The Answer Was Right in Front of Us All Along
Straight out of the jar, Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Bun Spread ($3.49 for a 10 oz. jar) is pretty sweet, but what I love about it is the prominent vanilla flavor. It tastes just like, well, a cinnamon bun. So it’s the perfect topping for a batch of pizza dough cinnamon sticky buns.
I’ve been making pizza dough cinnamon rolls for several years. While they’re not as fluffy as from scratch, they’re still a step up from the ones in the can. I’ve always made them with Trader Joe’s pizza dough and usually skip the frosting or glaze all together. But the honey in the spread got me thinking about sticky buns, and I knew what I had to do. Top the rolls with the Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Bun Spread and a generous helping of chopped nuts. I went hazelnuts instead of pecans, but it’s your call.
These are easy peasy. If you want some tips, they’re included in the original cinnamon roll post.
I mean, can you even resist tearing one off? All you need now is a cup of coffee/tea or a glass of milk. Enjoy.
Cinnamon Sticky Buns with Trader Joe's Cinnamon Bun Spread and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 1 bag Trader Joe's pizza dough
- 6 T. unsalted butter, softened
- 3 T. sugar
- 1 T. ground cinnamon (or Apple Pie Spice)
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- all purpose flour, for dusting board
- 1/3 c. Trader Joe's Cinnamon Bun Spread
- generous 1/2 c. dry roasted hazelnuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let sit on the counter for 40 minutes to an hour. Butter a 9 in. round cake pan with 1 T. of the butter and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, sugar and salt.
Lightly flour your board and roll the dough into a ~12 rectangle, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Give the dough a good rubdown with 3 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly across the rectangle from end-to-end.
Roll tightly into a log, ensuring the ends do not sag. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the log into 1 in. pieces. Place the slices in the pan, about an inch apart. Dot the top of each roll with the remaining 2 T. of butter.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until the tops of the rolls just begin to brown. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over low heat for 4-6 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Let cool and then chop roughly.
Put the Cinnamon Bun Spread in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in 5 second increments until warmed and drizzle-consistency. It should not bubble or boil.
Drizzle the Cinnamon Bun Spread over the pan of sticky buns. Sprinkle the nuts over the top and serve.
