Nothing beats the joy of indulging in warm and gooey cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning! I whip up this delightful recipe every holiday season, and trust me, it’s a breeze to make. These homemade cinnamon rolls outshine any store-bought ones, being soft, puffy, and bursting with the deliciousness of brown sugar and cinnamon. And, of course, the perfect sweet finale comes from a generous slathering of vanilla glaze.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the yeast mixture:
- 1/2 cup warm water 110°F
- 1 packet active dry yeast 1 1/4 ounces
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
Dough ingredients:
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil plus extra for brushing
- 1/2 cup almond milk at room temperature
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
Filling:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 to 4 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease an 8×11 or 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy.
- For the dough, combine melted coconut oil, almond milk, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture and stir. In a large bowl, place the flour, add the wet ingredients, and stir until combined. The mixture will be sticky. Knead it on a floured surface for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth, adding more flour if needed. Form it into a ball.
- Brush a large bowl with coconut oil, place the dough inside, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- For the filling, mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Punch down the dough, roll it out on a floured surface into a 20×14-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Starting from one short end, roll it tightly into a log, then cut into 12 rolls. Place them in the baking dish, cut-side up, cover, and let them rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons almond milk, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust thickness with more almond milk if needed.
- Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with glaze before serving. Enjoy your homemade cinnamon roll delight!