LA Educator Jess Margilio whips up some cinnamon rolls for ACE’s Meatless Monday recipe. This blog is part of our Less Meat March series. 

My friend Travis Utke came to visit me all the way from Milwaukee, WI! Travis and I met while working at a coffeeshop in Washington DC, and we bonded over our mutual love of coffee and home-baked vegan pastries.

Travis and I thought it would be fun to bake together while he was here. We found a great cinnamon roll recipe and decided to share it with all of you! It’s based off of this recipe, adapted slightly for the items we had available to us.

Prep time: about 20 minutes plus 1 hour rising time

Baking time: about 10-15min

Ingredients:
1 cup warm almond milk
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar, divided
1 (2 1/4 teaspoons) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup vegan margarine, melted
½ cup applesauce
2 tbs baking powder
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 tablespoons cinnamon
pinch of cloves
Pinch of cardamom
vegan margarine (for spreading on rolled dough)

Icing:
1 heaping cup of powdered sugar
½ cup water

Preheat oven to 400F

– Place the warm nondairy milk, pinch of the sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
– Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.
– Add the melted butter substitute, granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/2 the flour, and lastly the salt.
– Add the rest of the flour in two intervals. Knead it for about 3 minutes until it’s soft and pliable.
– Let rise for 1 hour.
– Meanwhile, mix together all the spices.
– Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
– Once the dough has risen, flour a clean surface as needed and roll the dough out into a rectangle.
– Spread a pat of the butter on dough.
– Sprinkle on  the spices as evenly as possible.
– Roll it up width wise, cut into 12 equal lengths.
– Place cinnamon rolls onto the pan and bake for about 10 minutes or more. They should be slightly soft when you take them out.
– Mix together water and powdered sugar and pour all over rolls
– (Optional): Surprise your sleepy friends with a fresh baked cinnamon roll!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi42gXcIEZk