{Clean Eating} Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

This started as a challenge...one of the Beachbody coaches on my team asked if anyone had a recipe for 21-Day Fix approved cinnamon rolls and I just had to give it a shot.  And while I can't say that they are 21-Day Fix approved, I can say that these clean eating cinnamon rolls (with cream cheese icing no less!) really are as close to the real deal as I can get...

I have a recipe on my blog for Cinnamon Rolls already and I firmly believe you can "clean" up almost any recipe if you know what substitutions work for different ingredients.  White whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour, honey for sugar, coconut sugar for brown sugar in the filling...it all worked great!  

So my final recipe was a "take-two"...the first time I tried it, the dough was a bit dried out and overall, they weren't as sweet as I had hoped.  My children did not mind.  They devoured them.  And how lucky for them that I couldn't let this rest until I got it right?  Let's just say I'm kind of over cinnamon rolls for awhile... ;) 

On the second attempt, the dough was MUCH better.  Soft and sweeter and yummy!  Even the next day, after sitting in the fridge, they completely softened up when popped in the microwave.  

Keep in mind that this recipe takes a long time...hours in fact!!  Lots of time to let the dough rise.  It's a fun project if you have kids.  They loved seeing the dough get bigger and the rolls plump up.  My 5 and 3-year old were also great rollers and helped spread the filling.  A fun weekend activity for all! 

I added just a little of cinnamon to the icing.  This is optional, but I liked seeing the warm little specks of the spice in the icing.  It actually makes a lot, so even after I iced them twice, we still had some left over to drizzle over top (if necessary).  These may be "clean" but they are definitely a treat!

The process is long, but I swear it's worth it!!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  If you have any questions, comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! 

Makes 12 rolls

{Clean Eating} Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

1 packet fast-rising yeast

1 cup of fat free or almond milk, room temperature

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons coconut oil, softened

2 tablespoons warm water

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 1/2 - 4 cups white whole wheat flour (+ more for rolling)

Filling

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons cinnamon 

Cream Cheese Icing 

4 oz. cream cheese, room temp

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the yeast, milk, honey, coconut oil, water, egg and vanilla and mix on low.  Add the salt and about 3 cups of the flour and mix on low until just combined.  Switch to the dough hook and add the additional flour 1/4 cup of a time until the dough pulls away from the sides (will still be a little sticky).  Continue kneading for about 5 more minutes.  

Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place the dough ball in, turning a few times to coat with the oil.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour to let the dough rise.  Punch down the dough, then let it rise again for another hour.  

Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to approximately 14 x 22 inches.  Spread coconut oil onto dough leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides.  

Make the filling:  combine the coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon in a bowl and spread evenly over the coconut oil on the rolled out dough, making sure to leave that 1-inch border untouched.

Roll the dough into a log, ending with the untouched dough on the bottom to seal the whole thing together.  Cut off the uneven ends, score your dough every 2 inches and then cut through using those marks.  Place parchment paper in the pans you are using (I used those throw away foil pans) and then spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Cover with a dish towel and let them rise again for another hour.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

While they are baking, make the icing.  In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, honey, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth.  Scrape down the sides and mix again briefly.  

Once you pull the cinnamon rolls out the oven, frost with half of the amount of icing made (it will melt down into the rolls).  Then once they have cooled, frost again with the remaining icing.