Gluten Free Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

I’m probably not the only one to be mesmerized by cinnamon rolls. They are hot, warm, gooey, and magically delicious. I also devour anything that has even a hint of cinnamon, so that definitely helps. I think it’s because it’s one of the few spices that I am able to taste, combined with the unique texture that makes cinnamon sugar cookies so alluring. I’ll put cinnamon sugar on just about everything (including chicken wings!) but it’s actually my husband who has named cinnamon rolls his favorite dessert.

And with his birthday coming up, what’s a girl to do but whip up a batch so he can enjoy a yummy cinnamon roll breakfast every day of his birthday week?

Ingredients

For the dough:

-1/4 cup sour cream + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
-3 tbsp lukewarm water
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tbsp active dry yeast
-1/8 tp ginger
-2 1/2 cups almond flour
-6 tbsp flaxseed meal
-5 tbsp protein powder (unflavored)
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tsp xanthan gum
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-3 eggs
-2 tbsp melted butter
-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the filling:

-3 tbsp butter, room temperature
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tbsp cinnamon

For the glaze:

-1/3 cup cream cheese
-3 tbsp butter
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/8 tsp salt
-almond milk or heavy cream, if needed

Steps

Mix sour cream, water, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and heat it over a water bath until it’s slightly warm to the touch to feed the yeast.
Add the yeast and ginger in a large bowl. Pour your mix over the yeast, cover it with a towel, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If the mixture doesn’t look bubbly, try again! If the water is too cold, the yeast won’t activate, and if the water is too hot, the heat will kill it, so it might take some trial and error to get this part down!
Mix together the almond flour, flaxseed meal, protein powder, sugar, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder to a medium bowl and whisk until combined, then set aside.
After the yeast is proofed, add in the eggs, melted butter, and vinegar. Mix until fully combined. It should be thick and sticky at this point.
Using a wet rubber spatula, turn the dough out into onto a cutting board and roll out into a rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, leaving about a one inch strip at the top of the dough.
Start rolling the dough as tightly as you can, making sure to seal the edge when you’re done. Start cutting your “rolls,” lightly pressing them down to keep their shape.
Put your cinnamon rolls in a 10″ cast iron pan. It’s okay if they are touching. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit for a full hour so that the dough can double in size.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You can make the glaze while the dough is proofing by mixing together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add milk, almond milk, or heavy cream a teaspoon at a time until it’s the consistency you desire.
When the dough is proofed, bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. The less time you bake them for, the more gooey they will be, so don’t worry about overcooking them, as they will continue to cook while cooling in the pan!
Spread the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls that you plan on eating, and save the rest of the glaze for later.
Enjoy!