S’mores Buns

Happy weekend peeps!

Okay so I know it’s been a long time coming for this recipe; but I really wanted to wait until the weekend to post this one. I always like to do epic breakfast posts on the weekend because I feel like this is when we all get a little bit inspired to bake things like homemade breads and buns, am I right? Because let’s be real – Who has time to deal with time consuming things like yeast during on a weekday morning?

That’s the beauty of weekends for me; I get to play in the kitchen. Admittedly I sometimes get a little carried away and end up baking enough to feed about 4 families for a week, but who’s really going to complain about having some extra baked goodies around the house? I know I sure ain’t. And then there are the times when I get a little carried away with my weekend breakfast baking adventures, and I proceed to bake up deliciousness that barely even qualifies as breakfast in any other way except for its name.

Such was the case with these S’mores Buns I made last weekend for Cole and I’s. So before you go and judge me for making / eating hot fudge sauce, chocolate cookie and marshmallow stuffed buns for breakfast – just know that I am fully aware these should really be categorized as a very indulgent dessert rather than a breakfast. That all being said, it didn’t stop us from stuffing our faces with these bundles of heaven, and I’m definitely not mad about it … 😀

Nope, not mad about eating two {okay, maybe three} of these bad boys for breakfast at all… I mean come on would you be? I didn’t think so; We’re the same you and I … people who eat dessert for breakfast despite the fact that it is widely considered a socially unacceptable practice. I don’t know about you, but I just feel like life’s too short not to eat S’mores for breakfast at least once, amiright?

Especially when the S’mores come in the shape of a cinnamon bun… I mean hell you would just have to be straight up crazy not to eat that for breakfast ;P

Honestly people, I really don’t know what more to tell you about these S’mores Buns; except to say that they are actually the definition of EVERYTHING. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that they are going to change your life. No dramatization required here, because it’s really just all about the math; S’mores + Buns = Life. Changed.

Simple as that.

Seriously though people these buns are the ultimate; the be all end all; the bees knees; the cat’s ass… That’s right, I went there. I legitimately want to wrap myself up into one of these S’mores Buns and live there forever. I don’t know if I will ever get over their deliciousness… Honestly, I’ve created a monster in myself with this recipe.

Alright, so before I send you off with the recipe, I guess I should give you the low down on exactly what makes these S’mores Buns so damn delicious.

In a nutshell; They are pillowy soft buns, stuffed with gooey fudge sauce, chunks of brownie like double chocolate cookie chunks, graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows. And as if that wasn’t enough,  I went ahead and topped them off with a toasted marshmallow fluff frosting……. yeah that happened. I’ll say it again – I’m not mad about it.

 

So yeah, I think we can all agree that these buns are the definition of winning, so we should all just go ahead and make em’ happen.

Matter of fact – I’m actually going to have to go so far as to demand that you try these S’mores Buns. Now normally I wouldn’t be so bossy, but in this case I’m willing to make an exception because your life will quite simply be incomplete if you don’t try these; And I just couldn’t live with myself knowing that you are living your life incomplete ;P

So here it is lovelies – the recipe that will quite literally change your life. I hope you enjoy <3 <3

S’mores Buns with Marshmallow Frosting

Makes: 12 Cinnamon Buns

Things you need…
1 pckg dry instant yeast
1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup butter, room temp
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

S’mores Filling
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce {homemade or store bought}
1 cup chocolate cookie or brownie chunks {I suggest using my Double Chocolate Cookie Recipe}
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
1 egg white
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup mini marshmallows

How to make…
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add your yeast and a couple tsp of the sugar. Pour the warmed whole milk over the yeast and sugar and lightly whisk to combine. Allow your yeast to sit in the warm milk like this for 5-10 minutes to proof. When you come back to your yeast after 5-10 minutes it should be frothy – this indicates that your yeast is active and good to go. If you come back and your yeast hasn’t gotten frothy or foamed up, discard the contents in your bowl and start over with new fresh packages of yeast and proof again using the same technique.

Once you have proofed your yeast, add the remaining sugar to the mixture as well as the softened butter and turn your mixer onto low to begin combining the ingredients. Mix for a minute or so until the softened butter is broken up into chunks. Add your beaten egg and allow to mix until combined. Slowly begin to add your flour 1/2 cup at a time allow the flour to incorporate slightly before each addition.

Once you have added all of your flour, turn your mixer onto medium speed and allow it to mix the dough until a large smooth mass forms. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky, but not so wet that it is sticking to the sides of the bowl. If you find that your dough is sticking to the sides of your bowl, add a bit more flour 1 tbsp at a time until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Allow to turn on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl – it should be smooth and elastic. Knead with your hands for an additional 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Next, place your dough into a large greased bowl, lightly grease the top of your dough and cover with a dry tea towel. Set your dough aside to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until doubled in size.

** My oven has a warming function, so I usually set the warming function to low and let my dough sit in here to rise. If your oven has this feature, this is a great way to let your dough rise. If not, simply preheat your oven to about 200 degrees, shut it off and place the dough in there to rise as there will be enough residual heat in your oven to keep it nice a warm.

Assembly
Once your cinnamon bun dough has risen, punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick.

Spread softened butter across the dough, leaving a 1 inch border at the bottom. Spread the hot fudge sauce across the surface of the dough evenly & sprinkle with the graham cracker crumbs. Next sprinkle the chocolate cookie chunks & marshmallows on top evenly and gently press down into the fudge sauce.

Roll dough up jelly-roll style and pinch the end together to seal. Cut into 8 even 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place rolls into either a parchment lined 9×12 inch baking pan or into individual ramekins lined with parchment like I did. Set aside to rise again in a warm place for another 30 – 45.

While your rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once risen – Sprinkle the tops of the buns with coarse sugar and bake for 15-20  minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes before frosting with marshmallow frosting.

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

While your buns are cooling, prepare your toasted marshmallow frosting.

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, whisk together egg white, granulated sugar, corn syrup and water. Place bowl over the top of the boiling pot of water, ensuring the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Use an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachments to beat the mixture until thick and soft peaks form; this should take about 5-8 minutes. Next, add in the mini marshmallows and vanilla. Continue to beat on high speed until the marshmallows have melted and you are left with a thick fluffy frosting – about 3-4 more minutes.

Set your oven to the broil function and generously frost the tops of your buns with the prepared marshmallow frosting. Return the buns to the oven to toast the marshmallow frosting for about 2 minutes or until golden brown and toasty. ** Make sure you keep a very close eye on them because the marshmallow frosting is quick to burn.

Once toasted, you are finally ready to dig into those bad boys. So remove them from the oven right quick and serve em’ up nice and warm. Enjoy!

Happy Eating lovelies!

KP xoxo