I grew up with these treats my entire life, and there was no way I was going to give them up when I went vegan. So I figured out how to make these amazing treats vegan without sacrificing the flavor. Technically they’re called Caramel Rolls, however, I grew up calling them cinnamon rolls. Either way, they’re to die for! The best part is, you can make them whatever size you want, and they freeze exceptionally well! Stick them in the microwave with some extra vegan butter on top, and wa-la! You have a delicious cinnamon roll!
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 packages or spoonfuls of dry active yeast*
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/3 c lukewarm water
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
4 c flour**
1/3 c whole wheat flour (optional)
1/4 c molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 c non-diary milk
1 c vegan butter or margarine
2 vegan eggs***
2/3 c Raisins (optional)
Notes:
*You can also use instant yeast
**You’re going to need a lot more flour, but start with 4 cups for now
***I’ve found that flaxseed eggs or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer are the best for the doughs
Filling:
(I didn’t put any specific measurements of these because it’s up to you. Want a lot of butter? Go for it! Want more cinnamon than sugar or vice versa? It’s your blank canvas to fill how you want. So have fun and let your inner child run free.)
Vegan Butter
Cinnamon
Granulated Sugar
Caramel Topping:
(Again, no measurements here, because it depends on how much you want of everything)
Brown sugar
Vegan Butter
Non-diary milk
Directions:
Dough:
In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast, and stir gently until the yeast is covered with water. Set aside
In another small bowl, make the vegan eggs*
In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the 1 cup of vegan butter and the 2 cups of nondairy milk in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until the butter is melted**
In the mixer bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sugar, salt, flours, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and vanilla extract, and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed
Pour the butter and milk mixture into the mixer bowl and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. (This also helps to cool the butter and milk down so when you add the yeast later, the heat doesn’t kill it.)
Add the vegan eggs in, and again, mix until well combined
Check the heat of the bowl and the dough, if it’s warm, but not hot, you’re good to put the yeast mixture in and mix until well combined. If it’s still hot, give the dough a few minutes to cool down
Add the raisins if you’re using them
While the dough kneads in the mixer, add flour about 1 or 1/2 cup at a time until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl***
Flip the dough out onto a slightly floured workspace and knead the dough adding flour if it’s sticking, until the dough has a shiny exterior and holds its shape when you flop it onto the counter
Get a bowl that’s double or triple the size of your dough, and put about a quarter size of oil (olive or canola or whatever kind you want) in the bowl
Place the dough in the bowl making sure to coat the entire dough with the oil so no skin forms
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside for a few hours or until the dough is double in size
Caramel Topping:
Get an 8x8 or 9x9 and a 9x13 pan and either spray with oil, or grease it with more butter. Be sure to coat the pans extremely well so the caramel doesn’t stick
Cover the bottoms of the pans with brown sugar (you don’t want to skimp with this either)
Put slices of butter evenly throughout the pans (again, don’t skimp, the butter helps the sugar to caramelize)
Pour about teaspoon sizes of non-dairy milk in between the butter throughout the pans
Set aside
Dough:
Punch the dough down once it’s ready to be rolled out
Lightly flour your workspace and roll out the dough into roughly a 10 by 24 inch rectangle and about 1/4 inch thick
Cut off slices of vegan butter and spread them over the dough (make sure you don’t miss any spaces)
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the entire dough
Cut the rectangle in half so you have two about 10 inch by 12 inch rectangles
Roll the doughs up starting from the 10 inch side (you’re rolling length wise so you can have more smaller rolls)
Cut the rolls into 1/2 inch thick pieces and place them in the pans (they are going to get squished in the pans, so don’t worry about giving them space)
Optional: Cover the pans with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let them rise until they’ve doubled in size again
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F
Bake the rolls for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the dough is golden brown
While the rolls are baking, lay out wax freezer paper on the counter (or wax or parchment paper)
Once the rolls are done, take them out and flip them onto the paper (don’t wait for them to cool or else you might have a hard time getting them out of the pan)
Let them cool slightly, and enjoy!
These freeze extremely well for up to 4 months
If they’re slightly dry, just melt some extra butter on top when reheating in the microwave
Notes:
*2 Flaxseed egg: 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 6 tbsp room temperature water. If using an egg replacer, follow the directions on the package and make enough for 2 “eggs”
**I recommend putting a plate over the bowl, so you don’t have to clean up any splatters
***You can just add regular flour, or you can do 3/4 c regular flour and 1/3 c whole wheat