Caramelized Banana Cinnamon Rolls

You'd think that by now, I'dve learned my lesson and buy fewer bananas, because I can never finish them before they start to go bad! But...clearly, today is not that day. The bananas in this recipe were sitting on my counter, swiftly dying, as so many of their predecessors. So...I came in as the Caped Kitchen Crusader to save the day!

Banana muffins tend to be my go-to for brown bananas, but I've made enough banana muffins to last for months (see exhibits A, B, and C)!  While muffins are ALWAYS delicious, and you'll almost certainly see more of them in the future, I wanted to challenge myself to do something new and interesting with the bananas this time around!

Enter this recipe from Picky Palate...I got really excited at the thought of caramelizing bananas in butter and brown sugar (I mean, COME ON!) and rolling them into a soft french bread dough brushed with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon...topped with a light glaze...mmmmm.

Also, funny story--you remember how I told you that I am scared to death of opening biscuits, crescent rolls, and things like that? Well, before I was able to open the roll of french bread dough, I had to turn on some music and sing along SO LOUDLY to avoid the mild heart attack that instantly follows when the tube pops open...so the neighbors got a free concert as I SHOUTED the songs from my "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Pandora station, haha!

Also, the can made a noise like this when it opened: "Plip." It was such a letdown, hahaha! Eh...you can never be too careful!

As a side note and full disclosure: Clearly, this is not a wise choice for someone who needs to monitor their blood sugar, which is why I made these cinnamon rolls to share. I'm so glad I did! I may try this with apples next time, for a much more fall flavor!
Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas cut into 1/4 inch slices (I used four bananas because that's what I had!)
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 roll Pillsbury French Bread Loaf
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream (I didn't have any cream, so I used almond milk instead)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.  Place banana slices and cut up pieces of butter into a small baking dish.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.  Next, use a fork to smash roasted bananas until well combined.

Reduce heat to 350. Unroll Pillsbury French Bread dough into rectangle.  Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Place dollops of roasted banana mixture evenly over top.  Starting from long end, roll up into log shape.  Using a sharp knife, cut one-inch slices and place onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just turning golden brown.  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream until combined; drizzle over top of warm rolls.