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Do you ever get an idea that is just so crazy, you just HAVE to try it to see if it will actually work?  That happened to me one afternoon, as another bag of the endless supply of mangoes from my coworker’s tree appeared by my desk this Mango Season.  There I was, sitting at my desk, when something in my head just screamed “MANGO CINNAMON ROLLS” at me.  Well, there went anything else productive I could have done for the remainder of the day, because it was now the only thing I could think about.

I thought about different ways to incorporate the mango into the cinnamon rolls.  I ruled out adding mango to the dough, because I was afraid that it wouldn’t get enough mango flavor that way.  Mango in the filling seemed like a good idea, and I opted to use diced mango instead of mango puree.  A piece of mango in a bite would be a pleasant surprise.Again, the bread machine is a great tool to have.  I can just let it make my dough without having to babysit or knead it, and I have 90 minutes to do other things.

Just dump all of your ingredients in the bread machine, set it, and forget it until the timer goes off.

While the bread machine is doing its thing, you want to make the filling.  Start by melting half a stick of butter in a medium skillet.  Add the brown sugar and continue cooking and stirring it until it thickens.  Add the mango and cook until the mango softens, and then add the cinnamon.  Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool while the dough rises.

Once you have your big, fluffy ball of dough, drop it onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll it out into a rectangle roughly 16″x22″, then spread the cooled mango filling over it.  Roll it up into a log and then cut it into 12 equal rolls.  The mango filling is runny and will likely leak out during this process, but do your best.  It was too messy for me to even take pictures of this part of the process.

Place the rolls in your baking pan to rise.  I also scooped any mango filling that leaked out onto the rolling surface and put it on top of the rolls.  Waste not.

When they have about doubled in size, they are ready to be baked.

By the time these things are ready to come out of the oven, the smell will be driving you up the walls.  But, don’t forget that cooked sugar is HOT.  If you try to eat them right away, you might hurt yourself.  Don’t do that.

A traditional cream cheese icing flavored with a few spoonfuls of mango puree adds the final mango “oomph.”

 

Oh yeah!!  I’ll be seeing these mango cinnamon rolls again next Mango Season, for sure.

I’m sure that this would also work with other types of fruit.  Maybe apples or peaches will be next.  Yum!

Mango Cinnamon Rolls

(adapted from Clone of a Cinnabon from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

For the Filling

• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• ¾ cups packed brown sugar
• 2 cups ripe mango, cubed
• 1 heaping tbsp ground cinnamon

For the Icing

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp mango puree

Directions

Add the dough ingredients to the pan of a bread machine according to manufacturer’s directions.  Select Dough cycle and press Start.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  In a medium skillet, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter and sugar mixture reduces and thickens.  Add the chopped mango.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mango softens and the mixture thickens again (about 5-10 minutes).  Stir in the cinnamon.  Set aside to cool.

When the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll out into a 16″x22″ rectangle.  Spread the mango filling evenly across the dough rectangle, leaving about ½ inch on all sides.  Roll the dough up into a cylinder, then cut into 12 equal rolls.  Place rolls in a lightly greased 13″x9″ pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Bake rolls at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and top the hot rolls with mango cream cheese icing.  Serve warm.

To make the mango cream cheese icing

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined.  Stir in the vanilla extract and mango puree.