This Recipe for Concha Cinnamon Rolls Adds a Unique Spin on the Traditional Mexican Sweet Bread Roll

For those unfamiliar, concha is a type of Mexican pan dulce — or sweet breed — that’s extremely popular due to its recognizable shape. Any time I see their sea shell-like appearance and crumbly texture through a bakery window, there’s little in this world that can stop me from running inside and grabbing one or two. (Okay, sometimes it’s a lot more than that!)

Although I’ve had conchas way too many times to count, I’ve always stuck to the basic chocolate and vanilla flavors. That is, however, until I saw Mas Cocina’s recipe, which combines my love for conchas and cinnamon rolls in one delicious-looking treat.

To create the recipe, you’ll start by making the yeast mixture. Whisk together water, sugar, and dry yeast and let it sit until it puffs up. Then, pour the yeast into a bowl and add sugar, heavy cream, whole milk, melted butter, canola oil, vanilla extract, and eggs before mixing until combined.

Next, add both salt and baking powder, then mix in the flour until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic. Place the bowl in the oven with the light on and let it sit until the bowl has doubled in size.

Now comes the messy (and fun!) part. Spread your work surface with flour and knead the dough a few times before rolling it into a triangle. Brush the dough with butter and sprinkle with a cinnamon and brown sugar mix. Next, add the concha topping — which you’ll make using flour, powdered sugar, vegetable shortening and pink food dye.

Start tightly rolling up the dough, place seam-side down and slice into 1 1/2-inch sections. Place the rolls in the baking pan and cover with plastic wrap in a warm location so it can rise. After that, remove the plastic and bake in a 350°F preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sides of the cinnamon rolls turn golden. And there you have it! An unforgettable baked good you’ll want to make over and over again.

If you’re still craving cinnamon-y goodness after making these and have ingredients left over, try this super-creamy vanilla cinnamon date shake or these make-ahead cinnamon French toast muffins. You can thank me later.