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My holiday dessert philosophy: more is more. Rarely do I turn down dessert any time of year, but during the holiday season, I lean into the signature recipes that make the holidays feel even more festive. Think gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, eggnog, and perhaps the most important, cinnamon rolls. While I love a classic version, these mini cardamom cinnamon rolls from A Couple Cooks prove that even little twists on a recipe can make the biggest difference.
Alex and Sonja Overhiser are the duo behind the award-winning food blog. Their recipes represent a joyful approach to food that leans into ease and accessibility. Just in time for the holidays, they’ve released their second cookbook, A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together. The book is a fun approach to recipes that you can cook and share with the people in your life. It’s a thoughtful approach to making cooking together true quality time.
Ahead, Alex and Sonja share their recipe for mini cardamom cinnamon rolls, the Chicago bakery that inspired them, and their secret to making holiday hosting even easier.
How would you describe your cooking and food philosophy?
We are all about the joy of cooking from scratch! We love connecting with people through food. This recipe is all about those cozy vibes of creating a delicious baked good with someone. It’s a little more involved than most of our recipes, but it’s all about the experience and a fun project to enjoy with a friend or family member.
How did you develop this recipe?
Many of our recipes are inspired by specific experiences, and this one is a great memory for us. We took a trip to Chicago and went to the bakery Lost Larson: not just because it’s a renowned bakery but because our 7-year-old son’s name is Larson! We got a cardamom bun that was flavored with orange zest. It was so delicious that we knew we had to turn it into a recipe. We created this recipe as an ode to those flavors that we enjoyed—but morphed it into a traditional cinnamon roll.
What makes this recipe your go-to for the holidays?
Homemade cinnamon rolls are not quick and easy, but they’re the best crowd-pleasing recipe! We love making them to impress friends and family. Everyone always raves.
Is there a kitchen tool you recommend to make this?
This recipe is easiest made in a stand mixer. We love having a stand mixer on hand for mixing dough and baked goods, and it’s great for making artisan bread and pizza dough as well. (You can also knead the dough by hand, but it’s easiest in a mixer.)
Our other must-have kitchen tools are a great knife (our favorite is Shun brand), a Microplane (for grating the zest in this recipe, as well as garlic), and a great set of aluminum pans.
What are some ingredient swaps?
You can try this recipe gluten-free by swapping in 1 for 1 gluten-free flour, though the texture may not be quite as light and fluffy. This recipe is easy to make dairy-free using vegan butter and oat milk.
What advice do you have for someone who might get stressed prepping for the holiday table?
Keep it simple! Don’t feel like you have to do it all. For this year’s Thanksgiving, we ordered some sides from a restaurant nearby and focused on the main dish and a pitcher cocktail, and had other people bring dessert. It worked great and was much less overwhelming than thinking about the entire meal. Make sure to ask people to bring dishes and plan your menu as far in advance as possible!
What is the best part of creating recipes to share for people to bring into their homes?
We have the best job in the world! It is such an honor to create recipes that people use to nourish themselves and their families. We hope that in each recipe, readers will learn a technique or simply a combination of ingredients that fits into their lifestyle. We love introducing people to new flavors and fun ways to combine seasonal ingredients to make everyday moments special.
What other recipes from the book should people start with?
As cookbook readers, we always wonder where to start, so we have a list at the beginning of recipes that have the most bang for their buck. Some of our favorites in that list:
Applesauce cake. It’s such an easy and impressive baking project that’s fun to make with anyone.
Quick and cozy chickpea curry. This one is so delicious and a reader favorite from our blog. It comes together in about 20 minutes, and it’s such a great weeknight dinner!
Salmon piccata. This one is so tasty with restaurant-style flavors—it always impresses everyone! We never tire of the lemon, garlic, and capers combination.
Warm goat cheese with jam. This is one of the easiest recipes in the book and such a fun way to make an impressive appetizer that everyone always loves.
What’s a better weekend baking project than ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls? The star here is the cardamom-orange filling, inspired by a cardamom bun we had on a Sunday morning bakery run in Chicago. This makes a 9 x 9 pan of mini rolls, so you can eat more than one and have enough to go around! Baking is a two-day process (since who wants to wake up 3 hours beforehand?). Start the rolls the night before and refrigerate overnight, then bake them in the a.m. and enjoy the cinnamon-spiced scent wafting through your kitchen.
To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and kosher salt. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk and heat until lukewarm (warm to the touch, but not hot, or between 105° and 115°F [40° and 45°C]).
Pour the butter and milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and stir with a fork until a rough dough forms. Attach a dough hook to the mixer and mix on medium-low speed for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. The dough should be very sticky and will not form a ball in the mixer. (You can also knead the dough by hand; keep in mind it will be very sticky at first.)
Flour a work surface, scrape the dough onto it, and knead it a few times, then shape it into a rough ball. Place the dough ball in a large clean bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm location until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
To make the filling, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and orange zest. Grease a metal 9 x 9 in [23 x 23 cm] baking dish.
Lightly flour a work surface and scoop the dough onto it. Gently roll out the dough into a 12 x 12 in [30 x 30 cm] square. Tug the corners a bit to make them as square as possible. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a ½ in [13 mm] border unbrushed at the left and right edges.
Sprinkle the sugar spice mix evenly over the melted butter, leaving the unbuttered edges bare. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough in half vertically, and then cut each half into 8 equal strips (about 1½ x 6 in [4 x 15 cm] each). Gently roll up each strip, ending with the unbuttered portion. Pinch the top corner so the roll stays together. Place the rolls in 4 rows in the greased baking pan, leaving a little space between the rolls.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. The rolls should be puffed and their edges touching. Then either refrigerate the pan overnight, up to 15 hours, or bake immediately (see Tips for special baking instructions).
If the rolls are refrigerated, put the baking dish on a countertop 30 minutes before baking, to allow it to warm slightly. Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C].
Bake the rolls with the aluminum foil covering the pan for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until browned on top and cooked through,13 to 15 minutes. Check whether they are done by inserting a food thermometer at the bottom of the rolls, which should read at least 200°F [95°C], or by pulling back a roll with a fork to ensure the bottom is not raw and doughy. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before adding the frosting.
To make the frosting, in a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If not thin enough to drizzle, stir in a splash more milk (about ½ teaspoon). Use a spoon to drizzle the frosting over the rolls. Cool at least 5 minutes more before serving.
Notes
Instant yeast (rather than active dry yeast) is required for this recipe, which allows quick rise times. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be about double.
To bake the cinnamon rolls the day of, proceed immediately to baking. Bake 20 minutes covered with foil, then uncovered about 10 minutes, checking whether they are cooked through using a food thermometer.
The cinnamon rolls will keep at room temperature, covered with aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.
Reheat, covered, at 350°F [180°C] until warmed through,10 to 12 minutes.
