Left over Recipes

Leftover Sweet Potato and Cranberry Rolls

Thanksgiving leftovers should not mean that you have to eat the same thing over and over again. These leftover sweet potato and cranberry rolls use up your leftovers in a way that is unique and delicious and they’re ready in under an hour!

Growing up one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving was all of the leftovers.  Who doesn’t love a carb-rich, good-for-your-soul meal for two weeks after the holiday?  That is until you hit about day three of leftovers and you never want to see green bean casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy ever again.

Thankfully this Thanksgiving I won’t have to worry about leftovers because my family and I are meeting in New York from Wednesday until Saturday.  This non-traditional setting will be a nice change from the norm.  No dirty dishes stacked a mile high in the kitchen, no messy house to tend to after everyone leaves, and no leftovers to try to cram into your refrigerator and eat for the next couple of weeks.

If you are having a traditional Thanksgiving this year unlike my family do yourself a favor and arm yourself with recipes like this one to combat your Thanksgiving leftover blues.  Instead of eating the same ol’ boring leftovers I whipped up a recipe that allows you to hide some of those leftovers in a delicious new way.

A soft, buttery, sweet potato dough is stuffed with leftover cranberry sauce (or chutney in my case), rolled into small rolls, and baked until golden brown.  The result is a savory and sweet treat that can be served without anyone recognizing the dreaded leftovers.  Did I mention they take less than an hour to make?

This “quick bread” is not your typically yeast dough where you have to let it rise for an hour until doubled in size, then form it into what you want, and then let it rise AGAIN.  Just give me the bread already, right?  This yeast dough comes together in about 10 minutes, rises for 15 minutes, and bakes for 15 to 20 minutes.  Pretty much heaven for all the fresh bread lovers out there.

What I love about the rolls is that they are not super sweet and balance sweet and savory notes with each bite.  Especially if you use cranberry chutney.  Tangy, sweet, spiced, and thick, the cranberry chutney is a nice surprise waiting for anyone expecting these to be cloyingly sweet.  Serve them warm with butter and leave all of your Thanksgiving leftover troubles behind!

Leftover Sweet Potato and Cranberry Rolls Recipes

Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

For Rolls:

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk, warm
  • 3/4 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup leftover sweet potatoes, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 flax-egg, egg-replacer egg, or real egg
  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • Leftover Cranberry Sauce*
  • *You may use cranberry chutney recipe by combining all ingredients into a saucepan until thick and resembles jam.

For Cranberry Chutney:

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • peel from 1 small orange
  • juice from 1 small orange
  • 1/8 teaspoon clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins (or any dried fruit)
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • Enough water to cover ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a muffin pan.
  2. Make Dough for Rolls: Combine yeast and coconut milk in a small dish and set aside to proof. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, sugar, salt, and egg of choice and mix until combined. Add in the yeast mixture and then flour. Allow the dough to mix for about 7 minutes or until it springs back when poked with your finger.
  3. Make Rolls: Sprinkle flour onto clean surface and roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Brush the melted coconut oil all over the dough to the edges. Spread the cranberry sauce (or chutney) all over dough. Roll the dough tightly into log shape and cut into 12 equally portioned pieces. Place in prepared baking cups and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.