These Cinnamon Roll Muffins bring me back to my Pillsbury baking days, but they’re actually far from it!
These babies are vegan, gluten-free and made from scratch.
Here’s the best part: they actually tastes exactly like traditional cinnamon buns!
The flavors and textures of these muffins is everything you want in a cinnamon bun: warm, soft, full of cinnamon, sweet and indulgent!
Cinnamon Roll Muffins (V/GF)
Ingredients
Roll
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pack)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 4 tbsp melted vegan butter (I use the brand Earth Balance)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Filling
- 1 lb pitted dates , chopped
- 1 cup apple juice or cider
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1-2 oz can(s) coconut cream , chilled overnight (use cream part only, not the liquid part)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Warm up the almond milk and water together until lukewarm. I highly recommend using a kitchen thermometer to make sure it gets to 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C. The milk not getting to the right temp can really mess with the dough! Whisk the yeast with the lukewarm almond milk and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the milk should be frothy.
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While the yeast is activating, make the date filling.
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In a medium sauce pan, bring the dates, apple juice, water, cinnamon and vanilla to a low boil on medium heat. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the date mixture becomes the consistency of jam. Remove from the stove and set to the side to let cool. Once cool, add the dates to a food processor, and pulse into a smooth paste. Set to the side.
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After 10 minutes once the milk is frothy, add the ground flax seeds, vegan butter and apple cider vinegar to the milk and yeast mixture . Whisk together and set aside to thicken.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it's easy to handle and somewhat smooth.
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Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
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Every spread the cinnamon date filling on top of the rolling out dough. Make sure to cover the whole surface besides the edges (about an inch) of the dough.
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Using the parchment paper to guide you, tightly roll up the dough. Trim the edges and then slice the roll into eight pieces.
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Lightly grease a large muffin tin or two (enough for 8) of choice and place the rolls inside, cut-side up. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm, spot in your kitchen. They will rise but not exactly double in size.
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Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges have firmed up. Allow to cool slightly before removing. From the pan(s).
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With an eclectic mixture, great the coconut cream and vanilla together until smooth. Pour over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!!
Recipe Notes
These are best served fresh and warm. Store leftovers tightly covered for a couple days. Warm up before serving again.
If you like this recipe, then you might also like my Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts, Peach Apricot Muffins and my Tahini Banana Brownies!
If you end up making this recipe, I would love to see it! Tag @bunnysbite on your Instagram and Facebook photos and make my day!
