Amazing Day, Amazing Treat!

Yesterday, I had a skinny day.
I was wearing my favorite jeans, even though they have gotten a little stretchy and sometimes lose their shape. And a black tank top and my favorite zip up eco friendly cotton hoodie. Yep. I wasn't even trying. But I caught my reflection in the mirror at just the right angle and said "Holy Cow, I have a waist! My hips look really good today! Look at my butt! I love the way I look!"

It was, no word of a lie, AMAZING.

I do not have these days every day. I am not even sure I have them on a regular basis. And usually when I do have them, it requires a LOT more effort on my part. So it was a good day. And makes me feel better. My weight loss and healthiness seem to be coming slowly at the moment, but it is happening! And this is good news! This is reason to keep going and to NOT drink that can of pop...

That being said. I also promised recipes for my next blog post. One of my current craves have been cinnamon buns. This, I am sure, is linked to my carbaholism and sugarholism. So I have come up with a relatively healthy-ish version to share with you. You can swap out the whole wheat flour and maple sugar for all purpose flour and brown sugar and make it devilishly sweet, but this will surely lead to a downward spiral of sugar cravings.  This way you can satisfy your sweet tooth without going too overboard.

Mini Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (you can use 2 cups of whole wheat if you want to be really good.... )
1 packet quick rise yeast or 1 Tbs quick rise yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 cup very hot water

3 Tbs butter/margarine
Cinnamon
1/4-1/3 cup Granulated Maple Sugar

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2- In a large mixing bowl combine flours, yeast, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the maple syrup and hot water. Stir from the well outward until a soft dough forms.

3- Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead, adding flour as needed until a stiff, less sticky dough comes together in a ball. Cut the ball in half and return one half to the mixing bowl.


4- Roll out the first half of the dough using a floured rolling pin until it is between 1/4 and 1/8th of an inch thick (if you want fewer larger buns, go for the thicker side, if you want many mini buns, go for a thin dough). I try to keep my dough relatively rectangle shaped to help with rolling it up afterward. Place the dough with the long side horizontally facing you.

5- Spread half of the butter onto the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of cinnamon. Top with half of the maple sugar. Fold 1/2 to 1 inch of dough over away from you and press the edge gently to help it stick. Roll the rest of the dough into a long cylinder.

6- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll in half. If you have used a very thin dough and have a smallish roll, cut each half of the roll into 4 pieces for a total of 8.  If you have used thicker dough and want bigger buns, cut each half into 3 pieces for a total of 6.

7- Repeat steps 4-6 with second half of dough, butter, cinnamon and maple sugar. 

8-  Arrange the buns in an 8x8 square baking dish that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Leave a space between them out so they have room to puff up as they bake (use a larger pan if necessary). Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. If your buns are close together they may take the longer time to bake as less air can get around them.

9- As a treat instead of frosting these, drizzle them with a little more maple syrup when they come out of the oven. This helps make up for some of the extra gooeyness that is lost when substituting maple sugar for brown sugar. Let them cool for a few minutes (you may have to restrain yourself) and then ENJOY!

These are a great little snack or dessert that you don't have to feel too guilty about. That said, I do not recommend leaving a pan of these within reach of your spot on the couch or they will quickly disappear!