Some of you may already know her blog, but I am so excited today to introduce Rachel from Almonds & Avocados to those of you that haven’t yet had the pleasure. I came to find Rachel’s site through her comments here on Tasty Yummies. She is always so complimentary and genuinely excited about the food I am making which I of course egotistically enjoy :). Once I started paging through her site looking at all of her amazing recipes, the feeling was definitely mutual. Rachel and I have very similar philosophies in regards to a restricted diet, like me, Rachel feels like with the restrictions came even more possibilities and she felt she was free to explore so many more foods and ingredients that she had never tried. I am constantly grateful myself for that very reason, having limitations has allowed me the freedom to try things out of the ordinary and I love it. I love that Rachel’s recipes reflect that very excitement and interest. Today Rachel is sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Again like Rachel, cinnamon rolls are a holiday tradition with my family too, my mom makes a batch every Christmas morning! Enjoy this wonderful recipe.

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I LOVE the holiday season. In fact, this is by far my favorite time of year!  So when Beth approached me to do a guest post for her Thanksgiving series while she’s away, I jumped at the chance! Because I’ve been a huge fan of Tasty Yummies for a long time, I’m unbelievably flattered to have this opportunity and I decided early on that I wanted to contribute something extra special. With that in mind, I opted to finally take on my personal challenge to come up with a gluten-free, vegan, and refined-sugar-free version of one of my all-time favorite foods: cinnamon rolls!

Like most families during the holidays, my family had (and still has) many traditions that make Thanksgiving special.  For example, my mom and dad would always prepare an amazing breakfast for my brother and me on Thanksgiving morning. Usually, we were so full after our early feast that we would completely skip over lunch and just snack between breakfast and dinner (the main event). Then one year my brother and I came up with a plan: we would eat an insanely gigantic breakfast in order to stretch out our bellies and then not eat again until Thanksgiving dinner was served so that our stomachs would be empty and able to hold more. Our game plan was in no way based on anything scientific, but to us it sounded totally logical.

So from that point on, Thanksgiving breakfast became nearly as important as Thanksgiving dinner.  And because I’m obsessed with breakfast foods, I instantly fell in love with this particular tradition. To make the meal even more indulgent, our breakfast (like dinner) always ended with dessert, and always in the form of sweet, succulent cinnamon rolls.  I just remember eating countless cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning and then falling into a sugar-induced coma on the couch afterward with a big smile on my face.

However, as I grew older, my food allergies and sensitivities worsened and I was no longer able to enjoy many of my favorite foods. Even though cinnamon rolls are amazing—I like to think of them as God’s gift to breakfast—they’re not particularly good for those with food allergies, sensitivities, or special diets (dairy, gluten, and sugar, oh my!).  And although I believe that the holidays are a time to indulge, I also want to be able to enjoy my food without feeling uncomfortable and unwell for the rest of the day. That’s why I’m thrilled to share my recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with you! These bad boys don’t contain any dairy, eggs, gluten, or refined sugar, which means you won’t waste any time on the holiday dealing with an upset tummy!

Just a warning: these are not your typical pull-apart cinnamon rolls. They’re more biscuit-like and a bit crumbly (as you can see from the pictures), and I’ll admit, they’re not exactly beautiful. However, it’s not the looks that are important here, it’s the flavor, and these guys are delicious!! Even after making three batches in two days (to get the recipe right) and eating nearly twenty cinnamon rolls (I wasn’t about to let the first two batches go to waste!), I could still make and eat these every single day. With Thanksgiving right around the corner though, I think I’ll wait to enjoy this special treat on that oh-so special day. I hope you enjoy these rolls as much as I do! And maybe they can become a tradition at your home, too .

[print_this]Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – Gluten-free + Vegan
Makes approximately 8 rolls

Ingredients:

For the rolls:

• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ cup sorghum flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil (room temperature, not melted)
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree (or applesauce)
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• ½ Tbs. vanilla extract

For the filling:

• 2/3 cup raisins
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

For the icing:

• 3 Tbs. coconut butter
• 2 Tbs. almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
• 10 drops liquid stevia

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Also, spread a large sheet of parchment across a flat surface.

Combine the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt) together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the wet ingredients (coconut oil through vanilla extract) in a separate bowl and whisk together. Be sure to use room temperature coconut oil and not melted, which will make the dough too wet.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine everything until dough is formed.

Sprinkle some flour on your large sheet of parchment paper and on a rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll the dough out into a large square or rectangle, between ¼ and ½-inch thick.

To make the filling, add all of the ingredients to your food processor and blend until the mixture is somewhat smooth. Pour the mixture on the dough and use your finger to spread the filling evenly, leaving about an inch of uncovered dough on the edges closest to and furthest from you.

Now it’s time to roll the dough! Lift up the edge of the parchment paper that’s closest to you and gently tuck the dough in as you go, which will help to create a tighter roll in the beginning. Continue slowly lifting the parchment paper, using it to guide the dough as you roll. Be sure to do this slowly and carefully!

Once your done rolling the dough, use a sharp knife to gently slice the dough into 2-inch-thick rolls. If your dough seems too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes first. Once sliced, place the rolls cut-side down in your parchment-lined cake pan, leaving some space between each roll.

Bake in the preheated oven for approx. 15 minutes. Watch the rolls carefully and remove from the oven when they begin to brown a bit on the edges. When ready, remove from the oven and allow the rolls to cool for at least 5 minutes. I know this is hard, but the longer you wait, the more they’ll hold together.

While waiting on the rolls, prepare your icing. Melt the coconut butter in a double broiler or in a small bowl placed in hot (not boiling) water. Once the coconut butter has melted, add the almond milk, vanilla extract, and stevia and whisk everything together until smooth and pourable.

When the rolls are ready, drizzle the icing on top, serve, and enjoy!

*Note: If you don’t have a problem with gums, you can add ½ tsp. xantham or guar gum to the dry ingredients when making the rolls to help bind the dough. Unfortunately, these gums have always caused me digestive problems so I try to avoid them.

*These rolls are also delicious as leftovers (if they last that long). I stored my leftovers in the fridge and baked them the next day at 350 degrees for ten minutes.[/print_this]

My name is Rachel and I’m the lady behind Almonds & Avocados.  I live in Dallas and recently returned to school so that I can become an Elementary school teacher! Although I’m passionate about teaching, I’m also extremely passionate about healthy living. Every second of free time is either spent with my boys—my hubs and stepson—or playing around in the kitchen and coming up with healthy, fresh, gluten-free, and vegan recipes.

Visit Rachel’s blog Almonds & Avocados

You can also follow Rachel on:

Twitter: @Angel53535
Pinterest: @angel53535