Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

My family will mostly be together for Christmas at my house this year! In honor of the vegans, I will use plant-based ingredients to replace dairy in this recipe, shared by my daughter.

Honey and I often enjoy cinnamon rolls on weekends, but we try to keep the batches small. Not this time! I will double this, because I want at least a 13x9” pan of them. I usually use yeast, so this is a bit out of my comfort zone!

I’m used to rolling, then cutting, not the other way around, too. Either way, yum! We’re going to have these on Christmas morning, I may make ahead!

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

•            2 Sweet Potatoes, medium, cooked, peeled and mashed . You can use butternut squash or canned pumpkin!

•            2 tbsp Maple Syrup or Honey

•            2 cups Flour

•            2 tsp Baking Powder

•            ¼ tsp Baking Soda

For the Filling

•              ⅓ cup Brown Sugar

•              3 tsp Cinnamon

•              2 tbsp  Oil or melted Butter

Equipment

•              2 mixing bowls

•              Clean kitchen surface

•              Baking dish, 8x8, or cast iron pan- either should be greased

•              Pizza Cutter

Instructions 

•              Heat the oven to 400F. Pierce the skin of your sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes for about an hour, until the inside is soft and squishy. Allow the potatoes to cool down, then peel off the skin. Or, replace with other vegetables suggested above or use canned substitutes.

•              In a bowl, mixed the mashed sweet potato with the maple syrup or honey until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add in the flour to the sweet potato mixture, half a cup at a time, and mix well until a dough is formed. You can use your hands to knead the dough into a firm ball, ensuring the sweet potato and flour are incorporated. Once the dough is formed into a firm ball, cover with a tea towel and allow that to rest for half an hour, and up to an hour. 

•              On a floured working surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle, approximately 10 by 15 inches. Brush the dough with a little bit of melted butter, or oil, then sprinkle on the cinnamon and brown sugar. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 1 inch wide strips. Roll into cinnamon rolls. 

•              Place the rolls into a greased baking dish or cast iron pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Once done, serve warm with icing as desired.