Cereal Milk Cinnamon Rolls with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting
These fluffy brioche Cereal Milk Cinnamon Rolls are flavored with a deliciously sweet Fruity Pebbles cereal milk. Then, they're slathered with a thick and luscious Ube Cream Cheese Frosting and topped off with more Fruity Pebbles! They're best eaten warm with a glass of milk!
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the Fruity Pebbles out on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until the Fruity Pebbles are lightly toasted. Allow the cereal to cool completely.
Transfer the cereal to a pitcher or bowl. Pour in the milk and give it a stir. Steep the milk for 20-30 minutes.
Strain the cereal milk into another pitcher using a strainer. Use the back of a spoon to push excess milk out of the mushy cereal. Discard the cereal. Add the salt to the cereal milk and stir.
Brioche Dough
Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook. Add the flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt into the bowl. Mix briefly to combine the dry ingredients.
Turn the speed on low and add the eggs and milk. Mix until it forms a shaggy dough, about 3-4 minutes, and then it'll start to form a dough ball.
Change the speed to medium. Add the butter in quarter portions at a time until it fully mixes into the dough. Continue to mix the dough for 10 minutes until it's completely smooth and starts pulling away from the side of the bowl.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the dough into itself 5 times around the sides. Then, flip the dough over so that it's a smooth ball on the top. Cover the dough and let it rise for 45 minutes until it has doubled in size, or overnight in the refrigerator for the first rise.
Filling and Assembly
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Add in the Fruity Pebbles and lightly mix together.
Punch down the brioche doll and scoop it out on to a lightly floured surface. Lightly rework the dough so it's a smooth ball. Then, roll the dough out into a thin rectangle. Try to get the edges as even as possible.
Scoop the filling on to the rectangle. Use an offset spatula to spread it all the way to the edges. (Optional) Sprinkle additional Fruity Pebbles, if desired.
Starting with the longest side, carefully roll the dough as tightly as possible until it reaches the edge. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers.
Using a bread knife, trim off about a ½-inch off the ends. Slice the log down the middle to create two logs. Work with one log at a time, constantly cutting them down the middle until you have 6 to 8 equal-sized rolls, depending on desired size. Repeat with the other log. To get a neater cut, flash freeze the log on a sheet pan in the freezer.
Arrange the rolls in a sheet pan, baking dish, or cast iron skillet. Leave a bit of space in between them. Let the rolls rise for 1 hour. They're done proofing if it leaves an indent when poked. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake the rolls until they're golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool for 10-20 minutes.
Ube Cream Cheese Frosting
While the rolls are cooling, beat together the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, ube extract, and milk and continue to mix until it forms a smooth, spreadable frosting.
Spread the frosting on the cinnamon rolls while they're still warm.
Top the rolls with Fruity Pebbles and serve while still warm with a glass of milk.
Notes
The cereal milk recipe is adapted from Milk Bar's Cereal Milk.
This recipe was measured using grams. US Customary measurements are estimates.
STORAGE
Tightly wrap the rolls and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls for up to 2 months.
BAKER SIZING
A 10-inch cast iron skillet bakes 2 batches of 8 cinnamon rolls.
A 9" x 13" baking dish bakes 1 batch of 12 cinnamon rolls.
A 9-inch cake pan bakes 2 batches of 8 cinnamon rolls.
MAKE AHEAD
To prepare the night before, refrigerate the unbaked cinnamon rolls overnight. Ensure they're tightly covered. Remove the rolls from the fridge an hour before they're ready to bake, and let them rest at room temperature while still covered. Then bake as instructed.
For baked cinnamon rolls, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. When ready to serve, bake for 10-15 minutes, just until they warmed again. Make the frosting during this time. Remove the rolls from the oven and glaze them.