Healthy Apple Pie Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Yields: 12 cinnamon rolls

These cinnamon rolls are one of my family’s favorite breakfast treats! They’re perfectly tender, and that gooey apple pie spice filling is absolutely irresistible. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

for the dough
¾ cup (180mL) warm nonfat milk (100-110°F)
½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp (24g) coconut sugar
½ tsp salt
2 ¼ tsp (7g or one ¼-oz package) active dry yeast
2 – 2 ½ cups (240-300g) whole wheat flour
for the filling
6 tbsp (72g) coconut sugar
2 ¼ tsp homemade apple pie spice (see Notes below!)
½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted

Lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
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 frothy. 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.
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.
To prepare the filling, stir together the coconut sugar and apple pie spice in a small bowl.
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 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.
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 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 18-21 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 use Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast. It performs the best out of any yeast I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! (Their regular active dry yeast works just as well too!) Read the blog post above for more information!

For the whole wheat flour, I use Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour. It performs the best out of any whole wheat flour that I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! It ensures that your cinnamon rolls fully double while rising in Step 6, whereas some other brands barely rise at all. (I also like Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour, but it isn’t as easy to find in grocery stores!) Read the blog post above for more information!

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

For the homemade apple pie spice, use as follows: 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice. Store-bought apple pie spice may be substituted, if you prefer, but not all store-bought blends contain the same spices.

I prefer a 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 substituted instead.

I highly recommend using a silicone baking mat and a silicone rolling pin to roll out the dough in Step 5. (← Those are the inexpensive ones that I own {just the rolling pin in black}, and they’re worth every penny!) The silicone material prevents the dough from sticking to both your work surface and your rolling pin, and it makes the whole process go so much faster!

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

For my Healthy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls recipe (they have homemade apple pie filling inside!), click here!

{clean eating, low fat, low calorie, vegan option}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/02/14/healthy-apple-pie-spice-cinnamon-rolls/