Deliciously 'puffy' keto cinnamon rolls using sweetened fathead dough. Each roll comes in at only 4.1g carbs per serving, and this includes the lovely drizzle!
Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan oven). This is 190°C for conventional ovens (or 375°F / gas mark 5).
Combine the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk the egg well in a separate bowl.
Roughly chop the fresh mozzarella into small pieces. (We melt it anyway, but in this way you can ensure even melting.) You could use store-bought, ready-grated mozzarella. It works just the same. However, those usually include a small amount of potato starch, so using it will depend how strict you are on keto. Place the mozzarella into a wide-bottomed, microwave-friendly bowl. Add the cream cheese. This is what you should have ready:
Place the bowl of cheese in the microwave for 1 min 20 seconds, until the cheese completely melts. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If using fresh mozzarella, tip out ALL the excess liquid which separates from the melted cheese as this will make your mixture far too runny. (You won't have this issue when using store-bought ready-grated mozzarella).
While the cheese in the microwave, place the almond flour mixture into a mini food processor.
(REMEMBER, if using fresh mozzarella, drain and discard all watery liquid that runs off the melted cheese). Immediately tip the melted cheese mixture into the mini food processor. Blitz well.
Add the egg and continue to mix until it comes together as a sticky dough.
Tip the dough into a bowl and place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
While the dough is in the fridge, cut two large pieces of parchment paper. Line a small-medium, deep-based dish with parchment paper. (I used a deep-based dish because we cover it with foil halfway through baking and you don't want the foil to stick to the rolls.)
You can also use this time to make your cinnamon 'sugar'. Simply combine the sweetener and cinnamon together in a little bowl. Set aside.
After the dough has cooled a little (making it easier to handle), tip it out onto one sheet of baking parchment paper. NOTE - if you feel like your 'dough' is far too 'wet', add a tablespoon or two of almond flour, but you will need to add a little more sweetener too if you do so. You shouldn't have this problem if you tipped out ALL the excess watery liquid after melting the cheese. (And you won't have this problem at all if using store-bought, ready grated mozzarella. NOTE - Macros are based on using fresh mozzarella...)
Cover with a second long sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll out a square approximately 25 x25cm / 10x10-in. The 'dough' is easy to manipulate and spread, so you could also use your hands. Do not roll it too thin.
Peel off the top layer of parchment. Do not be alarmed if some 'stringy' bits pull away. The 'dough' is easily manipulated and you can simply pinch pieces closed or press them back in.
Scatter over the cinnamon sugar.
This is where it gets a bit tricky: roll the dough up (much the same way you would roll sushi) but do so slowly and gently, using a pastry scraper to move things along and assist the dough from lifting from the paper. Luckily, the 'dough' is manageable, and if you encounter any 'holes' you can simply pinch them closed. You shouldn't encounter any issues if your dough was not rolled too thin.
You will be left with a log. Run a sharp knife under very hot water, then slice the dough into 4 equal-size pieces. Run your knife under the hot water between each slice. This will help not "squash" the dough when slicing.
Use a palette knife or cake lifter to slide under each piece and gently lift. Place each piece cut side-up into your prepared dish, leaving enough space between each one.
Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the dish and reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (fan oven). This is 180°C for conventional ovens (or 350°F / gas mark 4).
Cover the dish with foil and return to the oven for 10 minutes (I always rotate the dish at this time too.)
After 10 minutes, turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for another 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
To make the drizzle, simply whisk together cream cheese, cream, sweetener and vanilla essence. Fill a piping bag fitted with a nozzle.
After the rolls have cooled slightly, decorate the four rolls as you wish and dust with a little extra cinnamon. (My piping skills could do with some improvement!) Serve while they are still warm inside (else the cheese solidifies again). Funnyman tells me that he reheated them in the microwave for a 15-20 seconds - he had a lot of trials to plough through and had to sit through the photo shoots too as they cooled...)
NOTE: I have made these using store-bought grated mozzarella AND fresh mozzarella in my development - the results are the same. However, it is imperative that you remove the wateriness from the fresh mozzarella after melting as I have mentioned.
THESE ARE BEST ENJOYED SLIGHTLY WARMED, as the cheese will solidify when cooled. 10-15 minutes in a low oven will do it.
Notes
My name is Monya Kilian Palmer. If you loved this recipe, please follow and tag me @mkilianpalmer on Instagram so we can all see your lovely creations!* * *