Not long ago, I attended the Blissdom Canada conference which took place at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood, Ontario. The conference ticket included excursions in the area which was a nice bonus. The choices included zip lining, an apple orchard visit, pottery making, a spa experience, a cooking class at the Collingwood Cooking Academy…and many more. I, of course, chose the Cooking Academy class. Once I saw the list, I didn’t even have to think twice about it.
The Collingwood Cooking Academy is run by Chef Philip Tarlo who was a great teacher, very entertaining, and fun. As we were cooking, he offered little tips and tricks about baking and cooking that we could use in our own kitchens. I love that kind of stuff.
Since the class took place in early fall, it was apple season so everything we made that day, revolved around apples.
We made an apple loaf, apple strudel, crepes, and mini apple pies. If you follow me on Instagram (if you’re not, you can do so here!), you would have seen this pic of one of the pies I was making:
When it came time to make the apple strudel, he took a poll of all the attendees to see who liked raisins and who would be including them in their strudels. I was one of two who like raisins (the class had about 18 people). What’s with the hate for raisins? I love to use them in my baking…they are a definite must in coconut raisin banana bread!
So all that to say, the apple raisin strudel I made that day inspired these gorgeous and delicious apple raisin cinnamon rolls.
I don’t get to enjoy cinnamon rolls myself too often because wheat and I aren’t the best of friends, but I make them for my family every now and then. When I do make them, I make them plain or I just add raisins. This time, since it was fall and I had just taken the apple cooking class, I decided to add some chopped apples because I knew they would make a great addition.
And I was right. The apples make these rolls extra special. They aren’t too sweet and they pair perfectly with a cup of tea. Mmm…
You’ll notice that there is no white glaze on these apple raisin cinnamon rolls. I prefer to not add a glaze. *Gasp*
She likes raisins AND doesn’t like icing on her cinnamon rolls? WHUT?
The reason? I don’t like the extra sweetness, I think they’re perfect just the way they are. For a special occasion, maybe. But if I’m making them, just because? No need for glaze. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add it to yours (see below for a quick recipe).
After you make your own apple raisin cinnamon rolls, store them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for a few days. But really, they won’t last long, so no need to worry about them going bad!
- Before you add the raisins, follow this tip to ensure they are plump and juicy!
- To make a glaze, simply mix 1 cup of icing sugar with a 1/2 tsp of vanilla and non-dairy milk (add 2 tablespoons of the milk to start, mix, then continue adding very small amounts of milk at a time until it reaches the desired consistency)
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How to Make Easy Vegan Apple Raisin Cinnamon Rolls
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3/4 cup room temperature/lukewarm unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use almond)
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 apple , chopped (I use a Gala apple)
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In your stand mixer bowl, add the yeast, 1 tsp of sugar, and lukewarm water. Let stand for a few minutes.
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When the yeast has foamed up, add the room temperature/lukewarm milk, oil, salt, ground cinnamon, sugar and 1 cup of flour. Mix with a spoon to combine.
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Put stand mixer bowl in place, add 2 more cups of flour and using the dough hook, allow the mixer to knead.
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If the dough is sticky, add flour 1/2 cup at a time.
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Let mixer knead dough for about 4 minutes and until it is no longer sticky.
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Remove dough from mixer bowl and oil the inside lightly. Place dough back in bowl, cover with a towel and let it sit in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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After the hour has passed, punch the dough down and let it sit for a few minutes while you prepare the pan and filling.
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Line an 11" x 13" pan with parchment paper. Allow an overhang on each side so they can be easily removed from the pan when done.
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Slice apples into 3/4" pieces (see images above to get an idea of how they should look).
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Prepare raisins (see tip above).
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In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and the cinnamon.
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Lightly flour your work surface, stretch and roll your dough into a rectangle that is approximately 12" x 18".
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Brush melted coconut oil over the entire surface.
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Sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture onto dough.
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Sprinkle raisins and then apples onto the dough.
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From the long side, firmly roll the dough. Roll slowly to ensure it is tight as can be.
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Pinch the entire length of the seam to seal and turn the entire roll seam side down so it's at the bottom.
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Slice off an inch of dough from each end.
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Slice the roll into 12 slices.
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Place each slice into the parchment lined pan. It's OK if they are close together.
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Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot. Let rise for 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 375°F.
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After the rolls have rested, bake for about 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
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Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes in pan.
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Remove using parchment paper overhang and place on a cooling rack.
- I use my stand mixer to knead the dough, if you don't have a stand mixer, knead by hand.
- If adding a glaze, add it while the rolls are still warm.
- These buns are their best when served warm, but of course, you may not be able to serve all 12 while they are still warm! After they have cooled, store in an airtight container and warm up when serving again.
Adapted from Cinnamon Rolls recipe found in Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch.
rachel @ athletic avocado says
I can’t believe these are vegan, they look so perfect!
Gwen says
100% vegan! I’m biased, but I think they *are* pretty perfect 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Melissa says
These are great! My family used to eat Dutch raisin rolls that are not too sweet and these reminded me of them (except that they are basically just a roll and have no cinnamon). I totally agree about glazes as well, they just make things too sweet, more like a dessert than a breakfast or tea roll. Thanks for the recipe!
Gwen says
I’m glad you liked them, Melissa! Thank you! I love that about this recipe, that they are not too sweet they are just perfect 🙂
Carol says
We have a B&B and one of our guests, who returns often, is vegan. We’re always looking for new recipes so that she never eats the same thing twice (which we do for all our returning guests). They turned out OMG SO GOOD! I will never use another cinnamon bun recipe. We had 4 people at the table today and made the full recipe of 12. They are all gone so I can’t tell you how they would be left over. I actually made them the night before through step 20, stashed them in the frig and baked them in the morning. It took 30+ minutes to bake since they were cold. We have a way of checking doneness using a meat thermometer. When the buns in the middle of the pan reached 190f, they are perfect.
Gwen says
I am so happy you decided to try out this recipe and that you and your guests loved them, Carol! When I make these, I always make and bake them in the same day but I will definitely try out your trick with refrigerating and the thermometer next time and we can have them first thing in the morning. Thanks for sharing that! 🙂
Beatriz says
OMG……I justjust made this and we ate half of the sheet …theyare insanely good. The
Only difference is that I let them rise for more time than directed. I basically looked at them and when I saw that doubled the size I prepared them. I did the same when they had the filling…waited until they dobled…Thank you…thank you
Gwen says
LOL! Beatriz, your comments made me smile! I LOVE that you LOVE how they turned out. And that’s not a problem that you let them rise for a little longer than the recipe says. Depending on where you live and the temperature of your home, it may take a little longer to double (or it could even happen faster). So it’s great that you adjusted because they took a little longer.
Beatriz says
I wish I can send you a pic…I served them with icing….I have a really simple recipe…sorry about the typos on my previous comment. ..sugar rush…DELI…The best
Gwen says
The typos are forgiven 🙂 Now I feel like making them again…hmm…maybe tomorrow! Thanks for your comments, Beatriz. They truly made me happy to know you like the recipe!
Charlotte says
I’m drooling right now. These look AMAZING.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Thanks so much, Charlotte! This is actually one of my favourite recipes on my site, so I can vouch for the fact that they are, indeed, AMAZING 🙂