Looking for the perfect recipe everyone will enjoy while opening presents? These gluten free cinnamon buns can be made to your liking, either with or without dairy and sugar. Plus, you can make the dough overnight or all in one go. Whichever variation you choose, be sure to turn on the holiday music and light a pine candle!

Total Time: 4+ hours

Yields: 6-8 buns

Cinnamon Buns (Gluten Free)

Dough Ingredients: 

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup maple syrup, brown sugar or golden monk fruit sugar (keto)
• 5 tablespoons water (lukewarm) between 105-110°F
• 5.5 cups of fine almond flour
• 1 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt or Himalayan salt
• ¼ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup Chosen Foods Avocado Oil
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray

Filling Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter, avocado oil, or coconut oil-softened
• ½ cup brown sugar or golden monkfruit sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients: 

• ½ cup cream cheese or coconut yogurt (any dairy alternative will work)
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut butter, melted
• ¼ cup tablespoons maple syrup, brown sugar, or golden monk fruit

Instructions

Prepare the dough:

To simplify this recipe the day of, make the dough the night before and store it in the fridge

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast with 2 tablespoons of maple sugar and 5 tablespoons of 105-110°F water. It should be slightly warm to touch. Let the mixture sit for 5-8 minutes until foaming and bubbly. (*Be careful to not kill the yeast with hot water, or alternatively, fail to activate it with cool water.)
2. In a large bowl or a stand mixer, combine the almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder, apple cider vinegar and salt. Mix to combine using a whisk or spatula.
3. In another bowl, mix the coconut oil, avocado oil, eggs, ½ cup sugar until combined. Then add the yeast mixture in and mix again. 
4. Slowly pour the egg/yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and mix for about 3 minutes. Cover this bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. (It works better and faster in a warm area.)
5. Once it has doubled in size, punch the dough with a avocado oil-greased knife, then cover it again and set in the fridge. This process can be done the night before. If doing the same day, allow at least 2 hours of refrigeration.

Assembling the Buns:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge.
3. Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth and set aside.
4. Spray a Pyrex dish or baking pan (square or circle) with avocado oil to grease evenly and set aside.
5. Fill a small bowl enough avocado oil to dip your fingers while you spread the dough. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper for working the dough on and spray it with avocado oil.
6. Place the dough in the middle of the parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment. Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, roll the dough evenly into about ⅓ inch thickness. Remove the top parchment paper piece and spread the filling evenly on top, leaving a small ½ inch border around the dough.
7. Using the parchment paper, lift the dough and fold it gently. It will be very soft. Form the dough into a log that looks like a cookie dough log. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden, which will make it easier to slice. 
8. Cut the cold dough into 2-3 inch slices, placing each roll on the greased pan. (It is okay to place them close to each other).
9. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean from the dough portion. They will look golden brown and be pretty firm to touch.
10. Make the frosting while the buns are baking by adding all of the frosting ingredients to a small saucepan over low heat, mixing well. If the frosting is too thick, add some coconut milk or regular milk to thin. The frosting can be made the day before. If made in advance, reheat it prior to adding to the buns so it's easy to spread.
11. Remove the rolls from the oven and coat with the slightly warm frosting. 
    
    *Note: If you're not going to eat them right away, wait to glaze.

All recipes adapted from The Mexican Keto Cookbook. Copyright © 2019 by Torie Borrelli. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.