Healthy Indulgence – Roasted Banana Protein Cinnamon Rolls

I grew up on a farm near a tiny town in North Dakota - the kind of town where you know everyone, you never lock your door, and you leave your keys in your car when you park it in your driveway. Mountain is the kind of place where your neighbors randomly pop in at all times of the day to share a cup of coffee and talk about the weather and discuss the crops. My grandma lived right in town; she was (and still is) an amazing baker as well as being extremely hospitable, so her house was never without some delicious homemade treat in the kitchen waiting to be shared with whomever decided to drop in. Growing up, I would get particularly excited when I would go visit her and discover one of two things – ponnukokur or caramel rolls. Ponnukokur are a ridiculously yummy Icelandic crepe-like dessert….making them correctly requires a special pan and more patience than I have on an average day, so I haven’t yet made the effort to create a “healthy” version in my own kitchen.

When it comes to the caramel rolls, however, I am a woman on a mission. I recently came across a recipe on Healthiful Balance for Protein Cinnamon Rolls that looked promising. The first time I made them, I made them exactly as written, and they were amazing. Never one to leave well enough alone, I started dreaming up the different variations I could whip up. I recalled having seen Roasted Banana Cinnamon Rolls on Picky Palate, and I decided to combine the two.


The Dough:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 scoop vanilla flavored protein powder
1/4 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
2 packets of Truvia or equivalent sweetener of choice
5 tablespoons water

The Filling:
2 packets Truvia or equivalent sweetener of choice
Ideal Brown Sugar to taste – I like things sweet, so I used about 1.5 tablespoons
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground almonds
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Torani Sugar Free Salted Caramel Syrup
1 large banana
1 teaspoon of Butter Flavored Extract

Preheat your oven to 425°.

Spray a small baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Slice the banana into the dish and sprinkle with the Ideal Brown Sugar. Bake for 20 minutes until the bananas are golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let cool while prepping the other components.

Reduce the oven temperature to 380°.

For the dough:
1.) Add the dry ingredients into a big bowl and mix well with a spoon.
2.) Put the dough on a silicone baking mat and roll in into a ball.
3.) Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness or less. The dough may be a bit sticky; if necessary, sprinkle the dough with a little additional coconut flour.

For the filling:
1.) When the bananas have cooled, smash them with a fork.
2.) Add the remainder of the ingredients to the bananas and mix well with a spoon.
3.) Put the mixture on the rolled out dough and evenly spread it out.

Making the rolls:
1.) With a knife, cut the dough into three long strips. Roll each piece up, pressing the dough together to keep it from cracking as you roll.
2.) Transfer the silicone baking sheet with the cinnamon rolls on it to a cookie sheet.
3.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown.



I ate this with some Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese spread on top, and they definitely fulfilled my craving for cinnamon-y goodness without undoing my efforts in the gym. 

The approximate nutrition stats based on the ingredients I used:



Now just to come up with a healthier alternative to the marvelous tasting but butter and sugar laden caramel sauce....