Delicious Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (and nearly fat free!)

Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite foods, especially during the winter!  The past few days my family and I enjoyed these amazing cinnamon rolls as part of our movie nights and they went over very well!  Also, it works great to double the dough recipe and put it in the fridge for another day!  While traditional cinnamon rolls are very high in fat and low in nutrients, a few tweaks in the recipe omitted nearly all of the fat, and almost all of the ingredients have nutritional value of some sort!  The all-star ingredients in the recipe are pumpkin puree and applesauce, which replace butter or oil completely and leave the cinnamon rolls super moist!  Also, the rolls are made with whole wheat flour for added fiber.


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about 10 rolls
Dough:
3/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp dry yeast

Filling:
2/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Glaze:
lots of powdered sugar (start with 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to achieve the right consistency

Mix dough ingredients together using a mixer or by hand.  Kneed for about ten minutes.  After you have kneeded the dough, place it in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray, and flip it over to ensure it is all covered in the spray.  Allow it to rise for about an hour, or once it has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling.  Simply mix the filling ingredients together.

After the dough has risen, kneed it a little more before rolling it into a rectangle on a floured surface.  It should be about a half inch thick.  Pour/spread your cinnamon mixture about an inch or two above the bottom edge of the dough and begin to roll upwards.  I find this technique works well since the filling gradually oozes towards the other side of the dough anyway.  Cut about 10 rolls and place on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.  Let rise for about a half hour.

While they are rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake the rolls for about 18-20 minutes or until they are lightly browned.  While they are baking, you can prepare the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  When the rolls are out of the oven, drizzle with glaze as you wish, and enjoy your delicious feast!

Nutrition Facts:
(1 roll)
Calories: 232
Fat: .5 g
Fiber: 5.5 g
Sugar: 26 g (4.5 g natural sugars)
Protein: 4 g