Overnight Blueberry Sweet Rolls

 
During my high school marching band days, our director always organized a trip to Southern California during December, usually with Disneyland and a parade down Main Street as our final destination. However, my senior year, we stopped by Arroyo Grande on our way down (the director’s hometown) for a quick field show competition too.  

Before we left, he announced in class that we all needed to try the best cinnamon rolls in town, from a small store called Old West Cinnamon Rolls. While describing the treats, he held up his thumbs and index fingers fairly far apart in a large circle — practically the size of my head — to demonstrate their diameter. He advertised them so well than all 200 of us set our alarm clocks an hour early to make time to visit the shop!
 

 
My two best friends and I wandered over from our Best Western hotel room, just a mile away. But with both places just a few steps from the beach, we ignored the sidewalks, kicked off our flip flops, and walked barefoot on the sand to get there instead.

Upon arriving, we joined the long ling of band kids stretching out the door, and when we reached the register, we quickly ordered their classic cinnamon rolls. My friends asked for theirs with cream cheese icing, but I requested mine plain (I’ve never been a big fan of frosting on my cinnamon rolls!), and we all asked for boxes to go so we could nibble on them as we strolled back to the hotel.
 

 
By the time we clambered onto the buses, I had barely finished half and decided to set aside the rest to enjoy later that night. The cinnamon roll was so sweet, so buttery, so tender… So perfect!

When that memory recently resurfaced, I decided to create a new sweet roll recipe, although I wanted mine to be slightly smaller, more reasonably portioned, and something that could actually count as healthy breakfast.
 

 
After a little tinkering, I came up with the recipe for these healthy overnight blueberry sweet rolls! With their mesmerizing spirals of pretty purple berries nestled among the tender maple-flavored dough, every bite will bring a big smile to your lips and linger on your tongue.

There’s more to be happy about too: these rolls are low fat, low calorie, vegan (aka egg-free and dairy-free!), and completely clean eating. Yes, that’s right — they contain no butter, refined flour or refined sugar!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY OVERNIGHT BLUEBERRY SWEET ROLLS

If you scroll down and skim through the directions, they may look a little long and complicated, but I promise these are the easiest sweet rolls you’ll ever make! I was just extremely thorough when typing out the directions to ensure they’d be fail-proof for you. So don’t be scared!

Just like the start of typical cinnamon roll recipes, you’ll give the yeast a nice warm bath in the wet ingredients and let it create its own bubbles. (Or, to use technical terms, “Proof the yeast.”) If you use coconut oil, it won’t foam much, if at all, but that’s okay! As long as you see some froth around the edges, your yeast is fine.

Note: If you usually chill your maple syrup in the fridge, wait to add it in until after the yeast proofs. Otherwise, the maple syrup will re-solidify the melted coconut oil and really slow down the proofing process.
 

 
After mixing in the whole wheat flour and kneading the dough (see here for my detailed description and a video of how to knead!), just let the dough ball rest for 10 minutes. This allows the gluten some time to relax before we roll it out into a rectangle.

Wait to prepare the blueberry filling until after rolling out the dough. You’ll use frozen blueberries, which means you can make these all year round, but the tiny berries rapidly thaw as their outer ice crystals melt. Waiting until the last second prevents too much purple liquid from getting all over your countertops! Then spread the blueberries in a thin single layer across the dough, leaving a 1” margin on the two longer edges to make rolling it up easier.
 

 
After rolling up the dough into a log from one longer edge to the other, brush a little water onto the edge you can still see, as well as the spot on the roll where it’ll touch to seal. My dough had a little too much flour on it and wouldn’t seal properly, so the water helps “rinse” it off so it’ll pinch shut.

To cut the log into the rolls, use dental floss! Wiggle a long strand under the dough log, bring the two ends upward, trade hands to cross them at the top, and gently pull. The floss will slice through the dough and filling without squashing the rolls into misshapen rectangles like a knife would. Just try to use unflavored floss — to avoid any fresh minty aftertaste!

Once you’ve cut all the rolls and set them in a pan, cover and chill until the next morning. When you wake up, pull out the pan to allow the rolls to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before preheating the oven. Somehow, the oven works its magic and the rolls surprisingly puff up to double their size as they bake. Trust me — I made these a few times just to double check!
 

 
Pure blueberry bliss. ♡

The perfect combination of soft, juicy, moist, and tender, these healthy overnight blueberry sweet rolls will basically knock your socks and slippers off — or at least wake you up just as well as your morning cup of coffee! Their sweet fruity flavor completely masks that they’re packed with fiber and whole grains that’ll keep you full. But go ahead and reach for another anyway… There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!
 

 
With how easy these are to bake and how addictive they taste, I just might turn into a blueberry like Violet from Willie Wonka with how many I’m planning on eating this summer! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry sweet rolls!

