Sticky Cinnamon Raisin Rolls

If you guys haven't noticed, I've been trying to post some healthier recipes lately because summer is right around the corner, and it seems like everyone is trying to eat well so they can look and feel their best.  Well...this is NOT one of those recipes!  But hey, you gotta live a little!  And if living means making your own homemade Sticky Cinnamon Raisin Rolls, then bring on the butter!  Seriously though, I'm still in shock that I can make something like this without a professional pastry degree.  It's THAT good.  And flaky just like a croissant.  But there is no yeast, kneading or the oh-my-gosh-i-have-to-wait-like-3-hours-for-this-stuff-to-rise involved.  In fact, the whole process is under 45 minutes.  What's my secret?  Hmm I suppose you will just have to read more to find out!

Before you begin, preheat the oven to 400°F because this recipe goes pretty fast!  I start by putting a stick of softened butter, cubed into little pieces, and some brown sugar in a bowl.  Hey now, don't go judging me...I already gave you fair warning that I was going to turn into Paula Deen on you guys with the butter!

I initially used a fork to mash the butter and brown sugar together, but then found that the best way to get the mixture perfectly smooth was to put a Ziploc sandwich bag over my hand and squeeze it together.  I measured out 1 tbsp. of this mixture to put in 10 cupcake cups coated with nonstick cooking spray (2 will be empty because this yields 10 sticky rolls).  Then I topped this glorious mixture of butter and sugar with some crumbled walnuts.  If you couldn't already tell, this is the topping, not the roll.  It's kind of like an upside down sticky roll that we invert at the end!

I lightly floured a flat wood board so my secret ingredient wouldn't stick: PUFF PASTRY.  Oh my god, this stuff is heaven on earth!  It's looks are deceiving; you think it's a regular piece of dough, but it basically turns whatever you make into a croissant while it bakes in the oven.  I drizzled some melted butter, ground cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins over the puff pastry in an even layer, and then rolled it into a log.  

So much easier than making your own dough and waiting hours for it to rise, right??

Once you roll it into a log shape, I cut off about 1" from either end because it doesn't have very much filling.  You want allllll the butter and sugar you can get in this recipe!  Divide the remaining log into 5 pieces and stick them right over the butter-brown sugar topping in the cupcake pan.  Don't worry if it's kind of floating in the middle of the opening, they puff up like CRAZY while they cook!  Repeat the process with the other sheet of puff pastry dough, and they're ready to go!

And then I accidentally brushed the tops of the sticky cinnamon raisin rolls with the extra melted butter I had left.  OOPS.  #sorryimnotsorry

Bake them for 15-20 minutes until the tops of the croissants are perfectly golden brown.  Definitely look for a light golden brown, because the topping at the base of the cupcake pan can burn fairly quickly!  Oh my, why in the world do I have to wait 5 minutes for these to set before I can dig into them??

Remember how I said this is like an upside down cake?  You have to flip them over after they cool for 5 minutes and the sweet, gooey topping sticks perfectly to the roll!  These sticky cinnamon raisin rolls are TO DIE FOR.  Promise!