Protein Cinnamon Rolls

Now you can have buns of steel and buns of cinnamon at the SAME time! This recipe is definitely a game changer. I will say upfront that this recipe takes about 1.5-2 hours and is intermediate-advanced level. With that being said, have no fear! It is absolutely worth it and I will break it down for you step by step!

Macros

175kcal: 3F/24C/13P per roll without frosting

TRACKING TIPS: I encourage having a sheet of paper and a pencil to write down exactly how much flour and protein powder you add as you go, as this will be just slightly different each time you make this recipe. While the rolls bake, I advise logging it into your tracking app as a single serving recipe. Then weigh the entire recipe (cooked) at the end. Divide the serving size you actually eat out of the total weight of the recipe to input into your tracking app as your serving size. You don’t have to do it this way, it’s just more accurate.

CAUTION: If you kill the yeast, these rolls will come out like hard cookies. Make sure that you don’t overheat the water when you activate the yeast. Also, do not add artificial sweeteners or salt to the dough as these can kill yeast.

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

• 150g water
• 1 packet (2 tsp) fast rise yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 120g vanilla whey
• 335g all-purpose flour (this will vary slightly)
• 40g unsalted light butter
• ground cinnamon to taste
• stevia or splenda to taste

Icing Ingredients

• 226g container of greek cream cheese (fat free cream cheese works too), softened
• stevia or splenda to taste
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• a dash of cashew or almond milk (optional)

Icing Directions

1. Let cream cheese sit out while preparing cinnamon buns so it warms up and softens.
2. Mix in sweetener, vanilla extract, and a small splash of cashew/almond milk if desired. For a thicker more “Cinnabon” style icing, you don’t need to add cashew/almond milk.

Cinnamon Roll Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, heat up water until it is warm, but not scalding. You are going for a bath water temperature – around 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. It is extremely important to get the right temperature.
2. Stir in 1 tbsp sugar and the fast rise yeast packet until dissolved. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Slowly pour in 200g all-purpose flour and stir as you go. Do the same with 120g vanilla whey after the first 200g of four are added. Now is where you need to keep track of how much flour you are adding until you get the dough in its final form. Continue to slowly add in flour until dough is completely formed. You’ll want it just slightly sticky.
4. Sprinkle two handfuls of flour on a surface and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. If you want you can weigh the dough before and after to account for flour added during kneading.
5. Place dough ball in a separate greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour. During this time the dough should about double in size. Some tricks for rising the dough – set it in a warm car, a warm window in the house, or if the weather is cold you can heat up water in the microwave until boiling and place the bowl of dough in the microwave with it and shut the door. This creates an enclosed warm space for the dough to rise.
6. After the dough has risen, roll it out on the floured surface into a rectangle shape. If you want to make mini cinnamon rolls you can divide the dough into 3 balls and roll out into 3 separate rectangles.
7. Melt the butter and spread on top of the dough. Top the butter with cinnamon and stevia/splenda to taste. I advise being liberal with the cinnamon and sweetener.
8. Starting at one end, roll up the dough. Using a serrated knife, cut dough every 1.5 inches or so. Place in a sprayed round or square pan.
9. Let rolls rise again for another 10 minutes and in the mean time, heat up the oven to 350 degrees.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check frequently around 20 minuets because you will still want them to be soft when you remove them from the oven.
11. Apply the icing and enjoy!!