Overnight Blueberry Sweet Rolls

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 blueberry sweet rolls

These sweet rolls are my new favorite breakfast! The dough is so moist and tender, and every bite is packed with juicy blueberries. These rolls don’t taste healthy at all! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. They taste wonderful cold too, but you can easily reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

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Ingredients 

• ½ cup (120mL) warm water (100-110°F)
• 1 tsp coconut oil, melted (see Notes!)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 ¼ tsp (one ¼ oz envelope) active dry yeast (see Notes!)
• ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
• 2 ½ – 3 ½ cups (300-420g) white whole wheat flour
• 2 cups (280g) frozen unsweetened wild blueberries
• 1 tbsp (8g) cornstarch
• ½ tsp almond extract
• small bowl of water

Instructions

• In a large bowl, stir together the warm water, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. (Note: If your maple syrup is at room temperature and NOT chilled, stir it in too.) Sprinkle the yeast on top, and let it sit for 10 minutes or until lightly frothy.
• Stir in the maple syrup. Add 2 cups of flour, and stir until completely incorporated. Continue adding flour, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a clean, well-floured surface, and knead for a few minutes or until it springs back when you gently press your index fingers into it. Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes.
• While waiting, lightly coat a 9”-round cake pan (or two 6”-round cake pans) with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Re-flour your surface if necessary, and lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle (about 10”x16”, although slightly smaller or larger is fine too). Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
• To prepare the filling, gently toss the frozen blueberries with the cornstarch and almond extract in a small bowl. Work quickly because the blueberries thaw rapidly!
• Spread the blueberries into a single layer on top of the dough rectangle, leaving a 1” border on the two longer edges. Starting at one longer edge, carefully roll up the dough into a log towards the opposite longer edge, trying not the squash the blueberries too much. Brush water onto the second longer edge and where it meets the dough log before pinching shut to seal.
• Slice the dough log into 12 equal portions using dental floss (see Notes in blog post above). Place them cut side down into the prepared pan(s). Cover the top with plastic wrap, and wrap a large rubber band around the rim to keep the plastic wrap in place. Chill overnight.
• In the morning, remove the pan(s) from the refrigerator, and let them sit on the countertop at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before preheating the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once hot, remove the plastic wrap from the pan(s), and bake the rolls at 350°F for 22-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

IMPORTANT YEAST NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the yeast, I used Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast. It performs the best out of any yeast I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! It isn’t always easy to find in grocery stores, so I buy mine online here. (Both their rapid rise dry yeast and regular active dry yeast work equally well!)

 

The yeast will not froth very much during the proofing step (Step 1) due to the coconut oil. That’s okay! As long as you see a bit of frothing along the edges, your yeast should be fine.

 

COCONUT OIL ALTERNATIVES: Unsalted butter, stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), or any neutral-tasting oil may be substituted for the coconut oil.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I do not recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup; it'll negatively impact the texture and rise.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Regular whole wheat flour (Gold Medal whole wheat flour is my favorite for yeast-based recipes because it rises higher than other brands!), whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

BLUEBERRY NOTES: I highly recommend using wild blueberries. They're much smaller than regular blueberries, which means it's easier to roll up the sweet rolls, and the dough isn't as prone to tearing. I haven't found fresh wild blueberries in stores where I live before, so that's mainly why I opted to use frozen.

 

CORNSTARCH NOTE: The cornstarch thickens the juice that the blueberries release while baking. Without it, the filling will be very liquidy and a bit soupy, so I don't recommend omitting it. I haven't tried substituting anything else in place of the cornstarch.

 

ALMOND EXTRACT ALTERNATIVE: If you don't have it or aren't a fan, substitute vanilla extract.

 

GLUTEN-FREE NOTE: I haven’t had good luck substituting gluten-free flours in this recipe. The cinnamon rolls don’t rise or maintain their shape the way they do with wheat-based flour due to the lack of gluten.

 

NON-OVERNIGHT METHOD: If you’re making the entire recipe in the morning, do not chill at the end of Step 7. Instead, place the pan(s) in a warm, draft-free place to rise for at least an hour, or until doubled in size. (It may take longer than an hour because the blueberries are so cold that they slow down the rising process.) Then skip Step 8 and bake according to Step 9.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for up to one week (if not longer!), and they reheat beautifully, if you'd like to serve them warm.

 

For more information and tips, please see my blog post above. You can also watch my step-by-step video here for a similar recipe to see how I make cinnamon rolls!

 

{egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Cinnamon Rolls
♡  Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
♡  Maple Cinnamon Rolls
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Muffins
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones
♡  Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡  Baked Blueberry Almond Donut Holes
♡  Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy blueberry-flavored recipes!