Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls- Low Cal Low Sugar

Is there anything better than warm sticky cinnamon rolls oozing in delicious icing? And let's not forget the heavenly smell of cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls are a weakness for me, but truth be told I haven't eaten a cinnamon roll in almost five years. One of the biggest turn offs for me about cinnamon rolls is the amount of calories you consume for what five minutes (maybe) of deliciousness? 

Fun fact for you, the average Cinnabon cinnamon roll contains over 880 calories not including icing. With icing the grand total comes in at 1,060 calories! I think I may have gained a few pounds just thinking about the caloric content. Some of Cinnabon's cinnamon rolls that have other 'goodies' on them contain over 1,500 calories. That is a days allotment of calories! 

Armed with information about the lack of nutrition in cinnamon rolls I set out to create a cinnamon roll with a fraction of the calories of Cinnabon, but still tasted (and smelt) just as good. My cinnamon rolls have only 73 calories (without icing) or 90 calories (with icing) per roll and only 3 grams of sugar! You don't even have to feel guilty about going back for seconds!

You will need:

For the Dough

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Promise butter (it's better for you than regular butter)
• 3/4 cup skim milk

For the Filling

• 2 tablespoons Promise butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• slightly less than 1/4 cup brown sugar

For the Icing

For a thicker and sweeter icing:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon skim milk

For a thinner and more traditional icing:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• slightly less than 1/4 cup skim milk

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Then in a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the dough ONLY. Mix together until a dough ball forms.

Sprinkle some flour on the surface of the counter so dough won't stick. Place dough on floured surface and using a
rolling pin, or your hands, roll dough out to a rectangle with 1/4 inch thickness. If the dough sticks to your hands lightly flour your hands.

After rolling out the dough mix together the ingredients for the filling. Be sure to melt the butter before adding in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Make sure the ingredients are completely mixed together.

Pour the filling over the dough. I poured all the filling in the middle of the dough and used a spoon to spread it around.

After spreading the filling evenly across the dough carefully begin to roll the dough with your hands. I found it easiest to roll the dough towards myself. It does not have to be a perfect circle, it will taste delicious regardless!

Once you have rolled the dough you can choose to cut the dough into sections, for mini cinnamon rolls, or leave it as a loaf to cook. I made indents in the dough first before cutting so I knew how many rolls I would get before I cut. I did find the cinnamon rolls bake more evenly if you cut it into mini cinnamon rolls instead of leaving it as one giant loaf of cinnamon roll.

You can use muffin tins to cook the cinnamon rolls or you can use a regular baking sheet, both work. I got 15 mini cinnamon rolls from my dough. For easy clean up line muffins tins with muffin liners or a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.

Bake for 14 minutes at 375 degrees. The rolls will be done baking when the tops become a golden brown color. Promptly remove from oven.

Either mix together the icing right away and pour over the hot cinnamon rolls to serve, or allow rolls to cool and place in an airtight container in refrigerator for optimal freshness. You can also make the icing ahead of time and keep that in fridge as well.

Nutrition Info Per Cinnamon Roll
Calories (without icing): 73
Calories (with icing): 90
Carbs: 13
Fat: 2 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Sodium: 89mg
Sugar: 3 grams