High Altitude Almond Sweet Rolls

Soft and fluffy, high altitude tested almond sweet rolls, flavored with almond extract and cardamom, and filled with butter, sugar and ground almonds. These subtly sweet almond breakfast rolls are assembled just like cinnamon rolls, and make a delicious breakfast for Christmas morning.

You might also like these high altitude recipes for almond amaretto bars, Italian almond cake, and classic almond shortbread cookies.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for the Holidays. While you can make sweet breakfast rolls or cinnamon rolls any time of year, they are always a tradition for us on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The scent of these delicious almond pastries as they’re baking will be sure to entice everyone out of bed.

Make at Night, Bake in the Morning. The dough needs to chill for at least a few hours before you shape the rolls. I usually make the dough at night, let it chill overnight, then shape and bake the rolls in the morning. You can also refrigerate the shaped rolls overnight, and then bake them the next day. Be sure to see my original cinnamon rolls recipe for lots of variations and make ahead tips.

Not Too Sweet. While these are called sweet almond rolls, the sweetness is not very overwhelming. I’ve used less sugar in the filling for these rolls than what I usually use for cinnamon rolls and skipped the icing. You can certainly drizzle them with icing if you like, though!

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s recipe should work at any altitude without adjustments, though, with the main difference simply being in how long the dough takes to rise. Yeast dough tends to rise faster at higher altitudes, so be careful not to over-proof the dough.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 recipe Cinnamon Roll Dough. This is my go to yeast dough for all of my cinnamon roll recipes. It’s soft, pillowy, fluffy, and easy to work with.
• Cardamom. Ground cardamom is a wonderful spice that’s common in Scandinavian pastries, and it nicely complements the flavor of the almonds.
• Almond Extract.

Filling

• Butter. Adds moisture and richness to the dough, and gives the sugar and almond flour something to stick to.
• Sugar. You’ll need plain granulated sugar for the filling.
• Almond Flour. If you don’t have almond flour, you can just use finely ground almonds (ground in your food processor).

Instructions

Dough

• Prepare the Cinnamon Roll Dough, as instructed.
• In the dough recipe, replace the ground nutmeg with the ground cardamom, and increase the almond extract to 2 1/2 tsp.
• After letting the dough rise to double in size, cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.
• When ready to assemble and bake the rolls, on a lightly floured surface roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 12×18 inches.

Filling

• Melt the butter, and spread it over the dough.
• Combine the granulated sugar and almond flour, sprinkle it over the butter, and lightly press it in.

Shaping

• Roll up the dough (starting on one of the long sides) into a log, keeping it as tight as you can.
• Using a gentle sawing motion with a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut the dough into 12 rolls. You can also use unflavored dental floss to cut the dough, by sliding the floss under the log of dough, then crossing it over the top to cut through.

• Butter a standard sized 12-cup muffin pan (or a 9×13 inch baking dish) and place the rolls, cut side up, in the pan. Cover the pan with a towel, and set in a warm place for 20 minutes, until slightly puffed.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake the rolls on the center oven rack for about 18-20 minutes (if baking them in a muffin pan) or for about 20-25 minutes (if baking them in a 9×13 baking pan). The rolls should be puffed, a very pale golden brown, and a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the center of one of the rolls should read 190F.
• Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it best to bake these rolls in a muffin pan or in a baking dish?

That really depends on what your goal is for the texture and appearance of the rolls. When baked in a muffin pan, the rolls are soft inside with a slight crust around the edges, perfectly round like a muffin, and they have adorable spiraled tops that puff up above the pan. When baked in a 9×13 inch baking dish, the rolls will be softer and more gooey, they’ll bake into squares that you’ll pull or cut apart, and they puff against each other, rather than puffing up quite so high.

How should I store leftover rolls?

Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

What’s the best way to reheat sweet almond rolls?

Reheat individual rolls in the microwave at 50% power for about 30 seconds.

How do I make cream baked almond rolls?

For the ultimate gooey texture, bake the rolls in a 9×13 baking dish.  Just before baking the rolls, pour 1/2 cup slightly warmed heavy whipping cream over the rolls, then bake as instructed.

Do you have an icing recipe for almond rolls?

For a sweeter finish, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 4-5 tbsp milk or cream, until smooth and drizzly.  Drizzle the icing over the rolls, and sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds before the icing sets.

Can I make these almond sweet rolls with almond paste?

I originally planned on using almond paste for the filling in these rolls, but my grocery store hasn’t been carrying it lately, and I didn’t buy any online. So instead of the almond paste, I used granulated sugar and almond flour. I believe that you could replace the sugar and almond flour with 8 ounces of almond paste, crumbled and sprinkled over the butter, before rolling up and baking the rolls, but note that I have not tested this.

You Might Also Like

Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!

Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!