Cinnamon Rolls

Brunch me right in the face with these! 😋 They are so good.

Yes, YOU CAN make these whole food, plant-based cinnamon rolls with a cashew-based sweet vanilla icing.

Do not be daunted by the project.

Granted, there are several steps to the process, but none of them are difficult.

I'll walk you through each one step by step below, and soon these yummy little treats will become your Sunday brunch go-to.

Have you arrived here from YouTube? If so, welcome!

If you missed it, you can watch me make this recipe in my YouTube video.

Click below to watch (the video will open in a new window), and then return here afterward to reference the ingredient quantities and instructions.

Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel, too!

Ingredients

For the Dough

• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour*
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour*
• ½ cup oat flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

*Note: As written, this recipe is more wholesome because it's made with predominantly whole wheat flour. If you prefer your cinnamon rolls to be lighter in texture, you can swap the proportions and use 1½ cup all-purpose flour and ¾ cup whole wheat flour instead.

For the Filling

• ½ cup Vanilla Cinnamon Fig Butter (click here for recipe) or applesauce
•  3 Tbsp natural almond butter
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ⅓ cup pecans, chopped (optional but recommended)

For the Vanilla Icing

• 1½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup water
• 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (this is not a typo; I do mean a full tablespoon)

Instructions

Combine ¾ cup lukewarm warm water with 1 Tbsp maple syrup, and 2 tsp active dry yeast. Stir well, then set aside for 10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cup whole wheat flour, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup oat flour, and ½ tsp salt. (Or adjust the flour proportions according to the note below the ingredient list above, if desired.)

Stir.

In a small mixing bowl, combine ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ cup maple syrup, and 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Stir.

Then transfer to the dry ingredients.

Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients as well.

Stir until a thick dough forms.

Knead until the dough is evenly mixed. You don't have to knead for very long. 

Rinse away any dough that is stuck to the sides of the mixing bowl, then oil it. Place your dough back into the now-oiled bowl, then cover with plastic or a damp dish cloth. Place the dough somewhere warm, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until about doubled in size.

Now to make the filling, in a medium mixing bowl, combine ½ cup of fig butter or applesauce, 3 Tbsp of almond butter, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tsp cinnamon.

Stir until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment.

To do this, cut a piece of parchment that will extend beyond the edges of your baking pan by a few inches on each side.

Place the pan in the middle of the parchment paper.

Use scissors to cut slits in the paper from the edge to the corner of the pan, so that the cuts are parallel to one another and opposite each other. Refer to the video to watch me do this.

Press the parchment into the pan and fold the flaps in at the corners, so that the pan is nicely lined without needing to grease it.

Place the cashews into a bowl and cover them in very hot water. Let soften for at least 15 minutes.

Lightly flour a clean work surface, preferably a silicone baking mat.

Press the risen dough out into a long, flat rectangle, about a half-inch thick.

Use a rolling pin to make it even. Be sure to pick up the rolling pin just before you roll it over the edge of the dough, so that the edges will remain the same thickness as the rest.

Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the flattened dough.

Leave a half-inch margin all the way around.

Sprinkle ⅓ cup chopped pecans over the filling.

Gently roll one long side of the rectangle tightly toward the other long end.

Be careful not to press downward too much, lest you flatten the dough as you roll it.

Keep rolling until the roll sits on its seam.

Slice the roll into 9 equal pieces. Begin by slicing the roll into thirds. You can make a little notch in the dough to eyeball it before you commit and cut all the way through. Refer to the video to watch me do this.

Then slice each third into thirds again. This should yield you 9 pieces that are roughly equal in size.

As you slice them, place each cinnamon roll into the prepared baking pan.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp dish cloth. Place the pan somewhere warm to let the dough rise again for another 30 to 60 minutes.

Now let's make the icing. Drain the softened cashews. Transfer them to a blender.

Add ¼ cup water, 3 Tbsp maple syrup, and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract.

Blend until smooth.

Refrigerate the vanilla icing until you're ready for it. This will allow it to thicken nicely.

We will have made more icing than we need to cover the cinnamon rolls. That's because we need a minimum volume of ingredients to blend the cashews into a smooth cream. If we blend too little at once, the ingredients simply splash up onto the sides of the blender bucket and don't blend smoothly.

But good news, the cashew cream is versatile! Use it as a coffee creamer, to sweeten your tea, as a yummy dip for fresh fruit, or to top other desserts.

Once the cinnamon rolls have puffed up and risen to fill the pan completely, they're ready to bake.

Slide them into the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Allow them to cool until they're safe enough to handle, but if you plan to serve them soon, they'll taste best if they're still a little bit warm.

You'll be able to pull the parchment (and therefore the cinnamon rolls) out of the pan very easily.

You can use a knife with a serrated edge to separate the individual rolls. They should separate pretty easily.

If you plan to serve these to a group right away, then just before serving, spread the vanilla icing over the cinnamon rolls.

Arrange them on a serving dish to grace your brunch table.

If you're going to eat one now and save the rest for later, you might like to do what I do, which is to thin the icing with a little bit of water...

... and then drizzle the thinned icing over the roll you're about to enjoy.

Refrigerate the rest of the cinnamon rolls, without icing, in an airtight container for up to a week. You can freeze them for longer storage, if desired.

Then reheat them individually in the microwave or toaster oven later, and apply the icing only just before serving.

Just look at the gorgeous texture of these cinnamon rolls!

They are so yummy 😋 I hope you love them as much as I do!

If you make them, please snap a photo, share it on social media, and tag me @greensagelife.

I'd love to see and cheer you on!

Thank you for baking with me! 😀