It’s the holiday season and I am SO excited for all things Christmas! Christmas movies, Christmas music and of course Christmas FOOD! If you’re anything like me, you live for a Friday night in, curled up on the couch with a plate of hot cookie and a good Christmas movie! I could literally do that every. single. night.

But here’s the thing, all these delicious, holiday goodies, if consumed too often, wreak havoc on my gut. All the sugar and processed ingredients seriously affect how I feel from the inside out. Bloating, gas and intense intestinal cramps are just a few of the disastrous side effects that occur when my holiday “treat yo self” mood catches up with me. So what’s a Christmas food aficionado like myself to do? Stop eating my holiday treats? As if (cue my resting Grinch face)!

I decided that instead of skipping out on my favorite seasonal sweets, that I would create a recipe that would not only be an intense Christmas punch in the mouth (in the best way possible) but also be fortified with a gut healthy twist! In rolls my Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with gut healthy “Cream Cheese” Frosting! I created this recipe to yield 10-12 gigantic, fluffy cinnamon rolls that the entire family will enjoy. I threw in some molasses, nutmeg and cinnamon to give these rolls the perfect kiss of holiday spice.

I also included some of my favorite Just Thrive probiotics in this recipe in order to help give our digestive tracts a little ease during the sweet treat season. I’m sure some of you are asking, “what’s so special about probiotics anyways? Can’t I just drink a bunch of water and eat some lettuce and feel better?” I mean, yeah that will help but probiotic supplements have been found to combat gut dysbiosis through improving our microbiome. So what exactly is a probiotic supplement? Probiotics are living organisms that provide our guts with healthy bacteria. There are plenty of foods that contain natural probiotics however, by ingesting a probiotic supplement daily you can guarantee that you are fortifying your gut with the good, healthy bacteria. When we have the right gut bacteria we begin to reap the benefits of a healthy gut. Some of these benefits include weight-loss, enhanced immune function, healthy skin, improved digestion and reduced risk of many different diseases. All great gifts to give yourself this holiday season.

Not only will these rolls will sleigh your Christmas morning breakfast table (get it *wink*) but they will also help your gut feel great! That’s just the gift that keeps on giving. If you don’t give these ultra fluffy gingerbread cinnamon rolls a try, yule be sorry (okay I’m done now, bye)!

Merry Christmas & happy holiday baking friends,

kaili

SERVINGS: 10-12 Rolls PREP TIME: 1 Hr 40 Min COOK TIME: 20-15 Min TOTAL TIME: 2 Hr 10 Min

Ingredients for the Dough:

2 cups of dairy free milk, slightly warmed
1/2 cup of raw cane sugar
1/2 cup of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee (if not vegan)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
4 Cups of whole wheat flour, sifted
1/2 - 1 Cup of bread flour (see recipe instructions)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs molasses
2 tsp sea salt

Ingredients for the Filling:

1/2 cup of coconut sugar
1/2 cup of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee
3 Tbs of molasses
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp of ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the Frosting:

2 Just Thrive Probiotic Capsules
4 oz of dairy free cream cheese, room temp/softened
2 Tbs of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee (if not vegan), softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 - 4 Tbs of dairy free milk of choice
1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Directions for the Dough:

Add warm milk, cane sugar, molasses & coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and stir. Add in the yeast and stir to “feed the yeast”. Allow this mixture to sit for 10 minuted so the yeast can bloom (very important for the overall rise / fluff of your cinnamon rolls).
Once yeast has bloomed for 10 minutes, add in 4 cups of sifted bread flour and mix with a wooden kitchen spoon until a wet sticky mixture has formed.
Tightly cover the top of your bowl with plastic wrap and allow the mushy mixture to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I usually will turn on my microwave for 2 minuted on high, BEFORE I place the bowl inside to warm the space up. This will cultivate a great rise in your dough.
After the dough has risen for 1 hour (it should have almost doubled in size), add in 1/2 cup of bread flour and begin to combine using your wooden kitchen spoon.
As the dough comes together, switch from your spoon to using your hands to mix. Turn the scraggly dough out onto a clean hard surface and kneed for 10 minutes or until the dough begins to smoothen out and no longer stick to your hands. Add small amounts of bread flour to the dough if it is too sticky or wet. Poke the dough to see if it is ready. If it springs back you are good to go! See video above for more details.
Once the dough is ready it’s time to roll it out. Be sure to roll your dough out on a floured surface until it’s about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.

Directions for the Filling:

Add all filling ingredients to a small or medium sized bowl and mix until a creamy paste forms.
Spread filling mixture all over your rolled out dough.
Roll the dough up as tightly as you possibly can.

Directions for Cutting & Second Proof of the Rolls:

Once the dough has been rolled, use dental floss to mark of 10-12 1-inch thick rolls. Use floss to slice rolls (see video above).
Place 6 rolls evenly spaced apart into two greased 8x8 dishes or a 9x13 dish. Be sure to leave space for the rolls to rise again. Cover with plastic wrap just like before and allow to rise again in a warm area for 35-40 minutes. ***SEE NOTES FOR FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

Directions for Baking:

After rising (the rolls should have expanded and should be touching), bake your cinnamon rolls at 350˚F for 20-25 minus or until golden brown on top.

Directions for the Frosting:

Add softened “butter”, cheese, vanilla and cinnamon to a bowl and cream together until smooth.
Add in powdered sugar and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Pour frosting over warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. I typically like to allow my rolls time to cool after baking, letting them cool for 15-20 minutes is best.

NUTRITION: 1 Roll

Calories: 350 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 5g Monounsaturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 2003mg Potassium: 70mg Total Carbohydrates: 49g Dietary Fiber: 6g Sugar: 16g Protein: 6g

NOTES:

*TO FREEZE ROLLS: After rolling and slicing cinnamon rolls, place them in a greased baking dish. Immediately cover the dish with two layers of plastic wrap and place in the freezer before the second proof. When ready to serve, defrost rolls in your refrigerator over night or place them on your counter at room temperature to defrost for 3-4 hours. Bake as directed above and enjoy! Rolls can be frozen up to 3 months!

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