. Bake rolls at 350°degrees for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top.
  13. While cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the cream cheese glaze. In a medium mixing bowl, beat all glaze ingredients together with an electric mixer until well-combined and smooth.
  14. Remove rolls from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with glaze and serve warm.
Notes
just barely adapted from Healthy Food For Living
Recipe by Kitchen Meets Girl at https://kitchenmeetsgirl.com/carrot-cake-cinnamon-rolls/