Sweet coconut goodness in a cinnamon roll-like package. These sweet rolls are loaded with coconut and are the perfect breakfast or brunch treat for Easter or any day.
Soft pillowy bread wrapped around loads of sweet, creamy coconut goodness. Now drizzle those in glaze and finish them with some lightly toasted coconut.
The results are a thing of beauty, for sure. Get your forks ready, these coconut cream sweet rolls are coming at you!
I don’t know why, but coconut makes me think of Easter. Maybe it’s because of the traditional lamb cake that was present at so many of our Easter celebrations.
So when I was thinking of sweets that scream spring, coconut was on my brain. Something that evokes the feelings of coconut cream pie, but I also wanted it to be something completely different.
The other thing Easter makes me think of is brunch, so it seemed fitting to marry those two trains of thought together into something delicious. That, my friends, is how these coconut cream sweet rolls were born.
Ever since I made my first batch of soft potato dough cinnamon buns, I have been hooked on using potato dough for sweet rolls. It just makes the softest, most delicious cinnamon rolls I have ever had!
The bread almost melts in your mouth and the centers have that soft almost gooey texture that makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Oh. My. Word.
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I am not one for reinventing the wheel when you already have a base you love. So I whipped up some of that dough to get these started.
But instead of a cinnamon sugar center, these babies are absolutely loaded to the gills with coconut. Instead of butter, I used coconut oil in the center to reinforce the coconut flavor.
The rolls looks amazing when they came out of the oven. My frosting loving heart couldn’t leave them like that though. Of course not!!
So I whipped up a glaze and toasted some coconut in a skillet. Spread that glaze over the rolls while they are still hot.
That is where the magic happens! It melts down in those cracks and crevices and helps bring it all together. Ummmm!
The toasted coconut helps you to advertise what you have. Sweet, scrumptious, coconut goodness wrapped up in a pretty little package.
I am telling you, if you are a coconut fan you have to give these a go. If you aren’t, try making some pineapple sweet rolls or blackberry sweet rolls instead.
Either way, make sure you have some guests over so you don’t eat the whole pan. They are way too tempting!
Coconut Cream Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 large potato
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
Filling
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups shredded coconut
Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- a drop or two of vanilla and/or coconut extract
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup lightly toasted coconut
Instructions
- First get your potato ready. 1 large potato or a couple of medium potatoes would work. Peel and cut the potatoes, cut into cubes and boil until it’s soft. Pour ¼ cup of that water into a small bowl or measuring cup to proof the yeast. Drain the rest of the water and return the potato cubes to the saucepan. Mash until smooth.
- Once water is about 110°F, add 1 Tablespoon sugar of sugar and 2½ teaspoon active dry yeast. Set aside while it activates.
- Add 1 cup milk, 4 Tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup granulated sugar to the potatoes. Stir and warm over low heat until warmed through.
- Butter a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Place the warm mashed potato in the bowl of your mixer. Stir in 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and yeast mixture.
- Slowly add in the 4 cups all-purpose flour. Stop adding more flour once the dough starts to come together into a ball, it will still be sticky. Use the dough attachment, allow your mixer to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Add a little more flour if needed, but don’t add any more than you have to. It should be soft, but it should come together into a dough.
- Turn the dough into the buttered bowl, being sure to scrape the bowl out all the goodness. Cover and allow to rise to at least double its size, about an hour to an hour and a half.
- Punch down the dough and give it a couple of quick kneads to make sure it is deflated.
- Place on a lightly floured surface. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then roll into a 18″ square.
- Grease a 10×15 pan or a half sheet pan.
- Brush with melted ⅓ cup coconut oil and sprinkle with 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 cups shredded coconut.
- Roll dough into a log and cut into 12 equal pieces. Place in greased baking dish. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for another hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan half way through. The tops should be light golden down.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes, then put together the glaze.
- In a small bowl, beat together 1 Tablespoon butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 pinch salt, a drop or two of vanilla and/or coconut extract, and 3 Tablespoons heavy cream together. You want it to be thick, just barely thin enough to pour.
- Drizzle glaze all over warm sweet rolls. Sprinkle with 1 cup lightly toasted coconut. Devour!
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I’ve made these several times now and they are SO GOOD! My new favorite breakfast roll. I find that this makes a huge batch so I freeze my leftovers individually for easy tasty treats. I can’t speak to the glaze as I typically sub it out for a coconut cream cheese frosting.
Coconut cream cheese frosting sounds fabulous!
Coconut sounds so delicious in a sweet roll. I always make cinnamon rolls around this time of year, but I would love to try these instead. Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe!
What a fun "spring" twist on a sweet roll! They sound so good!
They really are! Thank you!
I love homemade sweet rolls. I've been wanting to make some potato bread for quite awhile, and here you use it as the dough for sweet rolls. Now I HAVE to make some! 🙂
I love using it for sweet rolls, the results are so soft and scrumptious!
Using coconut cream sounds amazing. These rolls are gorgeous.
Thank you!
You keep killin' it with your sweet rolls!!! Delish!
Thank you!