Heart-Shaped Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, the Perfect Valentine’s Day Breakfast

These cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and moist, loaded with a delicious sweet cinnamon filling. They are also cheap and easy to make, requiring only a handful of pantry staples.

Though homemade cinnamon rolls take a little extra time to make, they are totally worth every second, because they are just so much better than any store-bought version! And another bonus is that your whole house will smell incredible!

If you’ve never made cinnamon buns before, don’t get intimidated because there are only a few tips and tricks to keep in mind for making awesome cinnamon rolls:

• Make sure your butter and milk and lukewarm for the yeast, and not cold or too hot.
• Allow the dough to rise properly. This will give you a beautifully soft and fluffy dough.
• Double the filling for an extra rich result, or half the amount for a lighter version. You can also swap some of the butter for apple sauce for a healthier version.
• If you feel adventurous, you can also try other fillings, such as vegan Nutella, sugary cocoa powder, or raspberry jam.
• You can go with the classic shape, or you can add a romantic twist for Valentine’s day, with shaping them into small hearts. Simply make a double log by rolling up one edge halfway, then repeat from the other edge. This will form little hearts. Alternatively, you can cut the large rectangle into smaller rectangles, and roll those into small logs. Pinch the ends together to form a drop, then cut it through halfway with a knife and open it to get a heart shape.
• For a quick and easy icing simply combine icing sugar with a little plant milk.
• Cinnamon rolls are best fresh and warm, but you can also keep them covered at room temperature for three days.
• You can freeze the rolls right before baking (already in the baking dish), then thaw and bake as normal.

Prep time: 1 hour
Proofing time: 1 hour 30 mins
Baking time: 30 mins

Vegan Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 small rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 tbsp melted vegan butter
• 3/4 cup lukewarm plant milk
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 cups of flour

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2.5 tbsp cinnamon

For baking:

• 1 tbsp melted vegan butter

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix together melted butter, milk, and sugar. Sprinkle instant yeast into the mix, and gently stir to combine. Make sure ingredients are lukewarm, and not too hot, otherwise, the yeast won’t work. Let the yeast activate for 5 minutes.
2. Once bubbles start to form, add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to mix as you go. You might not need all the flour, so don’t rush.
3. Once your dough starts to come together, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times to combine, but don’t over knead the dough.
4. Spray or brush a clean bowl with oil, and place the dough into it. Cover with a kitchen towel, and place in a warm place for about an hour, so it can rise.
5. After the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a floured working surface, and gently knead for a few seconds.
6. Roll out into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch/0.5 cm thick.
7. For the filling mix together vegan butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Spread mix evenly over the dough.
8. Roll up the dough from both long ends, stopping in the middle, forming a double-log.
9. Cut dough into 12 even pieces. Place them into a greased baking dish. Pinch the middles slightly to form a heart shape, if needed.
10. Cover cinnamon rolls with a kitchen towel, and let them rise again until you preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
11. Brush cinnamon rolls with melted butter, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.