The BEST vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Seriously)

Okay, guys! This vegan Cinnamon roll recipe is probably going to change your life! Not even kidding. Let me give you a little bit of context behind the reason I would ever even try creating vegan cinnamon rolls before you all question my life choices!

Firstly, I would not really call myself a baker, by any stretch of the imagination. I think because it is a little bit too precise and requires more patience than I have. Turns out there is a difference between a leveled off, measured 1 cup portion and my heaping handful that "looks close enough". 

Secondly, recently Kelsi and I received some unfortunate news. She has been experiencing some really horrible stomach symptoms which I will spare you the details on and turns out she needs to follow the Candida diet for the next 8 weeks. You can read up about the Candida diet here but in a nutshell, for Kelsi, this means no sugar, no starchy vegetables, no caffeine, no gluten and no dairy. WHOMP! Imagine for a second being told this news? How would your life change? Luckily, for us, we actually don't eat a TON of unhealthy, nutrient poor foods and we certainly don't take part in any fad diets, so I was certain this wouldn't be too much of an adjustment. Almost instantly, I hit the store with her "approved food list" and it was time to get creative! Although Kelsi will choose savoury over sweet any day, when you can no longer grab your favourite cookie, granola bar or a big bowl of child's cereal, life gets a little bit sad!

Refusing to eliminate sweet treats from our world, I am now presenting you with these vegan cinnamon rolls that really are the best!  They’re soft, fluffy, cinnamon-y and they just happen to be vegan too! 

APPLE CHUNK VEGAN CINNAMON ROLL

Makes 6 rolls.

INGREDIENTS:

Roll

1/2 cup ground flax + 1/2 cup water (Vegan egg)

1/2 cup unsweetened applsauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup coconut flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

Filling

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 large apple, peeled and grated

Topping

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Mix flax seed and water together with a fork and microwave for 1 minute or until thick.

- Add remaining liquid ingredients. Stir well.

- Mix in the dry ingredients. If the dough is not getting sticky and binding together, add a few extra pinches of coconut flour.

- Line one cookie tray with parchment paper and spread out an additional sheet of parchment paper for the dough rolling.

- Place the dough on the parchment paper and with your hands form a large rectangle.

- Coat dough with 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp maple. Top with shredded apple and cinnamon.

- Roll tightly and cut into six pieces. Place each piece on the cookie tray. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 15-20 minutes. They should be golden brown.

- Melt topping together before pouring on the roll to enjoy!

Best eaten fresh but can be kept in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The rolls will be the softest on the first day.

These have been both a pre-workout and post workout snack for me and they work great before a heavy lifting session.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Did you make them? Maybe you took them on a trip with some of these other items I talk about in my article "Meal prep for a camping trip". What do you think? Comment below and let me know!