Throughout our childhood, my brother and I usually ate cold cereal for breakfast before school during the week. Life, Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, Fruity Pebbles, occasionally Lucky Charms… We weren’t too picky!
On the weekends, Mom sometimes prepared something special for us while we watched Blue’s Clues and Gullah Gullah Island. She often picked pancakes, made completely from scratch and dolloped into the pan in the shape of Mickey Mouse silhouettes, since they were so quick and easy.
Yet every once in a while, she baked a batch of cinnamon rolls. Those came from a can, not from scratch, but my brother and I didn’t mind one bit. We loved cracking open the tube by thwacking it against the counter and helping arrange the dough into the cake pan! And when the oven timer buzzed…
We eagerly dashed into the kitchen, excitedly watching Mom pour the thick glaze over the tops before we reached for the cinnamon rolls with the most icing. Within just a few minutes, every crumb, drip, and drizzle had disappeared from the pan… And we were licking our fingers to hide the evidence!
As I grew up, I realized that not all cinnamon rolls came from a can… And as I started baking more, I discovered how much I love making them from scratch — and how it’s entirely possible to make healthy cinnamon rolls that actually taste amazing!
So after lots of testing and practice, I’m incredibly excited to reshare this recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Cinnamon Rolls with you! They’re fluffy and moist, exactly the way cinnamon rolls should be, with mesmerizing spirals of irresistible sweet and gooey cinnamon filling.
Yet unlike traditional recipes… This healthy cinnamon roll recipe contains no eggs, refined flour or sugar (along with a dairy-free option!) — and 112 calories in each one!
You can find my updated recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Cinnamon Rolls here! (Along with a step-by-step video and lots of tips!)
Hi Amy.
I love your recipes and your stories thank you so much. I live in a small backwater called England ! Therefore I cannot get some of the ingredients you recommend however as I try to visit U.S.A as often as I can I am familiar with them and try to stock up on non perishable items. I do get some funny comments at the airport ! Do you have any books that I can buy ?
Thank You Stay Safe and keep baking.
Marilyn.
You’re incredibly sweet, Marilyn — I’m so honored!! That truly means the world to me that you’re enjoying both my recipes and my stories. You just made my entire day; thank you SO much for taking the time to let me know! ♡
I’d probably be tempted to do the same thing if I were in your shoes and stock up on pantry ingredients when I visited the US too (or any other country!). I’m sure it’s worth the funny looks and comments at the airport! 😉 And I actually do have two cookbooks — you’re so kind to ask! You can find information about both of them here. One is just an eBook, while the other is both a hardback cookbook and an eBook as well. I’d absolutely love to hear what you think of the recipes inside if you decide to purchase either one!
Hello! Thank you so much for these amazing recipes! I’m looking forward to making this one but you mention 2 options for the classic cream cheese frosting. Which one do you recommend for the most cinnabon type texture/flavor? Also you mention to not substitute flours but did you say gold medal all purpose will rise and work equally as the whole wheat one will? Also, can a square glass pan be used? Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Teddy! Your kind words truly mean a lot. 🙂
Gold Medal’s all-purpose flour should rise just as well as the regular whole wheat version and have an equally tender texture. I haven’t tried using a glass pan, so I’m not personally sure about that and don’t want to lead you astray. It’s been a really long time since I last ate a Cinnabon cinnamon roll, so I’m not 100% certain… But I seem to remember the consistency of Cinnabon’s cream cheese icing being most similar to the Greek yogurt frosting option I included! The cream cheese drizzle and two cream cheese frosting options are all thicker, but you could probably add extra milk to the cream cheese drizzle to thin it out, if you preferred a “true” cream cheese icing.
I’d love to hear what you think of these cinnamon rolls if you end up making them!
Thank you! I’m just a little confused by conversion for all purpose white flour? We use an equal amount or half of the 2.5 cups of whole wheat amount? Thank you!
You’re welcome, Teddy! I must have misunderstood your previous question — my apologies! I thought you wanted to use entirely all-purpose flour (from Gold Medal) and no whole wheat flour. If that’s the case, then yes! Use an equal amount.
If you want to use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour, then use 1 cup of whole wheat flour (from another brand) and ½ cup of Gold Medal all-purpose flour in Step 2. To ensure your cinnamon rolls rise the highest and have the best texture, use Gold Medal all-purpose flour as the additional flour that you add (and later use for kneading) until the dough is the correct consistency.
Does that make more sense? 🙂