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When it comes to dishes and desserts, Barefoot Contessa host and celebrity chef Ina Garten pretty much has a recipe for everything. Though she began her career in the White House, Garten’s passion for food led her in a whole new direction.

She opened a specialty store and eventually had a slew of extremely popular cookbooks. However, her enticing twist on cinnamon rolls which includes a secret spice might just take the cake.

Ina Garten
Ina Garten | Noam Galai/WireImage

Ina Garten has been sharing her favorite comfort foods

Amid the pandemic, many of us are getting into the kitchen for the very first time. While most of us are novices in comparison to Garten, she has continued to encourage fans by sharing some of her most treasured recipes and comfort foods.

Her new cookbook, Modern Comfort Food is “Filled with seriously satisfying recipe.” She is encouraging fans to whip of everything from black and white cookies, applesauce cake with bourbon cream cheese frosting, and banana rum trifle.

However, her cinnamon rolls with a secret spicy ingredient just might get us through these cold winter days.

Ina Garten’s cinnamon rolls ingredients

Garten’s cinnamon rolls aren’t your ordinary sticky treat. She adds in a chai spice to give them an extra kick.

For the Chai Spice

  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅔1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the Rolls

  • 2 frozen puff pastry sheets that has thawed out in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tsp chai spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp melted butter

For the Icing

  • 4 tbsp butter room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar sifted
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp chai spice
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1-2 tbsp milk or chai black tea if you want to amp up the chai flavor
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Ina Garten’s cinnamon rolls directions

To make the chai spice, simply whisk together all of the spices listed until they are combined. Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, lightly flour your surface and roll out one sheet of puff pastry until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Leave the second sheet in the fridge.

Brush the rolled-out puff pastry with melted butter being careful to leave a 1-inch border around the edges. Then, evenly sprinkle half of the brown sugar, chai spice mix, and cinnamon just over the melted butter.

Gently roll the dough up into a tight spiral. Use some leftover melted butter to seal the seam. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into six even pieces and place them into a parchment-lined dish. Place the dish in the fridge and repeat the steps with the remaining puff pastry.

Once the rolls are completed, bake them for 25-30 minutes 

Make the icing while the rolls are baking. To do so, beat the butter until it’s fluffy, slowly adding powdered sugar, then add milk or tea and flavorings until you get the desired taste and texture.

Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, microwave the icing for 10-20 seconds to be easily poured onto the pastries.