It's not December is it? Because my girls are still wearing their Halloween Costumes, and I think my husband just threw away out our pumpkins last week.
Although, I feel like it is December because we've had treat after treat being dropped off at our house and I've been consuming more than enough peppermint, eggnog, and gingerbread sugary treats.
I've learned that being pregnant in December is just cruel, because you already have food aversions to healthy foods, and carbs and sweets are the ONLY thing that sounds good. Throw in the cold weather, which equals sweat pants and oversized sweaters and well...
HOLY CRAP. I now have a baby bump in the front....
And in the trunk.
Fast forward to cinnamon rolls.
My daughter and I have this cooking bond, which is my most favorite thing in the whole wide world. She will watch cooking shows, look at food pictures, and be right beside me in the kitchen.
Lately her and I have been recording every episode of The Pioneer Woman. Boo loves her show the most, and I think because a lot of her food looks.so.good!
That and she has horses, dogs, a farm, and usually dessert ready to eat when desired. Every 4 year olds dream right?!
And mine.
During one episode she made these delicious orange rolls that seemed SO easy to make. I loved how she made everything in a pot, and I could let the dough sit in the fridge for two days and pull it out when we needed.
Of coarse her rolls are amazingly delicious as is, but I decided I wanted to play around with the ingredients to see if I could make them using coconut oil and sugar.
I've made cinnamon rolls before using those ingredients, so I was excited to try this version with a citrus twist! I think cinnamon rolls are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast, and Orange rolls seem even better!
My little helper. She snacked on blueberries while spreading the marmalade. And by snacked I mean ate the entire thing.
She's currently at a pack a day. I'm worried.
One thing I've always done with cinnamon rolls is cut them using dental floss. It's something my high school boyfriends mom taught me. (HI!!) She was a great cook, and I would often try and help her in the kitchen.
Then we would all joke how I was a horrible cook.
And now I have a food blog.
The great thing about these rolls is that the dough can sit in the fridge for at least a day or two, so if you want fresh warm rolls in the morning, you don't have to start the rising process at 3 a.m. All it requires is about an hour of rising, so now you can start at 5 am. (Because who sleeps in on Christmas morning?!)
Oh yea, my husband.
Ba Humbug.
I'm so glad that Christmas morning is only two weeks away, because I don't think I can wait any longer to have something sweet!
Oh wait...Is that the doorbell?
- 2 c. full fat coconut milk, regular milk, or milk of choice
- 1/2 c. coconut oil
- 1/2 c. coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- 4 cups, plus 1/2 c. extra reserved, flour. (You can do half whole wheat half all purpose)
- 1/2 tsp. heaping baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 TB. salt
- Melted coconut oil for the inside
- coconut sugar for the inside
- orange marmalade (a natural brand)
- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves for the inside
- sprinkle of salt for the inside
- To make the dough:
- In a pot over the stove, heat milk, oil, and sugar.
- Whisk together and heat just until the mixture begins to boil. Then remove from heat and let cool until the mixture reaches 110 degrees. I use a candy thermometer.
- When it's cooled down so it's warm but not hot, sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- Let it sit for a few minutes.
- Then add in the four cups of flour, and stir together with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to over mix too much.
- Let the lid sit on top of the pot in a warm place and let it rise for at least an hour. You want it to almost double.
- Once that happens, then add in the remaining 1/2 flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir together.
- You can make the rolls immediately, or cover and put in the fridge for the next morning, or a day or two later.
- When you are ready to make the rolls, get the dough out of the fridge and roll it into a large rectangular shape.
- Spread a layer of orange marmalade over top the dough, followed by some melted coconut oil to coat the entire surface. Then sprinkle on some coconut sugar, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. (I didn't measure, I just kind of sprinkled over the top until it was coated. (Not heavily with spices, but just enough.)
- Begin to roll the dough, starting with one side and working your way to the other.
- Cut the rolls and place on a baking sheet.
- Let the rolls rise for at least an hour. (If the dough isn't cold from the fridge it might not take that long.)
- Bake the rolls at 375 for 15-18 minutes, or until desired. (We like ours a little under cooked.)
- Top with the glaze or frosting of choice immediately.
- For the glaze I used the pioneer woman's recipe, only because my husband insisted, but you can use a healthier recipe by using cream cheese, some honey, orange juice, vanilla, and orange zest!
For the original recipe go HERE on the Pioneer Womans site.
For a healthy frosting recipe, check this out HERE on Naturally Sweet Recipes.
My husband insisted if I was making the rolls 'healthier, (as if I was putting kale in them), he wanted the original frosting. He was in charge of pouring it on and well...they were swimming in it.
I removed the rolls onto a separate tray so they didn't become soft little pillows of sugar. Although, that sounds good.
I promise I'll post a non-sweet recipe next time. Something with kale. :)