Who says vegans have nothing delicious to eat?  Certainly not me.  Not with these Vegan and Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls.  Today I am going on day five of my Vegan Challenge, and I must say, aside from a few accidental blunders on day two, things are going very well.  It is difficult to say the impact it has made on my body yet (it has not even been a week), but I am sure that after I get finished with my hectic week ahead, I can focus on fine-tuning my body and health.  Last week was a bit stressful on me, so that is why I decided to treat myself to a yummy Sunday breakfast.Before I get to this morning’s breakfast, let me go through my week of tests, stress, and chaos.  Actually, I am handling school stress a lot better than usual.  I have been trying to stay on top of things, but sometimes, when I just do not even understand the subject matter it makes it impossible practice and study–I’m looking at you Electrical Engineering Circuits class… That on top of some ongoing, unwelcome drama (I am not a fan of unnecessary woman drama) and lack of sleep made for a hectic week. So, to deal with my stress, I may have visited Starbucks a little more times than I care to admit.  I have been getting a chai tea with 1 pump pumpkin spice.  Every time I go, the barista says she has been dying to try my fall creation.  Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Also, on Friday, to celebrate the end of my crazy week, I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a few items, include Food Network Magazine.  It was nice to unwind that afternoon with the house to myself reading on the porch–with more Starbucks of course.

Now that a new week is beginning, I wanted to start it off right–with cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients

Filling:

• ¾ cup blonde coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• ¼ cup cane sugar
• 3 heaping tsp cinnamon
• ¹/8 tsp ground cloves (I used Pumpkin Pie spice this time)
• ¹/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan “Butter” (melted)

Dough:

• 2½ cup gluten-free flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp xanthum gum
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp Vegan “Butter” (melted)
• 1 ½ cup “buttermilK” (1 ½ cup almond milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)

Glaze:

• 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp hot water

Begin by mixing the filling dry ingredients together.  Once combined, whisk in the melter “butter” until a wet sand texture is revealed.  Set this mixture aside and preheat the oven to 425ºF.Mix the dry ingredients of the dough together.  Whisk the “buttermilk” and “butter” together in a separate bowl, then slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients.  Once combined, knead the dough with some flour to thoroughly adhere the dough together.  Then, roll the dough onto a pan lined with parchment paper into a rectangle.  Brush on some melted “butter” and pour the filling crumble on top of the dough.  Begin rolling the dough into a log fixing any cracks that appear along the way.  Slice the log into about 10 rolls and place together in a greased pan.  It is okay for the rolls to touch.  In fact, I think it makes them even tastier ;) Sprinkle any left over filling on top of the rolls and bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes.While the rolls are baking, mix all of the glaze ingredients together to create a thick, yet still runny consistency.  Add more powdered sugar to make it thicker and more water to thin your glaze out if needed.  After the rolls are out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes before topping with glaze.

ENJOY!!!