No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting

Most classic cinnamon roll recipes require yeast, which means that these recipes also require letting the dough stand and rise a couple of times before putting it in the oven... so cinnamon rolls that you start in the morning won't actually be ready until later in the day. But hold it tight, you don't need to get out the canned buns — there is another way. We designed these yeast-free cinnamon rolls specifically to give them a special home-made flavor, allowing you to wake up, bake, and enjoy the stickiness for an hour. Here we replace the yeast with baking powder for instant baking and add regular (not Greek) yogurt to give the dough a little taste and make up for the lack of yeast flavor. They are ready in no time, and you don't even need to get out the mixer, as everything is mixed manually. Stuffed with buttery, sticky cinnamon and sugar ribbons and topped with a decadent brown frosting of creamy cheese frosting that feels good to lick, these buns are worth every bite.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.To make the dough, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, butter, and egg until smooth. (It's okay if there are small lumps of oil left.) Mix the yogurt mixture with the flour using a rubber spatula to form a dough. Collect the dough and knead several times in a bowl to make the whole dough smooth.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch x 15-inch rectangle. For the filling, spread the dough over ½ cup of very soft butter, leaving a 1-inch-thick rim around the edges. Combine the light brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl; sprinkle evenly with the butter. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly with the chopped pecans.Starting on one long side of the dough, roll out the dough tightly into a log shape. Cut the log into 12 equal rolls (each just under 1 ½ inches thick). Place the buns, cut side down, on a 9-inch x 13-inch greased baking dish.Bake at 350 ° F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before frosting.To make the frosting, place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until the powdered milk is golden brown and the butter has a nutty taste, about 10-12 minutes. Pour the butter over the cream cheese, scraping the browned pieces off the pan, and beat until smooth. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread evenly over the buns.