I have all these grandiose ideas about Sunday brunch. I’ll roll out of bed at 8:30 or 9, grab a cup of coffee, and proceed to whip up a breakfast that amazes my team of eaters, looks elaborate and takes no time at all.
In reality, I’ll end up tending to a griddle or waffle iron until my knees give out, dirtying every dish I own and running between three separate components of the meal, while hangry, would-be brunchers start to rummage around in the cabinet for pre-brunch snacks and complain about the lack of food.
Okay, so that’s a bit of a dramatization, but I’ve begrudgingly come to accept that making brunch is way less fun than eating it. But darn it, sometimes I want something warm and tasty served with a side of sausages and fruit at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, and it’s not going to happen if I don’t do something about it myself.
Enter: these brown butter cinnamon rolls. They’re an updated classic, rich and complex, and they come together in about 90 minutes. It’s just enough work to give you that feeling of accomplishment when you pull them out of the oven, but not so much that you’re exhausted before the day has even really started. And that gooey brown butter swirl? With frosting (which, fair warning, I always spike with more brown butter)? Heaven. There’s return on investment here, people!
In short, they’re my perfect brunch compromise. You can make the filling and frosting the night before – or, heck, even the whole pan of rolls (that’s my favorite trick for getting yeasty buns on the table in the morning – just make sure you prove them). Everyone will love them (and you), and the hangry cries will be silenced … at least until the next meal.