I am a sucker for cinnamon rolls and these miso butter cinnamon rolls are easily my new favorite. Soft rolls are filled with butter, miso, brown sugar and cinnamon. Then they’re topped with cream cheese frosting and sesame seeds and pistachios cooked in miso butter. They are perfectly sweet without being too much.

These cinnamon rolls were inspired by my mom! And just in time for Mother’s Day. All mom’s deserve a sweet treat every day, but especially on Mother’s Day, so I developed this recipe for my mom. My dearest mom enjoys treats, but doesn’t like when they are too sweet. And that’s where the miso comes in. Adding miso paste to the filling balances out the sweetness from the sugar, giving these the perfect level of sweetness.

My sweet Mom also loves salt. She loves salt so much, so I wanted to include an overtly salty element with these, which is where the topping comes in. The cinnamon rolls are first topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting, but then they’re finished with pistachios and sesame seeds cooked in butter and miso paste until they’re roasty toasty. The salty nuts/seeds are the perfect crunch on top that really ties everything together.

ingredients needed for miso butter cinnamon rolls

how to make these overnight

If you can’t make these all in one day, you can split the process up into two days! Make the dough like normal, then instead of letting the dough rise on the counter, put it in the fridge. You can leave the dough in the fridge for 12-18 hours. Then, once you take it out, set it out on the counter for 1-2 hours to warm up close to room temperature. Then you’ll proceed with the rest of the recipe as it’s written!

other recipes you’ll love

• cinnamon miso oatmeal
• black sesame cinnamon rolls
• banana streusel muffins
• tahini banana bread

miso butter cinnamon rolls

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Rising Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Servings 12 cinnamon rolls

ingredients

  

cinnamon roll dough

• 1 1/4 cups milk warmed to 105-110F
• 1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast or two packets
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 2 eggs at room temp
• 5 1/4 cups bread flour or AP flour, 680 grams
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

miso butter filling

• 1/2 cup butter at room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp white miso paste

cream cheese frosting

• 1/2 cup butter at room temp
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temp
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk

salty miso topping

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp white miso paste
• 1/4 cup pistachios crushed
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

instructions

 

• Begin by making the cinnamon roll dough. Add the milk, instant yeast, sugar, butter, and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a paddle attachment until everything is well combined.
• Add the bread flour and salt. Swap the paddle attachment out for a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low until the flour is just combined. Then, turn the mixer to high and let the dough mix for 5 minutes, until smooth and completely combined.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a light tea towel. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, around 1-2 hours depending on the temperature in your home.
• When the dough has doubled, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a large rectangle, about 24 inches wide and 18 inches tall.
• In a small bowl, combine the filling. Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and miso paste. Stir until well combined. Add drops of the miso butter mixture across the dough, then use an offset spatula to evenly spread the mixture evenly across the dough.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2 inch wide strips (cut along the long side (the 24 inch side). Roll each strip of dough into a tight coil. You should have 12 rolls.
• Transfer the rolls to a greased baking sheet, evenly spaced out. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
• When the rolls are almost finished rising, preheat the oven to 350F. When the rolls are ready to go in the oven, carefully drizzle the heavy cream on top of each roll. You can use a pastry brush to help spread the heavy cream more evenly onto the rolls.
• Transfer the rolls to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
• While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. Add the butter and cream cheese to a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix for 2-3 minutes, until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix another 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and milk and mix an additional minute. The frosting should be very smooth.
• To make the salty miso topping, add the butter and miso paste to a pan over medium-low heat. Stir to combine. When the butter has melted, add the pistachios and sesame seeds. Stir continually as the nuts and seeds slowly toast. When the sesame seeds start to turn golden brown, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
• Dollop a few tablespoons of the cream cheese frosting on top of each roll. Top with a spoonful of the toasted nuts and seeds and enjoy!

Notes

Keep any leftover cinnamon rolls in the fridge (they should be kept in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting). To reheat, microwave for 10-20 seconds and they’ll be good as new.