I had the pleasure of connecting with Alexa M. Johnson on Instagram recently after commenting on one of her delicious recipe posts. I was so grateful when she agreed to share this with our community. Alexa and her husband are newlyweds (congrats!) who just bought a house in Tewksbury. In her spare time Alexa bakes and shares easy-to-make appetizers and meals on Instagram at @alexamjdotcom and on her website at www.alexamjohnson.com. They are perfect for busy moms! A big thanks to Alexa for this Red Velvet Cinnamon Roll recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day!

 

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

 

Servings: 2-4

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 cup whole milk or milk of choice
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 1 package active dry yeast (I prefer Red Star Yeast.)
• 4 cups flour, plus more for rolling out dough
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• Red food coloring
• Cooking spray for pan

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

 

Instructions

Make the Dough:

• In a small pot set over low heat, combine the milk and butter and cook until the butter has melted and the mixture is warmed.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and the yeast then set the mixture aside for 5 minutes.
• In a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and remaining ½ cup sugar.
• Add the yeast mixture and eggs to the stand mixer and beat for 2 minutes.
• Add red food coloring until the dough reaches the color you want, then continue beating for 4-5 minutes until the dough is combined.
• Grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer the dough into the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Store the dough in a warm, dark place until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
• Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Lightly flour your work surface then roll the dough that’s 1/4-inch thick.
• Using baking thread, cut each individual cinnamon roll and place each roll next to the other in the pan.

Bake & Frost

• Cook at 375 for 22 minutes, keeping an eye on them throughout the cooking process
• Once cooked, wait until they’ve cooled off a bit and ice with your icing of choice. (I used cream cheese frosting!)