Orange Currant Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been thinking of brunch recipes we could have on Christmas morning and I knew I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. However, you can’t just wing it on the day of – trust me, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t always work. These were actually supposed to be scones but I wasn’t paying attention and following my standard cinnamon roll recipe so once I got in the middle of making the dough I knew I had to commit! Good thing I was spacing because these are great! I’m sure they’d be awesome as a scone too but the cinnamon roll works so great, we may not try the scone! I was missing my "Granny Grunt" this morning and decided to use her plate for my picture. The holidays are hard when loved ones are gone but its little things that make you remember and enjoy their spirit! This makes 12 cinnamon rolls.

Orange Currant Rolls

Dough

1 cup white rice flour

¾ cup amaranth flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp yeast (1 packet)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup stevia

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

¼ cup applesauce

¾ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Filling

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup dried currants

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)

Juice and Zest from one orange

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together water, almond milk and yeast for dough and let set for a few minutes. Add in applesauce, coconut oil, egg and vanilla to dry mix and blend well.
•  Pour in milk mixture and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
• This part is key. Put a large rectangle piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or tabletop to roll the dough on. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and spread into a rectangle. Place another sheet of plastic wrap onto dough. Roll out into a thin rectangle. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.
• Spread the coconut oil for filling over the dough. Sprinkle on coconut sugar, cinnamon and currants. Take the long side of the dough and roll over the rest. 
• A trick here is to roll the dough using the edges of the plastic wrap. The dough is sticky and hard to roll if you use your hands. Cut dough log into 1” pieces. 
• In a greased 9x13 pan, place rolls cut side down. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. 
• Mix together icing ingredients and spread over warm rolls. 

Cranberry Currant Persimmon Bars

Sometimes I go to the store and see something weird. And then I think, “I want to try that!” I don’t know why but I decided I was going to buy some persimmons at the store. I’ve never had them, had to clue what they tasted like or how to cook them. I let one get really ripe and knew it was going to be really mushy so I decided to make these bars with them. The almond-date crust is really easy to make and is a great alternative to grain crusts. The fruit mixture is very similar to a jam and the crumble topping kind of ties it all together. These are a great little treat that is gluten free, grain free, dairy free, low fat, kid friendly! It’s just great and pretty easy to make! The flours can be easily substituted to whatever you have on hand. Makes a 9x13 pan of bars.

Crust

1 cup dates (10 regular dates, pits removed)

1 cup plain almonds

½ cup water

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup coconut sugar or stevia

Fruit Filling

2 medium persimmons, chopped (about ½-3/4 cup)

½ cup chopped cranberries

1/3 cup dried currants or raisins

¼ cup water

½ cup coconut sugar or stevia

Crumb Topping

½ cup almond flour

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup coconut sugar or stevia

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter or coconut oil (I used dairy free)

1 tsp almond milk or water

• In a blender, puree almonds, water and dates together until smooth. In a bowl, add in date mixture and remaining crust ingredients and mix until well combined. 
• Spread into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 
• In a saucepan, combine fruit filling and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Pour fruit mixture over crust. 
• In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and blend together with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit filling. 
• Return bars to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crumb topping starts to brown. Let cool about 15 minutes and cut into bars.