Cinnamon Roll Drops ~ Low Fat Whole Wheat

Tags

cake pop/donut hole recipes, cinnamon roll glaze, cinnamon rolls, donut glaze, donut hole maker recipes, homemade doughnuts, low fat donut holes, scratch made cinnamon rolls, whole wheat cinnamon rolls, whole wheat donuts

I woke up craving cinnamon rolls.  Actually, I have been up since around 3, my brain working on “problems” and ideas until I decided that I wanted cinnamon rolls.  Cinnamon rolls are a bad idea, at least my kind– buttery and gooey with lots of fat and sugar tucked inside sweet white flour pastry dough.

I finally crawled out of bed and pulled out the little cake pop/donut hole maker to see what I could come up with.  The finished product did the trick.  The first batch was lacking in flavor and tasted too wheaty.  By the time I finished tweaking the batter and got the family up for breakfast, no one could tell they were whole wheat and everyone thought they tasted just like real cinnamon rolls.  I disagree that they are “just like”, but I won’t argue with success, especially when our Sunday breakfast table wasn’t groaning under the weight of pancakes with sausage and grits.

Ingredients:

Batter:

2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. turbinado sugar

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. skim milk

1/2 c. fat free plain yogurt

1 beaten egg

Streusel Filling:

3 T butter

5 T confectioner’s sugar

2 tsp. packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T whole wheat flour

Glaze:

2 1/4 c. confectioner’s sugar

1/8 c. + 2 T water

Method:

For the batter, sift together the dry ingredients.

Beat the egg and add the milk and yogurt.

Combine well.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold gently to combine.

Mix together the streusel filling ingredients.

Heat the cake pop/donut hole maker according the unit’s instructions.

Drop 1/2 tsp. of batter into the bottom of each hole.  Scoop 1/4 of the streusel filling and drop it on top of the batter, pushing it down into the center as far as possible.

I found that the ones I hadn’t pushed in far enough leaked and caramelized over the lip of the donut hole and that you have to be quick with this step because the heat of the unit begins to puff the batter pretty quickly.  Cover the filling with 1 tsp. of batter.

The measurements are pretty precise to keep the batter from running over.  Keep the measurements with the spoons as level as you can or they end up looking like little planet Saturns, not so bad if you have boys like mine who love all things astronomical, but not so tidy as they should be.

Latch the maker and bake for 5 minutes.

Mix up the glaze by combining the sugar and water and beat until smooth.  Remove the finished drops and fill the baker with the next batch.  Dip the baked donuts in the glaze to coat them.

Shake off the excess and lay them on a plate to dry.

Makes about 5 dozen. 

I think these would work well in a mini muffin tin for those who do not have a cake pop maker.

Cinnabiscuits

Tags

biscuit dough, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon chips, cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting, refrigerator biscuits

 

I have been avoiding posting this recipe because the finished product was so good that I want them again.  I can’t even look at the pictures without my mouth watering.  I have no idea how I will make it through this post.  And I’m not tootin’ my own horn here.  Really.  I totally stole the idea from a cooking website, The Kitchn, after they posted their recipe for Giant Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits.  I didn’t use their recipe, I made my own, but was inspired by the time-saving concept of getting the texture, richness, melt-in-your-mouth gooeyness of cinnamon rolls without going to all the trouble of making sweet yeast roll dough first.  To be honest, I don’t know if I will ever make cinnamon rolls again and they are one of my favorite baked goods.  All that sticky goop is amazing made with biscuits! My husband and the boys loved them, but said that they liked it even more that they looked like biscuits smothered in sausage gravy.  That made me laugh.

I rarely buy prepackaged foods, but I’d even recommend using refrigerator biscuits or frozen biscuits for those who don’t bake and the cinnamon chips that The Kitchn baker used in the original recipe.  No matter how you try it, just try it!  You will not regret it…until you step on the scale, of course.  Just don’t. 🙂

Biscuits:

3 c. flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T sugar

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. butter, ice cold, cut into pieces

Sift together the salt, flour, baking powder, and sugar.  Work in the butter until mixture is crumbly.

Add buttermilk, working just enough to get dough to form.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2″ thickness.

Cut with a biscuit cutter or 2″ glass into 16 rounds.

Cinnamon Filling:

1 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 T cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 T butter

1 T all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Mix together all ingredients into a crumbly paste.

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 oz. cream cheese

2 T butter

Pinch of salt

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. milk

Beat butter and cream cheese together.  Add salt and work in powdered sugar using the milk as needed to make a smooth icing.

Assembly:

Place 8 biscuits in a circular pattern on a baking sheet or pan.  Sprinkle half of the Cinnamon Filling onto the circle of dough.

Cover the filling with the remaining rounds of biscuit dough.  Top with the remaining filling.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  Drizzle the top with the icing and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.