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    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    July 12, 2023

    Generously and warmly spiced, this cardamom roll recipe yields fluffy, tender, rich cardamom buns that will brighten even the dullest of winter mornings.

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    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze in a baking dish with extra glaze on the size

    Perfect Sweet Buns, With a Swedish Accent

    May we present the delicious, the buttery, our moist and tender cardamom bun drizzled with a luscious almond glaze? In this cardamom roll recipe, we started with the world's best cinnamon roll dough. To make things a little more exciting, we added a bit of almond extract, and replaced the traditional cinnamon filling with a heady, rich cardamom version. Finished with a simple almond-scented glaze, these cozy, heavenly buns are our take a traditional and beloved Scandinavian treat—they’re a bit inspired by classic Swedish kardemummabullar, which means (you guessed it) cardamom buns. They’re the perfect light, fluffy morning roll, ready to brighten and warm even the chilliest of winter mornings.

    a table set for brunch
    A table scape set for a fall brunch with Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    What Is Cardamom?

    Cardamom is a spice with a beautifully spicy, floral, unique fragrance that we’d like to dive head-first into and just dwell in forever. Cardamom comes from a plant in the ginger family, and hails from India, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. That said, many of us associate it heavily with Scandinavia, where it’s been a popular spice since the 9th century. Its strong, floral, peppery, almost minty flavor is delicious in both sweet and savory dishes, though we particularly love it in sweet dishes and holiday baking. For this cardamom bun recipe, you can use pre-ground cardamom, or if you really love the flavor of cardamom and want a powerful dose of it, buy cardamom pods and grind it yourself. If you go this route, you’ll need to shell the pods—simply discard the papery green exterior and keep the black seeds to grind. Then, use a super-clean coffee grinder to grind the cardamom seeds, or use a mortar and pestle.

    a winter or fall brunch table setting

    Everything You’ll Need To Make These Cardamom Buns with Almond Glaze

    These rich, tender, buttery cardamom buns aren’t particularly tricky and don’t involve any unusual ingredients—yay! If you’ve made cinnamon rolls before, you’ll be pretty familiar with this whole ingredient list and process. Here’s what you’ll need for this cardamom bun recipe:

    • Whole milk
    • Vegetable oil
    • Sugar
    • Almond extract
    • Active dry yeast
    • All-purpose white organic flour
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Salt
    • Unsalted butter
    • Cardamom
    • Powdered sugar
    2 hands rolling out dough on a floured surface for Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze
    hands smoothing filling for Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze
    2 hands rolling Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze
    hands cutting Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    How To Make Cardamom Rolls

    If yeasted breads give you the willies, fear not! We’ll walk you through the process. They’re never incredibly fast, but they’re always, always worth it. Is there anything like a homemade piping hot bun, fresh out of the oven? No, no there’s not. Anyway, here’s how to make these lovely cardamom buns:

    1. Gently warm milk, vegetable oil, sugar and almond extract, and when you see a reading of 110°F, pull it off the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top. Warm milk + sugar will activate the yeast.
    2. Pour the milk and yeast mixture into a bowl and stir in flour. Let it rise for an hour.
    3. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt and a little more flour. You just made dough!
    4. Roll the dough into a large rectangle. If it’s sticky, just lightly flour your hands and keep working.
    5. Mix the filling! This’ll just take a sec.
    6. Spread the filling! Cover the entire surface of the dough.
    7. Roll the roll! Roll it up tightl as you can. Use both hands and work slowly.
    8. Slice the rolls! Place the sliced rolls in prepped pans.
    9. Raise the rolls! While the oven preheats, let the rolls rise for 20 minutes.
    10. Bake the rolls! 13-17 minutes at 375° F.
    11. Mix up the almond icing.
    12. Drizzle icing over the finished rolls and eat up!
    Cardamom roll dough in a baking dish

    Tools You’ll Need:

    More Holiday Treats To Try

    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze being poured over top
    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    When Bloggers Party: It’s a Food-Splosion Holiday Brunch, PDX-Style

    A big thank you to Tillamook and Bob’s Red Mill for giving us and the rest of the creative women involved in #HolidayBrunchPDX a reason to come together and create some beautiful holiday brunch treats together. We’re so glad to finally be sharing these cardamom rolls with you, because we know there were quite a few bloggers at our last holiday brunch who were eager to get their hands on this recipe, just as we’ve been dying to get our hands on the recipes for the dishes others shared. Please check out all all the recipes for the deliciousness that was #HolidayBrunchPDX, graciously sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill & Tillamook, to get some amazing brunch inspiration just in time for the holidays.

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    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    Updated on July 12, 2023

    • Serves:  12
    • Prep Time:  2 hrs 40 min
    • Cook Time:  17 min
    • Calories:  620
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    Ingredients

    Filling

    Almond Glaze

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 tablespoon whole milk
    • 2 teaspoons almond extract

    Method

    1. In a medium saucepan over medium, heat the milk, vegetable oil, sugar and almond extract to 100-110°F (Do not allow the mixture to boil.) Set aside and cool if needed. When the mixture has cooled to 100-110°F, sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 2 minutes.

    2. Stir in 4 cups of the flour until just combined. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for an hour.

    3. Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining ½ cup of flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.

    4. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Using a flour dusted rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches.

    5. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with 2 cups sugar and cardamom until a soft paste is formed.

    6. Using the back of a spoon, evenly spread the filling to cover the entire surface of the dough.

    7. Beginning at the (30-inch size) end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together. On a cutting board, using a sharp knife, make 1½-inch slices to make 15-20 rolls.

    8. Line a few baking dishes with parchment paper (alternatively, grease well with butter). Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to over crowd.

    9. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover rolls with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 13 to 17 minutes, until golden brown.

    10. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract until smooth. The icing should be thick but still pourable. If it is too thin add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too thick, add more milk ¼ teaspoon at a time.

    11. After the rolls are finished baking, and still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. These are best served warm, but they are just as delicious if made a day ahead.


    The dough for this recipe was adapted from from The Pioneer Woman.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 620
    • Protein 8 g
    • Carbohydrates 92 g
    • Total Fat 26 g
    • Dietary Fiber 2 g
    • Cholesterol 41 mg
    • sodium 885 mg
    • Total Sugars 54 g

    Cardamom Rolls with Almond Glaze

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Megan

      Could these be made ahead (frozen before baking)? They sound delicious for Christmas morning, but I don't have time to make them that day (or Christmas Eve). Thank you!

      Hi Megan, On second thought, we've left the dough in the bowl overnight before but we haven't had them rolled overnight in the fridge and are worried they might rise too much. We'd recommend baking them then simply reheating them in the oven when you are ready to serve.

    • Lauren

      How much yeast do you add? I have a large package but the recipe just says package

      A .25 oz packet. hope you enjoy!

    • Marissa

      Oh my WOW do I love these! Perfect dough (soft & I LOVE the add of almond extract), perfect bake, perfect flavors. A new favorite!

      Thank you Marissa! So happy to hear they are a new favorite!!