Butternut Cinnamon Rolls (Gluten-Free, Yeast Free & Vegan)
Apr 22, 2011 tagged Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Vegan 
I made these Butternut Cinnamon Rolls a few times. Yes, because they’re that yummy.
Thing is they came out a little different each time.
Just the teeny tiniest bit different depending on exactly what gluten-free flour blend or butternut squash—frozen, canned, fresh—was used.
It’s something that can happen when you bake with substitutions—no gluten, no butter and no eggs. If you substitute an ingredient it will change things just slightly. Or, it may change the recipe in a big way. And, if you substitute a substitute—well that’s just a whole new experiment.
It’s not all bad. It can be interesting. It can be fun. It can be a delicious success.
Butternut Cinnamon Rolls
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
Prepare the filling and set aside. Mix together:
1 cup brown sugar (Look below to learn how to make coconut brown sugar!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup yellow raisins
Whisk together in a large mixing bowl:
2½ cups TSP GF flour blend
¾ teaspoons xanthan gum*
1½ teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer
3 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Blend into the dry mixture, using a large fork (or your hands) until the flour mixture becomes somewhat sandy in consistency:
6 tablespoons cold Earth Balance Buttery Spread
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup mix together:
½ cup organic butternut squash puree**
½ cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Add half the butternut squash mixture to the flour and stir to combine. Continue adding the wet mixture, stirring to combine until it’s all added. This should result in a sticky dough that can be rolled out. If the dough is too moist you can add in a bit more flour a teaspoon at a time—alternately if it’s too dry add more coconut milk a teaspoon at a time—until it reaches the right consistency. If the dough is too firm, however, the rolls won’t be tender.
Line your counter with a large sheet of parchment paper, flour it and turn the dough ball onto it. Pat the dough into a flat rectangular shape. Sprinkle with additional flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Gently roll the dough out into a larger rectangle about 9 inches x 12 inches x 3/8 inch.
Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough allowing a small border without any filling. (You can hold back a few tablespoons of filling if you’d like to sprinkle it over top of the cinnamon rolls before baking.) Gently tap the filling to make sure it adheres to the dough.
This is the tricky part—rolling the dough. Using the parchment paper gently lift the dough along the 12 inch side rolling it in on itself. You’re going to use the paper to help you roll the dough so it’s roll and peel, roll and peel (get it?) until you’ve got a nice log of rolled dough.
Seal the seam by pressing or pinching it. Cut the log into 8 equal slices and arrange them in the cake pan.
Sprinkle any remaining filling over top. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.
*Add xanthan gum if using TSP flour blend. If using an alternative flour blend read the ingredients to see if it already includes xanthan gum. If your preferred GF flour blend already contains does xanthan gum then omit the amount called for in this recipe.
*Fresh and canned butternut squash is a bit denser than the frozen variety. You may need to adjust the liquid measurement slightly depending on the type you use.
How to make coconut brown sugar.
Place one cup coconut sugar and 4 teaspoons molasses in the bowl of a small food processor. Process until mixed…voila! Brown sugar. If you don’t have a small food processor you can mix it together with a fork until combined.
Reader Comments (15)
Nancy these looks amazingly delicious! I am always so impressed with your creations!
What a beautiful combination of flavors. For some reason I always think of butternut for savory dishes but it has a sweetness that would work for sweet ones too. Great idea.
Sounds delicious Nancy! Love the combination of flavors!
Divine. I have been searching for GF YF vegan cinnmon rolls...these looks like they fit the bill.
I'm "pinning" this for my recipes to try!
I bet the butternut squash adds such a great flavor. Love this recipe and your picture. Makes me wish I had cinnamon rolls this morning!
Nancy, these look gorgeous! I bet the butternut squash adds a great flavor. Would probably do so even to gluten cinnamon rolls. You should totally make these to bring to Breakfast on the Sunday at BSP!
p.s. Loving the Easter bunnies :)
I love your photos! They are just so beautiful!
I wanted to let you know that I included this recipe on my recipe swap post this morning. Congratulations and have a great day!
http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2011/04/break-fast.html
xxoo
Tasha - The Clean Eating Mama
Beautiful cinnamon rolls! Can't wait to surprise my sister with these!
These look so delicious. Can't wait to taste them!
These look fabulous. Do you think I could use Almond milk instead of the coconut milk or would it be a bit too thin in consistency?
Pippa - Coconut milk has a higher fat content so it may make a bit of a difference in the end result. But it's always worth a try! Nancy
Isn't it funny how a recipe can come out different every time when you are dealing with gf ingredients? I had that happen with a cake this weekend. This recipe looks just wonderful! I would love to try these!! These look absolutely beautiful!!
xo
k
Oh my heavens, I just made these (using my own GF blend) and they are WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!! These look amazing! I haven't had decent cinnamon roll in I don't know how long.... Will you marry me and make me cinnamon rolls every morning?! ;)
These look just divine!
Wow - these look amazing. What do you think about using pumpkin instead of butternut squash? It would be a different flavor, but I assume a similar texture?