Sinfully Good Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls, especially ones that are warm and gooey and right out of the oven. Thanks to Minimalist Baker, here’s an idea for ones that are homemade; they’re lightened up with less butter, use almond milk instead of heavy cream or whole milk and have a little whole wheat flour to round them out. I made these from scratch on Christmas morning and my parents gave them a stamp of approval. With a little patience to let the dough rise, these homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect addition to your brunch arsenal.

Ingredients (makes 16).

For the Rolls:

• 1 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
• 3 + 1 T butter (no salt added)
• 2 ¼ t rapid-rise yeast
• 1 T + 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 c flour
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1½ cinnamon

For the Frosting (optional):

• 3 T powdered sugar
• 1/2 t unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions.

1. In a microwavable bowl, heat almond milk and 3 T of butter at 30 sec intervals until butter is melted. Let cool until liquid is warm to the touch like bathwater and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle yeast over warm butter mixture and let sit for 10 min. Gently stir in 1 T sugar and all of salt and mix well.
3. Add flour by the 1/2 c. Dough will be very sticky. Stop adding flour when you can no longer stir the dough.
4. Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Knead for a few minutes until a ball forms. Transfer ball of dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for 1 hr. Dough should double in size.                                  
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a rectangle (or as close as you can get to a rectangle). Dough should be about 1/8″ thick.
6. Melt remaining 1 T butter and lightly brush dough with melted butter (you should have some leftover). Mix together 1/4 c sugar and all of cinnamon. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar making sure you go all the way to the edge.
7. Starting on one side, gently roll dough. With the “seam” side down, carefully cut 1″ pieces with a serrated knife. Position sliced rolls in a greased 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan. Brush the top of the rolls with the leftover melted butter. 
   

   
8. Heat oven to 350º F. Cover rolls again with the dish towel to allow the rolls rise while the oven heats.
9. Bake 18-22 min or rolls are just beginning to brown and cooked through. Cool slightly.
10. Mix together powdered sugar and almond milk and drizzle on rolls before serving (optional).
11. Enjoy warm!

Adapted from Minimalist Baker‘s “The World’s Easiest Cinnamon Rolls.”

Nutrition for 1 of 16 rolls with frosting.

92 calories  •  1.6 g fat (16%)  •  17 g carbs (75%)  •  2.2 g protein (10%)  •  1 g fiber  •  4.8 g sugar

* These are estimates based off specific products I used and how I entered ingredients in a fitness tracker. This is completely subjective and used to give a rough nutritional estimate.