Granola Cinnamon Rolls

The Hubs has a fondness for cinnamon rolls.   Actually, it is more than that.   It is an obsession.

His grandmother made the best ones.  I hear that often.  I was not fortunate enough to ever meet this kind lady who would always make a batch (or two) for him when he visited her.  In fact, I have heard tell that she usually packaged up a warm batch just for him when he made the long drive home from South Dakota to Tulsa during his early adulthood.

I have tried to replicate these worshiped rolls.  I have rolled out my own family’s cherished recipe.

Nope, they weren’t like grandma’s.

Anytime I see an “old-fashioned” cinnamon roll recipe, I try it.

Nope they aren’t like grandma’s.

I really gave up even trying, but he had a really tough couple of weeks at work recently.   He was working some horrendously long days. Really, I don’t know how he does it.   He kept up this break-neck pace for almost a solid two weeks.  Finally, he was able to get the two pieces of machinery (or software or computers or whatever) to talk to each other.   (Some of what he does is lost on me and it was probably a combination of syncing the new machine WITH the software AND the computers!)

He deserved a reward from the kitchen.   Yes, I would try again.

I pulled one of my older cookbooks from the shelf, an old extension homemaker book from 1990 with some really old recipes in it.    Thanks to a Mrs. Kathryn Floyd from Pontotoc County, I found a recipe to adapt.

Cinnamon Rolls with Granola Filling
An updated classic from A Taste of Oklahoma 1990 by Oklahoma Extension Homemakers

Four dough:
2 1/2 t. yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 c. coconut oil, melted
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 t. sea salt
3 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix coconut oil, sugar, almond milk and salt. Add dissolved yeast mixture and mix. Switch out paddle attachment for the dough hook. Carefully add the flour. When flour is mixed in, knead with the dough hook for about five minutes.

Place dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Feel free to make the filling while dough is rising.

For filling:
1 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 c. granola

Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside.   Granola will be sprinkled on separately.

Use dental floss to cut the rolls once they are rolled up.

When dough has doubled, prepare a large work surface to roll out the dough. (You can also cut the dough in half and do this in two stages.) Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with the butter and sugar mixture. (Pour any leftover mixture on top of the rolls after you place them in the pan.) Sprinkle with granola and roll up.

Slice rolls like you would slice a jelly roll. Cut into 1 inch thick rolls. (Dental floss works great for this.) Place in prepared pans (buttered or sprayed with cooking spray) leaving about 1/2 inch between rolls.

 

Let rise again for about 40 minutes. (You will need one 9 x 9″ pan and one 9 x 15″ inch pan.)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and glaze if desired.

Oh, you will want to glaze them!

Optional glaze:
1 1/2  c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. cinnamon
dash of salt
enough water to make desired consistency

Place ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Glaze as soon as rolls are removed from the oven.

I hope that Mrs. Floyd from Pontotoc County forgives me because I swapped out some of her unhealthy ingredients for some healthier ones.   I used coconut oil instead of Crisco in the dough, I used unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk for the regular milk,  and I used half whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose flour.   The original filling called for  1 and 1/4 c. of oleo.   I cut that to one cup of butter (I know….BUTTER).  And, granola is healthy, right?   Could I have any healthier of a filling?

By the way, these could be totally vegan as well if you left the butter out of the filling.   That being said, if anyone has a good cinnamon roll filling that doesn’t use a CUP of butter, I am all ears.

Most importantly, what did The Hubs think?     He loved them.   But, they weren’t like grandma’s.

i give up…