Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

This week I got to go caving with my 8th graders! That's right, I the BinomialBaker, crawled through a cave.  In science, the 8th graders are learning about caves and so we take a trip to Eagle Cave to explore.  It was a great trip where we got to "free cave" for about 2 hours and then also had an hour for a "dark experience" where we had to walk through an area of the cave in complete darkness and nothing but a rope keeping us together.  I had a blast!

I was really nervous about this experience, but it was "challenge by choice" and I chose to challenge myself.  I was pretty scared of the dark experience, but I sucked it up and had a great time with the kids.  I also went for the bear squeeze, which was terrifying, but rewarding when I was able to make it through!  I got to know a bunch of new kids and I was able to get closer to kids from my class.  We had a great day caving and then got Culver's on the way back! I felt a little like an 8th grader myself!

Now, I am bumped and bruised and the entire left side of my body is really sore, but it was so worth it! Plus, I have a great comforting fall recipe to share today.  It is the perfect treat for breakfast, or anytime!  I made Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls and after a crazy day in the cave, it was great to warm up with a yummy cinnamon roll and watch some TV to give my aching body a little break.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from A Full Measure of Happiness)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup skim milk, warmed (I microwaved it for 1 minute)
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp low-sugar maple syrup
1 cup mashed sweet potato (I microwaved a medium-large sweet potato for 6 minutes then peeled it and mashed it)
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter
cinnamon and sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz low-fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix warm milk, yeast, and maple syrup together in a small bowl and set to the side until it becomes bubbly, about 7-8 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sweet potato, egg whites, olive oil, 1 cup of flour, and salt.
3. Mix in the yeast combination until well combined, and then mix in the rest of the flour until just combined.  Switch to a dough hook and knead for about 8 minutes.  The mixture will form into a ball, but it will still be sticky.  Cover the dough with a towel and let rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Place the dough on a clean and lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle about 4 inches wide and 18 inches long.  Melt the butter and then drizzle over the dough so that it covers all of it except for about 1/2 inch around the sides.  Sprinkle a good about of sugar and then cinnamon over the dough.
5. Starting with one of the long edges, roll the dough tightly until you get close to the other side.  Take the other side and wrap over the top of the rolled dough.  Cut into about 12 pieces and place in 2 round pans.  Cover the pans and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes.
7.  Drizzle with your favorite glaze, or make this fantastic cream cheese frosting to slather on top: mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until well combined and creamy.  Spread over the warm rolls!

Enjoy!

This recipe featured on Foodie Friends Friday!