Aahhhhh....Tender Cinnamon Pecan Rolls

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Dough:

3/4 cup cottage cheese

cup buttermilk

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour; more for rolling

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for Filling:

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped pecans

Ingredients for Glaze:

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar (I only used half because I don't like a lot of glaze)

3 tablespoons cold milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Directions for Dough:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don;t over process). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 to 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into 12x15-inch rectangle.

Directions for Filling;

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough, jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don't worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden grown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve with a dollop of butter on top.