Roasted Banana Cinnamon Rolls

There's a really good word to describe these cinnamon rolls: yum.

They may not be as soft as those Pillsbury ones or those really big, fat juicy rolls from professional bakeries, but their taste totally makes up for it.

Them's got bananas.

Roasted bananas.  Which make the entire house smell ah-mazing when you make them.

It's the same smell - but better and sweeter - when you wrap bananas in foil and stick them in the campfire.  If you've never done that, do - make slits in your banana and fill it with chocolate chips.  When it's done, each bite = heaven.

But enough of that.  Back to yummy cinnamon rolls, which are perfect for breakfast, second breakfast, etc.

Mention of these I found at Love From The Oven, and the actual recipe is from Picky Palate.

Roasted Banana Cinnamon Rolls

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

2 ripe bananas

2 tablespoons UNSOFTENED butter plus 4 tablespoons SOFTENED butter, divided

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided

1 roll Pillsbury French Bread Loaf

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut bananas into (approximately) 1/4-inch slices.  Cut unsoftened butter into small pieces.  Place bananas and butter into a small baking dish.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove and let cool 10 minutes.  Mash roasted bananas with fork until well combined.
4. Unroll French Bread Loaf.  Spread with softened butter.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon.
5. Place dollops of banana mixture evenly on the sprinkled loaf.  Roll it up long ways and cut into approximately 12 slices with a sharp knife.  Place slices on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until just turning golden brown.  Remove and let cool 10 minutes.
7. Whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream until combined; drizzle/spoon over top of rolls.  Makes 12 rolls.

Breaking it down:

Cut up ripe bananas...

...and unsoftened butter.

Place in a baking dish (I didn't have anything good to use so I just stuck it in a glass pie plate - worked just fine!) and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Bake 25 minutes.  The bananas will start to look sort of golden and bubbly before, but you really want them looking exactly like this:

And mash 'em up with a fork!

Unroll your French Bread Loaf...

Butter it...

Sprinkle with brown sugar (I spread it with a knife)...

...and cinnamon (again, spreading with a knife works well to get even distribution).

Glop (totally technical term) banana mash on there...

And roll it up "hot-dog-style" - basically so that it's as long as possible - and cut into 12 pieces.  I got 14, including the dinky end pieces without any banana in them.  Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet...

...and bake 25-30 minutes.  If you don't like your cinnamon rolls hard/crunchy, I'd bake them a bit less.  Watch those puppies like a hawk.

Now appreciate the yum.

Whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream...

...and if you're sophisticate, you'll drizzle it over your rolls.  If you're like me, you'll glop it on with a spoon and then eat the rest of it with that spoon.

Serve warm, cold, whatever - they're awesome any way.

Good morning to ya!
-JJ