These banana nut cinnamons rolls have a banana enriched yeast dough and are filled with a crunchy cinnamon sugar filling – they taste just like banana bread in cinnamon roll form!
Banana nut cinnamon rolls taste just like banana bread in cinnamon roll form. Imagine the best banana bread you’ve had combined with a gooey, warm cinnamon roll – that is just what these rolls taste like! The spice of the cinnamon compliments the sweet banana flavor in these yeast rolls and the toasted walnuts provide a crunchy texture to their soft, pillowy centers.
This recipe for these banana nut cinnamon rolls was adapted from a 1970’s cookbook. If you have read the recipes on my blog before, you know I’ve written about the popularity of baked goods with both fruits and vegetables during this time. Some cookbooks from this era even labeled recipes as healthy since they used fruits or vegetables as ingredients. While our knowledge of nutrition has evolved over the years, our taste for cinnamon rolls hasn’t changed at all!
How to Make Banana Nut Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (1/4 oz) pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 large egg
Filling:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 teaspoons water
2 Tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
Instructions
Spread walnuts on an ungreased sheet pan and bake at 350°F degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely, then roughly chop. Cool and store if not using right away.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt to 110-115 °F. Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture along with the mashed banana and the egg.
Beat 3 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour (1 1/2 – 2 cups), enough to make a stiff dough (dough should not stick to hands). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 6-8 minutes, or until elastic and smooth. Alternately, knead with the hook attachment on a stand mixer for 2 minutes on the stir setting. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until double. Alternately, can cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours – overnight.
Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll the portion of the dough into a large rectangle. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the dough. Roll the rectangle up and cut into 12 rolls; place rolls in to a prepared 8” baking pan. Cover and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place until double in size, around 1 hour.
Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the rolls become golden. Allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack until warm; combine the ingredients for the powdered sugar glaze, adding enough water to make it a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm, but not hot, rolls. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Tips for Banana Nut Cinnamon Rolls
- Cool and store walnuts if not using right away.
- You can make the rolls smaller or larger, increase your baking time by 1-2 minutes for larger rolls and decrease by 1-2 minutes for smaller rolls.
- You can freeze the dough before baking before the 2nd rise (will keep in freezer up to 4 weeks).
- To use frozen, allow to thaw in refrigerator and then let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour. Then bake according to instructions.
- Baked, frozen rolls will keep up to 4 months, if sealed. To reheat: thaw completely and then reheat about 10 minutes in a 325°F oven. If reheating from a frozen state, increase baking time by 10-15 minutes until heated through.
- Store baked rolls in an airtight container, up to 72 hours.
Made this recipe? Comment or rate below or on Pinterest or Instagram!
Want more cinnamon roll recipes? Check out these recipes:
Banana Nut Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- mixing bowls of various sizes
- small saucepan
- Rolling Pin
- kitchen thermometer
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 oz pkg active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- 2 Tablespoons toasted walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Spread walnuts on an ungreased sheet pan and bake at 350°F degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely, then roughly chop. Cool and store if not using right away.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt to 110-115 °F. Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture along with the mashed banana and the egg.
- Beat 3 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in the remaining flour (1 1/2 – 2 cups), enough to make a stiff dough (dough should not stick to hands).
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 6-8 minutes, or until elastic and smooth. Alternately, knead with the hook attachment on a stand mixer for 2 minutes on the stir setting.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until double. Alternately, can cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours – overnight.
- Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll the portion of the dough into a large rectangle.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the dough.
- Roll the rectangle up and cut into 12 rolls; place rolls in to a prepared 8” baking pan. Cover and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place until double in size, around 1 hour.
- Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the rolls become golden.
- Allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack until warm; combine the ingredients for the glaze, adding enough water to make it a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm, but not hot, rolls. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Notes
- Cool and store walnuts if not using right away.
- You can freeze the dough before baking before the 2nd rise (will keep in freezer up to 4 weeks).
- To use frozen, allow to thaw in refrigerator and then let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour. Then bake according to instructions.
- Baked, frozen rolls will keep up to 4 months, if sealed. To reheat: thaw completely and then reheat about 10 minutes in a 325 F oven. If reheating from a frozen state, increase baking time by 10-15 minutes until heated through. Store baked rolls in an airtight container, up to 72 hours.
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