Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Yields: 12 cinnamon rolls
 
These cinnamon rolls are the perfect cozy autumn breakfast treat! The tender pumpkin dough surrounding the rich chocolaty cinnamon filling is an absolutely irresistible combination. Leftover cinnamon rolls will keep for at least five days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  1. Lightly coat a 9”-round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and wait 10-15 minutes or until the mixture turns slightly frothy. Mix in the pumpkin purée and cinnamon. Mix in 1 ½ cups of flour. If the dough is still wet, continue stirring in flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough springs back most of the way when you gently press your index finger into it. Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
  4. To prepare the filling, stir together the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  5. On a clean, well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a 16x10” rectangle. Brush with the melted butter, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides. Sprinkle with the cocoa cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides again. Carefully roll up the dough into a log, starting at one long edge and rolling towards the other one. Pinch the free end onto the roll to seal. If the dough won’t stick together, gently brush the second longer edge with water before pinching to seal.
  6. Slice the log into 12 pieces using dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place the rolls into the prepared pan, and cover the pan with a clean towel. Set the pan in a warm, draft-free spot, and let the rolls rise for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the sides feel firm. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes: For a vegan version, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and Earth Balance buttery sticks in place of the butter. Coconut oil will also work in place of the butter, but it won’t have quite the same flavor and the yeast will not turn frothy in Step 2.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

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! Regular active dry yeast will work as well.

Brown sugar may be substituted in place of the coconut sugar, but the rolls will no longer be clean-eating friendly.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour (I prefer this brand for yeast-based recipes), or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried with gluten-free flours and don’t know how they’ll turn out since gluten-free yeast baking can be finicky.

I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder for the unsweetened cocoa powder. Their flavor will overwhelm the pumpkin taste.

I prefer a 9"-round springform pan because the sides are taller, which allows the rolls to rise higher, and the sides are removable for easy serving. A regular 9”-round cake pan may be used instead.

For more tips on kneading the dough and slicing the cinnamon rolls, watch my video here located above the recipe.

I highly recommend reheating leftover cinnamon rolls in the microwave! It makes the filling melt a little and turn gooey, and it tastes like melted chocolate!

{clean eating, vegan option, low fat, low calorie}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/10/04/healthy-chocolate-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/