Oh, what sweet perfect madness this this?!
Two of my most favorite things combined into one wonderful collaboration of epic proportions! Red velvet and cinnamon rolls. Need I say more?
While these little devils may take some time and attention, they are absolutely worth the effort!
I basically took my base cinnamon roll recipe and made a few adjustments. I added some more red food coloring to the dough and I used cocoa in the filling mixture rather than the usual cinnamon one.
I also whipped up a cream cheese frosting to drizzle over the top to give that final decadent red velvety contrast that we all know and love!
I’m not even about to tell you that my three year old scarfed down two of these bad boys once they were done.
She waited quite patiently in front of the warm oven while they were baking. You know… as patiently as any three year old can manage anyway. So, I figured she deserved the bonus treat!
Skinny Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 16 • Size: 1 Cinnamon Roll • Calories: 191.7 • Fat: 3.4 g • Carb: 37.4 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 3.9 g • Sugar: 16.2 g • Sodium: 209.3 mg
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
1 1/4 C. Hot Water
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 Tsp. Red Food Coloring
1 1/4 C. Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 1/4 C. Bread Flour
1 1/4 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
1/2 Tbsp. Dark Cocoa Powder
2 1/4 Tsp. Active Dry Yeast or Bread Machine Yeast
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Filling:
1/4 C. Light Butter, Softened
1/4 C. Light Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Sweetener (I used Stevia in the Raw.)
1/4 C. Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/2 Tbsp. Dark Cocoa Powder
Cream Cheese Drizzle:
3/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Tsp – 1 Tbsp. Fat Free Milk
Directions:
Bread Machine:
Place the ingredients for the cinnamon rolls into a bread machine in the order listed and set it to the ‘dough cycle’ setting.
No Bread Machine:
If you do not have a bread machine, you can combine the hot water and yeast into a bowl and allow the yeast to activate and foam up. Once the yeast is active you can combine the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment or knead by hand. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for an hour until doubled in size.
Once the dough cycle has ended or the dough has risen for it’s first time. Punch it down and allow to rise for another hour or until doubled in size once more.
While your waiting, lightly spray the insides of two rounded 8 inch cake pans or a 13×9 with non-stick cooking or baking spray.
Set butter and cream cheese out to soften and go ahead and mix up the dry ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
After the second rise, remove the dough to a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle.
Spread the butter over the rectangle of dough.
Sprinkle the filling mixture atop the dough.
Roll it up into a tight, long, skinny log. Lengthwise.
Cut into 16 equal pieces. I use floss to do this! Yes. Floss. Place the floss around and under the dough and cross over the top (as seen in the picture), and pull opposite directions to cut. Wa-la!
Only have mint floss? That’s fine too! The flavor doesn’t transfer.
Place the cinnamon rolls into the prepared pan(s). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
If you’re making these ahead for the next day, you can toss them into the fridge rather than letting them rise for the remaining 30 minutes. In the morning, set them out for the final 30 minute rise prior to baking.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls for 15-20 minutes. In the mean time, combine the frosting ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth and creamy.
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow to cool slightly before drizzling the frosting over the top.