Health-ified Fluffy Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Healthyified Fluffy Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
paleo, plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free
Have you ever dreamed of a world with a healthier version of a warm, fluffy, cinnamon roll? (Me, just about every day for the past 10 years). Well, let me rock your world with these ooey, gooey, oh so fluffy cinnamon rolls made with almond flour and coconut sugar and vegan cream cheese and even more wholesome, natural ingredients. Get your apron and rolling pin out because you most definitely need these in your life!
This is by far one of my favorite recipes on the blog to date. I know I’m biased but oh.my.gosh these are mind blowing-ly amazing. The dough is yeast-free so you can go from cinnamon roll craving to warm deliciousness right on your plate in about an hour. Talk about the perfect morning — wake up on a Saturday, say to yourself ‘I could really use a cinnamon roll right about now’, strap on your apron and get to work, dig in before the weekend even begins to start.
Now, let’s chat about the filling because it’s the best part in my humble opinion. We’ve got actual pecan pieces in there! We add in a little coconut sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup for a luscious, fall-flavored filling. It’s quick and easy to make and all you do is spread it on top of the rolled-out dough. Easy peasy!
How to Roll Healthy-ified Fluffy Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ahh the scariest part of cinnamon roll baking. Let me in on some of my tips and tricks so you can be a professional cinnamon roll roller (that should really be a title 🤔)
Roll out your dough on top of a pre-floured piece of parchment paper (I use tapioca flour or arrowroot starch). Just a light dusting will do!
Dust your hands and the top of the ball of dough with even more flour (again, I use tapioca flour or arrowroot starch).
Spoiler Alert — You don’t need a rolling pin to roll out the dough. I know, my grandma is probably gasping right now. If you have one, GREAT! If not, just use the palms of your hands to press the dough out on your parchment paper.
Once you’ve spread your filling on top and it’s time to roll it all up, just remember 2 things:
You want a real tight roll
The parchment paper is your friend
I pinch the start of my dough and continue to roll using the parchment paper to turn the roll of dough over as I go (you’ll understand this better once you start doing it)
Lastly, when cutting your roll of dough into actual cinnamon rolls, use a string of floss. Wedge the floss underneath your roll of dough where you want to cut the first roll, bring both sides of the floss up and cross them on top of each other on the top of your roll of dough. Pull each string in the opposite direction to make the cut and boom you’ve got yourself a perfectly cut cinnamon roll!
I’ve been dreaming of a health-ified cinnamon roll for a very long time so I put matters into my own hands and whipped up these babies which are made with all my favorite natural ingredients. It may have taken multiple batches to get it absolutely perfect - we basically lived off cinnamon rolls for a month but I’m not complaining 😊.
I’m so excited to share these with y’all and hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Healthy-ified Fluffy Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
3 cup almond flour
2 1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the Maple Pecan Filling
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cinnamon (plus more to top)
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
For the Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup tapioca flour (optional)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
For the Dough
Preheat oven to 350 F
In a bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the vanilla, maple syrup, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar
Slowly fold the flour mixture into the bowl with the liquids (about 3/4 of a cup at a time). Once you have a big ball of dough, set aside
For the Filling
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and maple syrup until the sugar is almost dissolved
Add in the cinnamon and chopped pecans and stir to combine
To Assemble
Roll out the dough on top of a pre-floured piece of parchment paper (just dust the parchment paper with a little tapioca flour). You can either use a rolling pin here or use the palms of your hands. You want to roll it out into a large rectangle about 2 sheets of paper long, 1 sheet of paper wide, and 1/2 an inch thick
Gently spread the filling mixture on top of the dough leaving roughly an inch around the sides to prevent the filling from oozing out when you roll it up.
Sprinkle with more cinnamon if desired (optional)
Cut the roll of dough into 8 cinnamon rolls* (I highly recommend you place a mark at each cut so they are all the same size. Place a mark in the middle, then in the the middle of the halves and you’ll have 8)
Place each roll into a greased baking dish making sure they are not too crowded, leave a small space in between each
Bake in for 15 - 20 minutes until the edges of the dough begin to turn a golden brown (I do a tough test - gently press the side of a cinnamon roll with the back of a spoon or your finger, if the dough bounces back it’s ready)
For the Icing
With a hand mixer or food processor, mix the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla until creamy
Add in the tapioca flour if you want a thicker icing and sea salt and mix again until fully incorporated
Drizzle icing over top of cinnamon rolls, top with extra pecan pieces if desired, and enjoy!
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