If you told me a few months ago that I’d be twisting tahini, cardamom, apple, and cinnamon into a sweet roll, I might have raised an eyebrow. But inspiration sometimes comes from the most unexpected of places—like a bakery in my neighborhood, where I first tasted a version of tahinopita back in the early winter of 2024. Having no idea what the sweet roll hid in its layers, I just ordered it to give it a try. Something about that soft, pillowy dough swirled with nutty tahini and kissed by cinnamon and cardamom stayed in my mind for months!
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The way a bite yielded layers of warmth, subtle spice, nuttiness, and mellow sweetness had me excited for this year’s apple season. I thought, what if I riffed on that idea in the form of a standard cinnamon roll? What if I could elevate the tahini with spiced fruit, and bake the whole thing into a soft spiral you break apart and share?
So here we are—Sweet Rolls with Cardamom, Tahini, Apple & Cinnamon. Think of them as an homage to tahinopita, whether you’ve actually tried it before or not, stretched out into a breakfast treat or an afternoon sweet companion. The dough is tender, enriched, and forgiving; the filling marries rich tahini with vibrant cinnamon and cardamom; and the sliced apples bring brightness and a burst of texture as you bite in!
These rolls aren’t about flashy technique. They’re about nuance—letting the tahini’s toasted sesame flavor sing, celebrating the perfume of cardamom without overpowering, and building something you’ll want to eat warm and messy. They’re meant for conversation, for weekend mornings, for the simple joy of something new, yet familiar, a treat that feels a little exotic and entirely homey.
So tie on your apron. Let’s roll.
Sweet Rolls with Cardamom, Tahini, Apple & Cinnamon
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 14 Rolls 1x
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ c. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 c. whole milk, warm to the touch
- ½ c. granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
- 600 g. flour (roughly 5 c.), divided into 500g. and 100g.
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1 tsp. baking powder
Filling
- ½ c. tahini (120 g.)
- ¼ c. butter, softened
- ¾ c. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. ground cardamom
- 2 – 3 apples – select an apple that is sweet and will hold up well during baking.
Glaze
- 1 ½ c. (180 g.) powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp. tahini
- 3 – 4 Tbsp. milk or apple cider (to thin)
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
Instructions
- Generously butter a 9×13 glass baking dish or two disposable foil pie/cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and granulated sugar. The mixture should be just warm, registering between 100-110˚F (37-43˚C). If it is hotter, allow it to cool slightly.
- Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and letstand for 1 minute.
- Add 4 cups (500 g) of all-purpose flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the dough should have nearly doubled in size.
- Prepare the filling by blending the butter and tahini together using a whisk or hand mixer. Measure out your brown sugar and place it in a small bowl with cinnamon and cardamom.
- Just before the one-hour mark, use a mandoline and slice the apples into very thin slices. No need to remove the skins.
- Remove the towel and add an additional ¾ cup (100 g) of flour, the baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.
- Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½-inch (1 cm) thick. Square off the corners to make sure they’re sharp and even.
- Spread the tahini butter mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and spice mixture. Gently press the mixture into the butter. Lay apple slices across the entire dough rectangle.
- Roll up the dough, forming a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down. Trim off any unevenness on either end.
- Cut the log in half, then divide each half into 7 evenly sized pieces, about 1½ inches (8 cm) thick each.
- If using a 9×13 dish, place 12-14 rolls in the buttered pan. If using single-use pans, place 7 cinnamon rolls in each cake pan—one in the center, six around the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). At the 30-minute mark, bake the sweet rolls for 25-30 minutes on the center rack until golden brown.
- To prepare the glaze, combine powdered sugar, tahini, milk or cider, and cardamom together in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the warm sweet rolls and serve warm. Enjoy!