Heart-Shaped Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Show a little extra love to yourself & loved ones by making these festive & delicious heart-shaped vegan cinnamon rolls!
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s officially the season of love, and with that comes chocolates, flowers (per the new Miley Cyrus song, you can buy yourself flowers), and heart-shaped everything — including these adorable cinnamon rolls! I’m a strong advocate that you should always treat yourself, but this time of year is even more of a reason to show yourself and loved ones some extra love, and what better way to a person’s heart than through their stomach?
I just adore Valentine’s Day. If you know me, you know that the whole aesthetic of Valentine’s Day is my aesthetic the whole year round. This holiday has the air of being like a magical fairyland where the whole world turns pink. With pink and red roses, heart-shaped desserts, and proclamations of love (I am such a romantic), who couldn’t love this holiday? Even if you’re single like me, there’s a whole lot of love to go around — this holiday isn’t just for the couples.
Now, let’s talk about these cinnamon rolls. If you read my original cinnamon roll blog post, you’ll know that I worked on this recipe for over a year. What I ended up with at the culmination was a perfectly moist, tender and sweet cinnamon roll that is proclaimed to be better than Cinnabon and my grandma’s (don’t tell her that). For me, the process of making cinnamon rolls can be so romantic, so throw on an apron and your favorite playlist and get baking! Don’t forget, the best part (besides eating them), is sharing them.
How To Make Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
Follow the directions in my cinnamon roll recipe. Once you spread over the cinnamon-sugar filling, don’t roll them. Instead, use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut 1 inch strips. Then, one by one, take each strip and tightly roll both ends of the strip until they meet in the middle, forming a heart. If needed, pull/pinch the bottom part of the heart to reinforce the shape. Place the rolls into a greased pie dish and let them rise. Then, continue with the original recipe.
I did use a different icing for these rolls as I didn’t want to cover their beautiful heart swirls and shape. Instead of using the vegan cream cheese frosting as written in my original recipe, I used a simple icing: 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tsp plant milk. This way, you still get the sweetness of the icing without covering and compromising the beautiful shape of the rolls.
If you are short on time and unable to make these heart-shaped cinnamon rolls from scratch, don’t worry, you can use pre-packaged cinnamon rolls and follow my method to turn them into little hearts. It’s a cute & festive activity to do with kids or friends, to bring to a Valentine’s party, or to gift to a special someone.
Wishing you all the most wonderful Valentine’s Day! As always, thank you so much for your support.
More Valentine’s Day Inspired Recipes:
• Heart Shaped Vegan Vanilla Bundt Cake
• Edible Cookie Dough (Vegan & GF)
Heart-Shaped Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 batch vegan cinnamon roll recipe
Icing
- 1 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener, or powdered sugar
- 1 tsp non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Follow the below labeled steps in my cinnamon roll recipe:1. Make the Dough2. Make the Filling
Now, follow the below to assemble the rolls:
- Once the dough is doubled in size, transfer to a generously floured surfaced and roll the dough into a 14×9 rectangle.
- Using a spatula, spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving about 1/4-inch from the edges.
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut long 1 inch strips of the dough (refer to my video on Instagram for guidance)
- Take a strip and tightly roll both ends of the strip until they meet in the middle, forming a heart. If needed, pull/pinch the bottom part of the heart to reinforce the shape. Repeat with all the strips.
- Place the heart-shaped rolls into an oiled pie dish (as pictured above) and let them rise.
- Cover the dish with cling wrap and a tea towel and set it in a warm place to rise for another 30-45 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the rolls uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Once finished, remove from the oven and let the rolls cool for 15 minutes before icing.
- Add the icing ingredients to a bowl and use a whisk to mix. Add non-dairy milk 1/2 tsp at a time if needed to reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the icing over top and serve!
Notes
- if you have extra rolls, you can bake them on a parchment lined baking tray for at the same temperature and for the same amount of time. Just be sure you let them rise before baking for at least 30-45 minutes.
