Dining In - Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls - Chloe's Kitchen

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Heavenly, rich, sweet, decadent, delicious, mouthwatering - just a few words to describe these cinnamon rolls from Chloe's Kitchen. As much as you'll want to hoard these for yourself, they are heavy so be prepared to share and you'll automatically win over friends and family. I have fond memories of making Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on the occasional Sunday morning growing up. I remember popping that cardboard container and waiting not-so-patiently for the rolls to be done so I could enjoy the warm, sweet, soft breakfast dessert. These are SO much better! I felt proud to make my first-ever batch of cinnamon rolls from scratch, despite the hours involved. There was more satisfaction eating one of these bad boys than something I pulled off a grocery store shelf. 

Not to discourage you from trying this recipe, but just a disclaimer - I don't see how you could make this for breakfast unless you woke up at 5am to prepare it! That said, Chloe does leave a note in her recipe about preparing the night before. I will take her up on that advice next time, as this ended up being an afternoon treat for me and my boyfriend. There are a number of steps involved as you'll see below and most of the prep time is spent waiting on the dough to rise or rest. Stick with it though, the end result will make you smile! You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).  

Cinnamon Roll Dough:
1 cup plain almond milk
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, for later
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

Ingredients for Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 warm water
1 packet active yeast
4 1/2 cups flour

Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar 
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted Earth Balance
1 cup raisins

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water

Stir together almond milk, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and margarine in a small saucepan and heat on low until the margarine has melted. Remove from heat and let cool until you can touch it without it burning. 

Stir warm water, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and full packet of yeast in a liquid measuring cup. Let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast will cause the mixture to rise to about the 3/4 cup mark. 

Combine yeast mixture and milk and margarine mixture with a stand mixer (recommended paddle or whisk). Beat for a minute on medium. Get your flour ready and on low speed add in 2 1/2 cups flour. Keep mixing for 2 minutes and add last 2 cups of flour. Beat for 1 minute to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Dough will be very thick and sticky. Remove from bowl and knead for a couple minutes. 

Pour a little bit of canola oil in a large bowl, place in ball of dough and move around so it's covered in oil. Cover bowl with a dry towel. Let sit for 1 1/2 hours, dough should double in size. 

Punch in center of dough so it deflates and remove from bowl. Lightly flour a flat surface and put the dough on it. Cover again with dry towel and wait 10 minutes. 

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin. You want to make a rectangle that is about as wide as the long side of your pan and about 20 inches in length. 

Using a pastry brush, cover dough with melted margarine. Mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Now sprinkle this mixture and the raisins over your dough (see photo). 

Roll the doll into a log on the long side. Cut in half. Cut each half into 6 (will be about 1 1/2 inches). You want to have 12 rolls. Place the rolls into your greased pan. They will expand so leave some space in between if you can. 

Last wait time I promise - cover your pan with rolls for 1 hour. 

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Mix powdered sugar and water in a small bowl. Pour the icing over the cooked rolls. Give it time to set before diving in!