There are few things in life that bring me greater joy than a freshly baked treat that’s packed with cinnamon and makes the whole house smell absolutely amazing. And this is exactly what you can expect when you bake up a batch of these Paleo Cinnamon Rolls. The dough is closer in texture to a lightly sweetened cookie that’s crisped on the edges but chewy in the middle. The rolls are packed with a coconut sugar cinnamon filling and topped off with a gently sweetened frosting. These are sweet but very well balanced and perfectly complemented with the creamy frosting. Honestly though, I could eat these with or without the frosting they are just that good. And while feeling indulgent, they are really quite light and made with only real ingredients that you can feel good about!
The dough is gluten free, grain free and sweetened with maple syrup. If you are familiar with paleo baking you probably have all the ingredients regularly stocked in your pantry. My favorite part of this recipe though, is that is no yeast, so no need to wait for the dough to rise! Just a quick trip to the freezer to let it firm up. Once it’s firm it’s fairly easy to roll out and shape into the desired rectangle. Plus since there is no gluten, no need to worry about over working the dough and getting tough rolls! The frosting is dairy free, maple syrup or honey sweetened and comes together quickly. I have seen so many recipes that call for coconut cream that needs to be refrigerated overnight. And then there’s the question of what to do with the rest of the can. This frosting is coconut butter based and easily halved or doubled depending on your cinnamon roll to frosting preference!
PS. Don’t let the long recipe make you shy away from making these. They truly are easy to whip up. I just went into a little bit extra detail on how to roll these up!
gluten/grain/dairy free, refined sugar free
If you make this, I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.
Easy Paleo Cinnamon Rolls
These super easy cinnamon rolls are the perfect way to celebrate the weekend! The no rise dough makes these time efficient but just as delicious. Packed with a cinnamon filling and complemented with a creamy frosting.
gluten/grain/dairy free, yeast free, refined sugar free
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted & cooled slightly
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Frosting
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 1 tbsp milk of choice
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
Instructions
Make the dough by mixing together the wet ingredients either by hand or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and blend together until slightly thick and frothy, about 2 minutes.
Add in the dry ingredients and stir on low until just well mixed. Dough should feel soft like cookie dough and holds together well. Scoop out onto parchment paper or plastic wrap and cover the dough ball tightly. Place in freezer for 20 mins to firm.
In the meantime, make the filling by mixing the two ingredients together in a small bowl. Prepare a square baking dish by lining with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Once dough has firmed up, remove from freezer and lightly dust the ball with some additional tapioca flour. Between two layers of parchment paper, roll the dough out into a rectangle 9 W x 14 L and 1/4 in thick.
If the dough has softened too much, place the rolled out dough back in the freezer, with the parchment paper. I found that rolling it out on a large cutting board (with the parchment paper) helps to move it into the freezer if need be.
Once the dough is rolled out, sprinkle the the filling mix all over the dough leaving a 1/2 in border on one of the short sides.
Roll the dough into a log by starting with the short side that has the filling. Roll tightly from here to the other side with no filling.
Cut the log into nine 1 inch circles. If the log is too soft to cut, you can place the log back in the freezer for a few minutes. (Again working on a cutting board helps here.)
There will be an overflow of filling onto the parchment paper, I like to sprinkle whatever is leftover into the bottom of the baking dish, but this is completely optional.
Arrange the nine cinnamon rolls into 3 rows of 3 in the baking dish. There may be some space between the rolls depending on your size dish. The space will fill up as these bake.
Bake for 21-23 minutes or until tops are just golden brown and they smell amazing.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: Melt the coconut butter in a small sauce pot or in small bursts of 5 seconds in the microwave. Let cool about 2 minutes. Add in the milk and 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Stir well, it should be thick but spreadable and creamy. Add more sweetener to your taste. If it is still too thin add 1 tbsp more of coconut butter. If too thick add a bit more milk.
Spread the frosting over the cinnamon rolls and serve warm!
These are best when eaten the same day. Any uneaten rolls will keep (unfrosted) for about a day in the fridge, longer in the freezer. Just reheat gently when you're ready to eat them.
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