Light and fluffy Cranberry-Maple Cinnamon Rolls studded with chopped pecans and cranberries all drizzled with a maple brown sugar glaze!

2

Anytime I think of Fall I think of gooey yummy delicious cinnamon rolls.  And spiced pumpkin lattes of course.

I must admit the past few days have been pretty rough for me {yes this would be the part where I insert my own personal venting sesh because this is a blog and we can write whatever we want, right?}  Long story short, I had my identity stolen which compromised all my bank accounts and social security number…which isn’t the greatest timing since I’m currently in the middle of purchasing a home and waiting on a loan approval.  So if placing fraud alerts on my credit and freezing/cancelling bank accounts weren’t enough for one day, of course my car had to break down on my way home.  Ugh.

3

Yes when it rains, it seriously POURS.  Not to mention it’s kind of hard to get your car fixed when your bank account is currently frozen.  Moral of the story?  Cheer yourself up with your favorite comfort food on days that you pretty much wish you could do over!

Like how I brought this full circle??

Cinnamon rolls, truly the single greatest comfort food.  But comfort doesn’t always have to mean unhealthy!  These are made with whole wheat flour and very little butter.  Sweetened with pure maple syrup and a touch of brown sugar, these cinnamon rolls are certainly something to swoon over!  Feel free to plump your cranberries up before baking by mixing them with a little water and nuking them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  I love this little secret and it really brings out their flavor!

I challenge you to eat just one.  Can you do it??

5 from 1 vote

Cranberry-Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Light and fluffy Cranberry-Maple Cinnamon Rolls studded with chopped pecans and cranberries all drizzled with a maple brown sugar glaze!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup fat-free milk
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup, or agave nectar
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Maple-Brown Sugar Icing:

  • 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp very hot water
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
  • 1-2 tsp. fat-free milk
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Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk, maple syrup, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm then set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer, add egg and milk mixture to yeast mixture and slowly add in the whole wheat flour. Add as much all-purpose flour as you can, reserving the rest.
  • Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make dough moderately soft so that it is smooth and elastic (kneading about 3 to 5 minutes). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour until doubled in size. Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking pan and set aside. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in dried cranberries and pecans.
  • Roll dough into a 15×8-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with pecan mixture, leaving one inch unfilled along one of the sides. Starting from the long filled side, roll up rectangle. Pinch dough to seal seam and slice into 15 equal pieces. Arrange pieces, cut sides up, in prepared baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, about 30 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine brown sugar and the hot water, stirring to dissolve brown sugar. Whisk in powdered sugar and maple flavoring. Whisk in enough milk to make drizzling consistency. Once rolls are done, let them cool for about 5 minutes and remove rolls from pan. Drizzle with maple-brown sugar icing and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cinnamon roll | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

As a self-proclaimed foodie and fitness enthusiast, I have a passion for cooking and a huge desire to show that living a healthy lifestyle can actually be easy and fun!  Feel free to use the meal guide above to find your new favorite meal ideas or the dietary guides to the right to narrow things down even more!

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43 Comments

  1. Laura Dembowski says:

    Those look amazing! I can’t believe they are actually quite healthy 🙂 Hope you get all of your identity issues fixed. Life can be quite a bummer a lot of the time.

  2. Nancy Garcia says:

    I know feeling looks like I’m in for a treat web I try this!! I’m actually has to move out of student housing my car engine died and my school won’t let me register for class because I got behind on payments and there isn’t enough coverage for student loans! Whaat? It’s been a crazy two weeks and we start class this week. No car no apt and I’m supposed to graduate with my bachelors in march. I’m a broke college student. So thankful family and friend God ha surrounded me with! So I wish you the best and thanks for the posts! I just found you on Pinterest 🙂

  3. Kristina says:

    You poor thing! Hope everything’s straightened out by now! Your little cinnamon rolls look so. good. YUM! Love the cranberries in there – I never think to swap out the raisins!

  4. Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says:

    Yum! Love dried cranberries.

    Next time try plumping your cranberries in unfiltered apple juice instead of water. It just adds a little somethin’ somethin’

  5. @teamupcups says:

    Sounds delicious if your interested in a healthy snack check out UpCup! Chocolate energy superfoods
    Non GMO, Gluten-Free Dairy-Free all-natural healthy chocolate your body deserves!!! @teamupcups upcups.net

  6. christine donee says:

    cue the stomach growls..

  7. JENN says:

    These.look.so.delish. Perfect for the fall, you’re right! Checkout my blog if you get a chance, and follow if you like, I just posted about menswear as well as sweaters for the fall!

    -Jenn

    http://apopofstyle.blogspot.com/

  8. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says:

    Oh sweetie…wish I could make it all better! Can’t imagine what you are going through, and the timing couldn’t be worse! Hope you get it all straightened out soon.
    These cinnamon rolls are pure comfort food!

  9. Pam Fields says:

    Wow! These look amazing. Pinned for definite future baking!
    So sorry about all your troubles today. 🙁

  10. Girls en Ville says:

    I cant wait to make these! I’m sure the other 1/2 of GirlsEnVille, Jade, will be depressed to know that I am making cinnamon buns. She loves them!