This post is sponsored by eos, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
“Sugar plum honey buns” (sorry in advance for getting that classic song stuck in your head!) Now that it’s finally starting to feel like fall, I’m craving all the fall flavors! From apple cider, to pumpkin spice, to crisp cranberry, there’s no shortage of seasonal flavors out there to celebrate with, but today I was inspired by – what I’d argue is – the most whimsical fall flavor of all: sugar plum! It’s also one of eos’s holiday lip balm flavors, featuring notes of warm vanilla, maple, and steamed sugar.
As an homage to this decadent dessert-inspired eos flavor, I whipped up some Sugar Plum Honey Buns; a classic cinnamon bun spiced up with a plum-colored glaze. They’re sparkling, sweet, and you’ll never guess what organic veggie gives these their deep plum purple color: CARROTS! Purple carrots, to be more specific! If you’re skeptical about the carrot taste, purple carrots are actually much sweeter than your typical orange carrot! In this recipe the juice just adds bit of earthy sweetness and makes a great fall flavor complement to the cinnamon! Plus it’s a natural way to add the punchy purple color, just like how eos only adds natural flavors to their signature spheres.
For the glaze you’ll need:
Powdered confectioners sugar
Granulated cane sugar
Purple carrot juice (usually found at your local organic market)
Honey
Cinnamon buns (you can make them from scratch, or use an organic ready-to-bake can like I did)
For the leaf decoration:
Green cardstock (I used a fun shimmery kind!)
Toothpicks
Scissors
Hot glue
Since I’m not much of a baker, I decided to use ready-bake cinnamon rolls. Plus this gives you more time to decorate if you’re in a hurry to bring these to a fall brunch! While the rolls are baking you can create the glaze.
For the glaze whisk together 3 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tablespoons of purple carrot juice, and a tablespoon of honey until all the ingredients are blended and there are no sugar clumps.
With the cinnamon side facing down, dunk the rolls one by one into the glaze mix and twirl as you lift up to let the excess drip off.
Place the glazed rolls on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath (to protect your counter from delicious drips!) and gently sprinkle the sugar crystals on top (about half a tablespoon per roll) to create the sparkly sugar plum finish.
Allow the glaze to set and harden for about 30 minutes before serving.
While the glaze is setting, fold your green paper in half and cut out small leaf shapes.
Sandwich a toothpick in between two paper leaves and add a dab of hot glue before you gently squeeze them all together.
Serve each sugar plum roll with a leaf or two!
Don’t forget to apply a swipe of eos when you’re done licking your lips after this treat! Shop the Sugar Plum flavor here: http://bit.ly/2JgiI2F .