Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls... on a Stick!

I love the flavor combination of lemon and blueberry. Tangy, sweet.... heavenly! These lemon blueberry sweet rolls are a fresh summer treat... and portable when they're on a stick!

I've never seen sweet rolls on a stick, but there should be a stand at a state fair somewhere selling these... because there would be a line. I would be in THAT line. And that line would wrap around the stand and it would be Worth. The. Wait....

These would also be a perfect addition to an EPIC Bloody Mary. One of those crazy drinks with a mini hamburger slider, a full dill pickle, onion rings, mushrooms, lemon blueberry sweet rolls... a full out meal.... on sticks.... in a drink!

Or at a brunch, special occasion, just because... I guess I'm saying you can't go wrong with these sweet summer rolls. They take some time, but they're not too bad to make. This recipe was adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod's recipe, with some modifications. Let me show you how to make them so you can have some now and then maybe we can get in line together if they ever show up at the state fair... because they're that tasty.

For the rolls:

1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 heaping teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup lukewarm water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup hot water

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

zest of 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup (or so) of fresh blueberries

For the frosting:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

zest of 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Skewers!

These sweet rolls are a yeast dough and that means they're going to take some time to make. Most of that time is in letting the dough rise. Twice. Set aside at least 2 hours to make these puppies... they're worth it though. Promise!

In a small bowl, add a packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) and 1 heaping teaspoon granulated sugar to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Give it a stir with a spoon and let sit for about 10 minutes or until foamy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 1 cup of hot water and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (softened). Briefly mix. Add in yeast mixture, 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 lightly beaten egg. Mix until incorporated. Add the remaining flour, a bit at a time, until a dough forms. Beat for 2 minutes and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand until dough is saitiny and smooth.

Add dough to a large, oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a slightly damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. About a half hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured surface. Now channel your past Playdoh loving kindergarten self and roll the dough into a long log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter by however long you can manage. I started with half the dough as my counter space is limited, but roll it all on out if you have the space. Once you have your dough log, flatten it out using a rolling pin into a long, narrow rectangle.

Smooth a thin layer of softened unsalted butter over the dough rectangle. I used less than the 4 tablespoons called for in the recipe, you don't need to glob it on there! If you have any butter leftover, save it for the frosting step :)

Next, mix up the lemon sugar filling. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the zest of 1 large lemon and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl. Sprinkle over the freshly buttered dough rectangle and gently pat it in. Take a moment to waft in the lemony goodness.

Next, I busted out my pastry cutter. When you own a pastry cutter like this, you find as many reasons to use it as you can! Of course, if you don't have a fancy pants pastry cutter like this, you can use a pizza cutter and a ruler or eyeball it. These are sweet buns on a stick, they don't have to be perfect!

Before you now sits little bread strips of buttered, lemon sugar dough. Stick blueberries along each piece. I found about 5-6 blueberries worked best.

Let's get rolling! These bread strips are still a little too long to make mini sweet buns, so let's cut each in half widthwise. Gently roll the dough into a spiral, making sure to tuck in each blueberry as you go. Stretch the dough a little bit.

Stick a skewer through the roll making sure to go through the tail end of each roll. Twisting the skewer as you stab the roll helps! Add 3-4 rolls to each skewer. I used regular bbq skewers and 4 fit pretty well. Leave a little space between the rolls.

Once your skewers are all ready, line them up on a baking sheet and tuck a few extra blueberries in between the spirals.

Next the rolls need another rest. Cover with a slightly damp tea towel and find a warm spot to let them rest. For an hour this time... good things come to those who wait!

Once those little minis are done resting, pop them in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 22-30 minutes, until golden brown and delicious. Your house will smell AMAZING!

Once they are baked, let them cool down while you make the lemon cream cheese frosting. But first, get a spatula under them and gently release from the baking sheet while they're still warm... or scrape them off later and almost break your spatula like someone I know well...

To make the lemon cream cheese frosting, add 2 tablespoons softened butter, 2 oz of softened cream cheese, the zest of a lemon, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of powdered sugar. Mix until all the lumps are gone and you have a smooth frosting. Add a little more lemon juice to make the frosting thinner or a little more powdered sugar to make it thicker.

The final step is the fun part of deciding how you'll frost your sweet rolls! Are you a fancy drizzle (yellow), traditional topped (blue), dunk and go (green) or a full on dunk (orange)?

For my imagined state fair booth... I think full on dunk would be served. And they'd sell like crazzzzzyyy.

For a fancy brunch.... a fancy plate with a lovely little drizzle. Totally instagram worthy.

As for me, I am a traditional topped fan. Just enough frosting and I don't have to carry around a little cup to dunk.

What do you think? Will you give these a try? You should! They really are quite fantastic no matter how you top them!