Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Frosting.

Truth be told.. I think I actually enjoy the process of making cinnamon rolls just as much as I enjoy eating them.

Making Cinnamon Rolls. There is something so satisfying about rolling out a ball of homemade dough, then slathering it in rich delicious spiced sugar filling – vanilla, walnuts, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.

The next step is to carefully roll up the dough up into a long tube – securing all those precious flavors inside. Next comes the best part. I slice each round. Each round that will bloom into a perfect, fluffy, moist sticky bun. With each measurement I size up just how “grande” I want my rolls to be.

After each slice I take a peek at that perfect seashell shaped swirl. What seemed like such a messy process so far, suddenly looks so ordered and ideal inside that perfect uniform swirl – the fluffy cream dough swirling with the deep bronze cinnamon walnut filling.

Then I snuggly place each delicate swirl into a cozy round baking dish. And into the oven they go. As they bake, the magic happens. Those dense rolls of dough puff up and that cinnamon filling bubbles and shimmers in the glow of the hot oven. The house fills with an intoxicating aroma of Sunday morning. It may be the start of the week, but I have no problem starting it off with fresh baked cinnamon buns…

Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Frosting
vegan, makes 7-8 rolls

Dough:
3 1/2 – 4 cups white flour (or use your favorite flour)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 stick vegan butter, melted (8 tablespoons)
1 cup soy or almond milk
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon or orange or tangerine juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
plenty of flour for kneading/surface

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cups raw walnuts, minced in a food processor/Vitamix

Topping:
2-3 Tbsp crushed walnuts
2-3 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp maple syrup drizzled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients from dough. Add in wet liquid and work into a ball. Knead until a dough ball forms. Add a splash more soy milk or a few dashes more flour to even the consistency out if needed. Dough should be soft – not tough – yet thick enough to roll out into a one inch thick piece.
3. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a loose rectangle shape. About 3/4″ – 1″ thick.
4. Brush or drizzle the melted butter over top dough.
5. Over top the vegan butter layer, sprinkle the cinnamon – generously. Add nutmeg.
6. Evenly distribute walnuts and brown sugar over top that – just as you would dress a pizza with toppings!
7. Carefully roll your dough up from one end until a tight spiral inside a long tube is reached.
8. Slice your rolls. About 1 1/2″ thick.

9. Tightly place the rounds in a vegan butter greased dish – I used a 9″ round baking dish.

10. Add the topping layer over top the rolls.
11. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Cool a few minutes and serve warm with orange cream frosting over top (recipe below)

Orange Cream Frosting
8 ounce vegan cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup orange juice (fresh)
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 dash cayenne
1 Tbsp vegan butter, softened
Blend with hand mixer. Chill until ready to serve.

And if you want a more basic cinnamon roll recipe – try this one! (photo below)