This is a fantastic alternative to those rich, buttery cinnamon bun recipes. This one will wow you. Just keep in mind that the dough could be a little sticky before the first rising, but refraining from adding more flour at this stage ensures a fluffy masterpiece.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 rolls |
Ingredients
- ¼ cup white sugar, divided
- 2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Stir 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Whisk together the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
- Beat together the eggs, applesauce, salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Beat in half of the flour mixture until no dry spots remain. Stir in the remaining flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form a sticky dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until fairly smooth but still sticky, about 8 minutes.
- Lightly oil a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) for 30 minutes. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 16×20 inch rectangle. Spread the honey over the dough; sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and raisins. Beginning with the long side, roll the dough tightly into a log shape, and pinch to seal the seam. Cut into 12 equal size pieces. Place the rolls into the prepared pan cut side up. Cover the pan with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 240 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 51 g |
| Cholesterol | 31 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Sodium | 112 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 1 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Do NOT cook these at 375. They will burn in less than 10 minutes. Try cooking them at 300 for 20 minutes.
I followed the directions and they came out hard. My family wouldn’t eat them and the one that I tried was bland. Very disappointed, especially for the amount of time that it took to make these.
AMAZING! Created an allrecipes account just so I could rave about these rolls and thank the person who posted the recipe. I added chopped pecans to the filling (1/4 cup) and frosted them with Donna Hay’s cream cheese frosting – sensational! I love cinnamon scrolls and these are the best I’ve ever tried. And easy to make: Even a beginner like me nailed it! Thanks heaps for the recipe. 🙂
i made these for my sunday school class and my friend absolutely love these cinnamon recipes!! i didnt completely the frist time i made them but the second time i made them i used cinnamon applesauce instead of regular applesauce and they were great!!
very bland, and I even added a stick of butter. It came out more like a bread, then a cinnamon roll.
These are amazing! I’m really impressed with how they aren’t too sweet (and I did frost mine), they’re so fabulously fluffy, and how low in fat they are! And, they’re not hard to make!
Very easy, I substituted the raisins with pecans. Delicious and very light and fluffy. Will keep this recipe close.
I totally disagree with most people here. I thought these were neither sweet or cinnamon-y enough. Next time I’d double sugar, honey & cinnamon I think. I ended up frosting them with cream cheese frosting, which helped. I hope it’s my taste that is goofy here, cause I made them to sell at a bake sale.
This definitely tasted like a healthier cinnamon bun; it doesn’t leave you feeling guilty (or sugar overdosed) after you eat it! I did use an icing sugar glaze on top of the buns. Otherwise the buns would have tasted like cinnamon bread rolls, which was fine too when they were fresh out of the oven. If you want the satisfying taste of a cinnamon bun, it’s probably best to stick to a recipe that adds some fat. This recipe is nearly fat free with the exception of the eggs.
I made my icing with powdered sugar, lemon juice & vanilla. It really complimented the gooey rolls!
I’ve made these three times and have received nothing but rave reviews. I added extra honey, cinnamon and sugar inside, then after they rise and just before I put them in the oven, I sprinkle with more of the cinn/sugar mixture and drizzle with butter for a prize worthy treat!!
Such a special way to spoil your family.
These look and smell great and I love how low in fat they are! The texture is wonderfully soft as well. However, they need to be a bit sweeter. I will definitely make them again with some more sugar and maybe some cinnamon in the dough.
Different everybody like them Next time I use more applesauce. yummy rolls
Sorry, these were a no go for me. I wouldn’t rate it so low if it hadn’t taken over 2 hours to make (probably a 3 if it had taken less than an hour). I followed the recipe and they were so bland, the dough was gross and we had to add butter and lots more sugar and cinnamon mixture just to eat them. I do lots of healthy baking and converting recipes into healthier versions of themselves but a no to these.
These are very light and fluffy when you eat them! I followed the recipe except I didnt add raisins. They are scrumptious! I added a powdered sugar glaze once they cooled down a bit.
They were not my favorite cinnamon roll. I found this recipe last night and made them. They were a little bland on taste, and the bread from them would be good in something else. It didn’t realy work for cinnamon rolls.
These were great. I made them for the first time this weekend. I added some variations to this recipe. I added apple cinnamon cider mix, about a table spoon to the batter and omitted the raisins. I was having issues with my oven so I had to refrigerate overnight, and they were huge in the morning. Tip: if you let them rise longer then instructed keep them spaced out, some were 4-5 inches across. AWESOME!!! A new favorite!
I tried this recipe and they turned out okay. They’re definitely not cinnamon buns though; without the butter and sugar, they are really yeast rolls with raisins. Very light, not very sweet. Good with butter.
GENIUS!!! Absolutely the scummiest Cinnamon Rolls!!! Followed the recipe to the letter and they turned out light & fluffy as promised. The WHOLE family (3yrs – 30yrs) loved them and as they have no butter I enjoyed an extra one 🙂 So glad I made a double batch!!! Swapped Raisins for Choc Chips in half batch, the result was absolutely wicked!!! Teya in Aus