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Frosted Apple Cinnamon Rolls

I think fast food, and fried foods, in particular, smell horrendous.  On the other hand, I am the first to admit that the smell of a Cinnabon is absolutely mouthwatering.  But it’s been at least 20 years since I had one since those babies are absolute nutritional nightmares.  Nothing more than trans fat, white flour, and a whole whack of sugar.

 Instead, I make my own cinnamon rolls, using a whole grain dough and minimal fat or sugar.  This variation, in fact, has no refined sugar even in the frosting.  They are also A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  I can’t be bothered to make dough from scratch, so I cheat and use Bob’s Red Mill dough mix, and make it in our bread maker, but if you are more ambitious than I, just prepare your favorite whole grain dough recipe, vegan, gluten-free or whatever suits your fancy.  You could also add in chopped nuts, dried apples or raisins if you wish.

I have discovered that quark is a fantastic base for icing.  It is thick, rich and creamy, but low-calorie and fat-free!  Hello!  No need to even use a blender, I mixed up the frosting by hand.

Cinnamon Rolls

650g whole grain dough (I used Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain bread dough mix and prepared as per directions)
1 cup unsweetened apple butter (or pear or plum butter)
2 tbls stevia baking blend (optional)
3+  tbls ground cinnamon
¼ - ½ cup molasses or maple syrup (use ½ cup if you choose to make 8 smaller rolls)

Roll out prepared dough into a long rectangle, about 1 mm thick.  Spread with apple butter, stevia, and cinnamon and roll up.  Slice into desired number of rolls (I made 4 gigantic ones, but you can make 8 smaller ones).  Spray baking dish (8x8 for 4, 9x12 for 8) with non-stick spray, pour molasses or maple syrup into the bottom and spread around.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Place rolls side-by-side in the pan with spiral side up.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  Cover with foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until golden.  Let cool and then frost.


 Frosting

 ½ 375g container of quark
2 tbls stevia baking blend, or to taste
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
¼  tsp cinnamon

Mix  together ingredients for frosting and spread onto rolls.  Keep refrigerated and warm in the microwave before serving.

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