I am SO excited about this recipe.
This one was a labor of love! I tested it a handful of times before getting it just right, and let me tell ya, these are AMAZING.
We’re talking key lime pie sweet rolls!
OMG.
As a kid, I couldn’t give a rip about key lime pie. It was not my first or even eighteenth choice when it came to desserts.
But as an adult? It’s in the top three for sure. It is one of the best there is!
Key lime pie is the perfect mix of creamy, tangy, and sweet. It’s refreshing and decadent at the same time. It usually has a graham cracker crust, and I will never say no to that. I adore it.
If you agree, then these rolls are for you! These would be an awesome addition to your Mother’s Day celebration spread this weekend – or really, anytime you feel like a pastry treat.
I know that I would be thrilled if these were served to me on any occasion!
For this recipe concept, I basically took the idea of a cinnamon roll and made the switch from warm cinnamon to bright lime and graham cracker. It was NOT a bad move!
I did use key limes here, but regular limes work as well! No need to kill yourself trying to track down key limes. They can be hard to find!
This recipe just makes me HAPPY. It’s beautiful but also incredibly delicious. Just like key lime pie!
It starts with a basic yeasted dough that is flavored with tons of lime. Don’t shy away from the quantities of lime zest and juice listed in this recipe – we really need all that lime flavor to emulate the pie. Trust me! I tested this several times and this version was perfectly tangy and sweet, like we want it to be.
After the dough has risen, we roll it out and fill it with butter, sugar, lots of lime zest, and graham cracker crumbs! Yes!
Roll ’em up and let them rise again for a little bit and then bake them until golden and gooey and lovely.
All that’s left to do is finish them with a lime cream cheese frosting and more graham crackers. You can never have enough graham crackers, right?
The frosting is simple but does require a lot of lime juice and zest. Remember, you need to trust me! We need A LOT of lime in this recipe.
The resulting frosting is creamy, smooth, bright, fresh, and absolutely addicting. I dare you not to eat it straight out of the mixing bowl.
Slather the goodness on the rolls while they are still warm from the oven, and then garnish everything with MORE lime zest (yup) and graham crackers (absolutely).
All that’s left to do is serve. And marvel at how much these remind you of key lime pie – just in a different package.
They’re fluffy, soft, and incredibly flavorful. And just like a cinnamon roll, the center is the best part!
Extra lime frosting on mine, please!
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Key Lime Pie Sweet Rolls
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
These Key Lime Pie Sweet Rolls are a delightful treat to make for a special occasion! They are flavored with lots of lime juice and zest, graham cracker crumbs, and a luscious cream cheese frosting! All the flavors of key lime pie in one swirled little package!
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk, warmed (around 100°F)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 large eggs
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/4 cup key lime juice (see NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon key lime zest (see NOTE)
- 4–4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Assembly/Filling:
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons key lime zest
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (roughly 4 full crackers)
For the Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
- 2 tablespoons key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon key lime zest
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Additional graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
For the Dough:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk and sugar and stir to combine. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, melted butter, and key lime juice and zest. Attach the dough hook and turn the mixer on low. Once the wet ingredients are combined, stir in 4 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for a few minutes to fully incorporate. If the dough is very sticky, add another ½ cup of flour until the dough is tacky but not overly sticky.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
To Assemble:
- Place the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out thinly to a rectangular shape, roughly 10 x 12 inches.
- Spread the softened butter all over the surface of the dough.
- Sprinkle the sugar and lime zest evenly over the butter, pressing it in gently to adhere.
- Sprinkle over the graham cracker crumbs.
- Working from the longer end of the dough, roll to form a log shape, carefully folding the dough over the filling with each roll.
- Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Slice the log into 12 equal pieces and place them, cut side up, in the buttered baking dish.
- Cover the rolls with a towel and allow them to rest for another 30 minutes (at this point, you can also refrigerate the rolls overnight to use the next day. See recipe notes). During this time, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Once the rolls have risen enough so that they are all touching in the pan, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are puffed and golden brown.
For the Frosting:
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting by creaming together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and beat again to incorporate.
- Add in the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest and beat to combine. Lastly, add a tiny pinch of kosher salt and mix.
- Add more powdered sugar, as needed, to reach desired thickness.
- Spread the frosting all over the rolls while they are warm. Garnish with more lime zest grated over top and the additional graham cracker crumbs.
- Serve!
Notes
- If you cannot find key limes, you can sub with regular limes for both the juice and zest throughout the recipe. Also, you can buy bottled key lime juice year round in most grocery stores. Fresh is always best, but I totally understand not wanting to juice that many key limes (or regular limes!).
- To make these ahead, store the formed rolls, well wrapped, in the fridge. Allow them to come to room temperature for about 45 minutes before baking as directed above.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (mostly inactive time)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Hi! Trying to make these, and you don’t list vanilla as an ingredient for the dough, but instruct to add along with the eggs, butter, etc. Can you clarify how much vanilla and should it be extract or vanilla bean paste?
I am so sorry! That is a typo. No vanilla is needed for the dough.