Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls will Walnuts + Vanilla Bean Glaze from Homestyle Vegan

Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls with Walnuts + Vanilla Bean Glaze

Nothing makes a better Christmas morning breakfast than one spent enjoying delicious food around the tree. Growing up, my dad always made biscuits and gravy and my mom would always make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, and my sister and I would patiently wait and play with presents while they cooked. Those are some of my favorite Christmas morning memories now; you never remmeber what you got for gifts - except the year I got a purple beanbag chair. I'll always remember that excitement. Now that we don't live with Mom and Dad anymore, Alex and I have started working on our own traditions to make the Holiday special. Last year we made these Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls with Walnuts + Vanilla Bean Glaze for our own Christmas morning breakfast, and they wowed the extended family so much they made it into my Homestyle Vegan cookbook! We knew we had to share the recipe - everyone deserves a warm, sweet, cinnamon-filled tradition.
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And whether it's the Holidays or not, there simply is nothing better for breakfast or brunch than a huge, ooey-gooey cinnamon roll dripping with icing and speckled with walnuts. This is the kind of breakfast that actually makes you WANT to get out of bed on a Saturday morning. And paired with homemade vanilla bean glaze? Girrrrrrrl! Go preheat your oven. BUT before you do, just one more thing - everything in our shop is still 10% OFF right now with the code FVHOLIDAYS, and once the merch is gone, it's NOT coming back! Shop here. Otherwise, scroll for ooey gooey goodness! 

INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon Rolls:
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk, room temperature
1/4 cup (60 g) vegan butter, melted
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast 
3 cups (510 g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 g) vegan butter, melted
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 teaspoons (6 g) cinnamon
1/4 cup (55 g) chopped walnuts

Vanilla Bean Glaze:
1 cup (175 g) powdered sugar
2 vanilla beans, scraped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) unsweetened almond milk
chopped walnuts, for garnish

​DIRECTIONS
Combine room temperature unsweetened almond milk and melted vegan butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the yeast and let set to activate, about 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. When the yeast mixture is ready, pour the flour mixture in about 1 cup at a time, stirring as you go. When the dough comes together, knead with a dough hook for about 1 minute, to form a loose, sticky ball. You can add a little bit of milk here, if needed, to keep the dough sticky. Move the dough ball to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and leave in a warm place to double in size, about 1-2 hours. 
Turn risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4- inch thick rectangle. Brush the dough generously with the melted butter, then sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon and walnuts evenly all over the top. Starting on one side, roll the dough into one thick log. Using a serrated or very sharp knife, slice into 9 equal rolls. Place the rolls into a well greased 8x8 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel by the oven to rise for about 30 more minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350º. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until golden and fluffy. Once completely cooled, drizzle the vanilla bean glaze generously over the top and garnish with chopped walnuts. Enjoy!

​NOTES
Makes 9 rolls.