Whole Wheat Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls

I saw this idea on pinterest the other day when I was looking for holiday treat ideas. The recipe I saw on pinterest were full-fat, white flour, non-vegan cinnamon rolls. I had to take on the challenge of making a healthy vegan version. I've only made cinnamon rolls once before, and they didn't come out like I wanted. Something about using yeast makes me nervous. If the liquid is too hot, the yeast will die, if it is too cold, they will stay dormant. Using a candy thermometer is probably the best way to make sure that your yeast will activate, but, I couldn't find mine! So, without my candy thermometer, I decided to give these rolls a shot.

I'm so glad I decided to make these, they were scrumptious! As soon as they came out of the oven, I pulled one straight out of the pan and sunk my teeth into it. When it comes to food, I'm not very patient.

Ingredients (makes 10 rolls): 

Rolls

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp agave nectar 
• 1 1/4 oz package of dry active yeast 
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour 
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you'll need to save a little for when you knead the dough and roll it out) 

Raspberry Filling - Put all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture becomes a thick sauce.

• 1 cup frozen raspberries 
• 1/3 cup agave nectar or maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup organic brown or turbinado sugar 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger 

Cashew Icing - Put all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture becomes a smooth icing.

• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 2-4 tbsp agave nectar (depending on how sweet you like it) 
• 3 tbsp almond milk 

Directions:

Starting with the whole wheat rolls, heat the almond milk in a large bowl until it is luke warm. Pour in agave nectar the package of yeast and stir. Let this sit for 5 minutes and then add the melted coconut oil. In a separate bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and knead the dough for 5 minutes (you can use a bread mixer, but your hands will do just fine). Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Let this dough sit in a dark warm spot overnight or for 7-8 hours. After it has doubled in size, knead the dough again on a floured surface. This time, add 2 handfuls of the whole wheat pastry flour and white flour as you knead (so the dough doesn't get too sticky). Next, roll out the dough and spread the raspberry filling over the top. 

 Roll it up and slice into 10 equal pieces.

Put the pieces into a pan and let it rise again for 1 hour.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Let cool and drizzle the top with the Cashew Icing.
Enjoy!