Cinnamon Rolls

Those of you who know me know that I am obsessed with cinnamon rolls and love to make a healthier version of them for my family during the holiday season. Of all of my trials, this recipe seems to come out the best. It happens to be vegan and can easily be made gluten free. Enjoy!

CINNAMON ROLLS

You will need:

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

½ cup coconut oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or your favorite gluten-free flour blend)

½ cup almond flour

½ tablespoon cinnamon (or more if you like them very cinnamon-y)

¼ cup coconut sugar

Heat almond milk, 1 tablespoon of the coconut sugar, and ¼ cup coconut oil in a saucepan until warm – do not allow it to come to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to 100 degrees so you don’t kill the yeast.

Pour into a mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it rest for 15 minutes to activate.

Add in flour and almond flour until a sticky dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for a minute or so until it forms a loose ball. Save your floured surface for rolling out the rolls.

Rinse out the mixing bowl, coat it with coconut oil, and place the dough ball inside.

Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, grease a round cake pan with coconut oil.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle on your floured surface. Brush with the remaining ¼ cup coconut oil. Sprinkle on the remaining 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar and then add the cinnamon. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into 2 inch rolls. Place the rolls in a circle inside the oiled cake pan and cover with plastic wrap.

Set pan on top of the oven to let rise again while you preheat it to 350 degrees F.

Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25 minutes or until golden. You can glaze these rolls with coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup that you have melted in a saucepan.