My oldest child could survive on carbs alone, bread, tortillas, rolls, breadsticks, pizza, pasta, pancakes, waffles if it's a simple carb he LOVES it. His FAVORITE of all though is cinnamon rolls. I don't often make them though because I'm not a fabulous yeast baker and we are all about the instant gratification here... waiting HOURS for something to rise before you can dig in doesn't really appeal to us. Also for us the BEST cinnamon rolls are ones with little bits of candied pecans or walnuts strewn within, but the middle man here (my 7 year old) is allergic to both of those nuts so no nutty rolls for us. Until now! How can a creative mama come up with a way to make something crunchy and nutty without actually having nuts in it? Say hello to Grape Nuts! Yes, you know that gravely cereal that we buy but never actually eat... yep... I'm talking to YOU lol Now just a little disclaimer here, there is some debate about the source of the vitamins B and D in Grape Nuts and whether they are vegan or not. For me since I already had a HUGE unopened box of the stuff in the pantry it wasn't a deal breaker, I already had them and I was SUPER excited to have a nutty crunchy roll that my son with allergies could enjoy. You can even make them into "candied nuts" if you were so inclined! Now after this massive box in my pantry is gone and if I ever decide to purchase another box I will do more digging into the source of the vitamins and see if there is a more natural option to traditional Grape Nuts. If anyone out there knows of an natural healthy version of Grape Nuts please pass on the info!!
This recipe is adapted from the fabulous Kathy over at The Lunch Box Bunch head on over there to check out her original recipe! I was so excited to see that these had no yeast and as such no rise time!
For the dough you will need:
4 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp melted earth balance
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup orange juice (you can use lemon instead and sub lemon in the glaze for lemony rolls!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
flour for kneading
For the filling you will need:
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp melted earth balance
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Grape Nuts cereal
For the topping you will need:
2-3 Tbsp Grape Nuts cereal
2-3 Tbsp melted earth balance
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pure maple syrup
For the glaze you will need:
2 TBSP melted earth balance
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp orange juice
finely grated zest of 1 orange
Preheat your oven to 375
In a med bowl mix all the ingredients for the filling EXCEPT THE MELTED BUTTER, use your hands to really get it all incorporated. Set aside
In a small bowl do the same with the ingredients for the topping. Set aside
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients for the dough and then add in the wet. The dough should not be sticky and should come together in a nice ball. Add a drop or two more milk or flour as needed to get it just right.
On a floured surface roll out the dough into a 1 in thick rectangle.
Brush the melted butter from the topping on to the rectangle of dough and then cover with the filling, spread it all out evenly.
Roll the dough on the short end into a tight log and then slice into 8 even pieces.
Place into a greased baking dish.
Add the topping.
Bake at 375 for 30 mins
While they are baking whip up your glaze. The original recipe is for a thick yummy looking cream cheese frosting but I didn't have any cream cheese on hand :( so I made this glaze instead. It was very yummy! Keep in mind mine makes more of a runny glaze vs an actual frosting.
When the rolls come out let them cool for a few minutes and then pour the glaze over the top.
