It’s no secret that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Most of the time, I try to sneak in breakfast for lunch and dinner whenever I possibly can. For years, my family’s favorite thing to make during the weekend were cinnamon rolls. Usually, it was just the canned kind, but oh man, it was so good. These days, I crave a more flavor variations, so I prefer to make my own.

This recipe is super simple, isn’t heavy on the ingredients, and the taste…. well, it’s pretty much perfect.

These pistachio and chocolate cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, nutty and so addictive. I especially love to experiment with the chocolate glaze. Sometimes I will add orange zest or replace some of the heavy cream with coffee (ohmygosh, so YUM!). When my daughter was too young to eat “grown-up food,” I would replace the cream with Baileys. Try that at least once. Please!

Studies (I don’t know which ones!) say that if yourself a little indulgence in the beginning of the day, it will make you less likely to indulge later in the day. It is recommended that you have a bit of chocolate, or a bit of your favorite treat in the morning. These rolls definitely fit the bill!

Plus, the pistachios are the perfect addition to the rolls to add a little bit of crunch and a gorgeous pop of color. (I don’t know about you, but I love crunch. And that bright green color against the chocolate! Gorgeous!). I don’t cook with nuts often because they always seem to be way overpriced at my grocery stores? Anyone else have this problem or can recommend a cheaper place to buy nuts? Anyway, these cinnamon rolls are seriously delicious, so I don’t mind splurging on some yummy pistachios!

Enough of me rambling on. Go on and make these cinnamon rolls and enjoy your breakfast!

Yield: 10 rolls

Pisachio and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

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Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons quick rise yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup pistachios, chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

For the chocolate icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons chocolate
• 3 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Heat three tablespoons of butter with the milk until it is very warm, but not too hot to touch. Add the yeast and the sugar and allow it to proof for about 10 minutes, until there is a layer of froth on top of the mixture.
2. Mix the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt. Dig a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture. Mix well until a dough forms. Knead the dough for about a minute or two.
3. Grease a bowl with oil and place the dough inside. Cover and keep in a warm, dry place for an hour or until it is doubled in size.
4. While the dough is rising, chop the pistachios finely. Add half the pistachios to the sugar and mix in the cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking pan with a tablespoon of butter.
5. Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a large rectangle. Spread three tablespoons of softened butter on the dough and cover with a single layer of the sugar-pistachio mixture. Roll the dough lengthwise and cut into about 10 pinwheels. Place the rolls on the baking pan, leaving a bit of room between each. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over the rolls.
6. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, make the chocolate icing by mixing all the icing ingredients together in a small bowl. Top the cinnamon rolls with the chocolate icing and top with the remaining pistachios.