If you need a quick and easy holiday dessert or brunch contribution, try these Two-Bite Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls (with a shortcut ingredient!).
Instead of making a yeasted sweet dough, I used prepared pizza dough. With added sugar on the inside and on the outside of these rolls, having a non-sweet dough works really well – so they don’t taste like a total sugar bomb, and they are quick to prepare!
Ingredients:
- 1 package prepared pizza dough (from the refrigerated section)
- 1 large apple, cut in very thin slices
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon softened plant-based butter
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 cup brown sugar (date paste may also work, but I haven’t tried it)
Make the caramel sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan, place the coconut milk and 1 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking them together. Lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce reduces and starts to thicken. It will thicken more once cool.
Let the pizza dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Roll into a long rectangle, about 4-5 inches wide (I used half a package at a time to make it easier to work with).
Mix together the remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Rub the butter in so all of the brown sugar is coated. On the closest edge of the dough, about 1 inch in, make a line with the sugar mixture. Top with a row of sliced apples (it’s important to use thin slices, so they are fully cooked when the rolls are baked).
Starting with the near edge, bring the dough over the filling and keep rolling it up, to make a long, thin roll. Carefully cut it into small rolls, about 1-1 1/2 inches wide. Place them, cut side up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until they are puffed and golden, and slightly firm to the touch.
Let cool and drizzle with caramel sauce (you’ll have quite a bit left over for other uses). One package of pizza dough makes about 24 two-bite cinnamon rolls.
Kelli's Vegan Kitchen 