I’ve always loved cinnamon rolls. There’s something about the soft, yeasty dough covered in buttery cinnamon goo that drives me nuts.
When I was growing up, back when hanging out at the mall and eating gluten were both in vogue, I made many stops at the Cinnabon counter. All of those after-school cinnamon rolls probably explain why I landed the childhood nickname of Baby Fat. Kids can be cruel, and brutally honest. By the time I was entering 9th grade I had packed nearly 150 pounds into my 5 foot frame.There was no denying the fact that I was chubby.
At the time I had no concept of nutrition. There was no one to point out that most of my diet was sugar and grains, which were causing me to gain weight. It took years of struggling with my weight and reading about nutrition to discover that once I cut out the sugar and the grains my body dropped the excess fat.
Now it’s been years since I’ve tasted a traditional cinnamon roll. When a craving hits I make this grain and refined sugar free recipe for Cinnamon Crumb Cake. I use yeast in this recipe, to give the dough that authentic, yeasty quality that I used to love so much about Cinnabon buns. To recreate the buttery, cinnamon goo, I used coconut oil, coconut crystals and ground cinnamon. You’ll never need a traditional cinnamon roll after trying this recipe. Oh and no one calls me Baby Fat anymore
¼ cup warm water
2 teaspoons raw honey
1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 rounded teaspoons)
1 cup blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons coconut flour
⅔ cup arrowroot starch
pinch of sea salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking pan with coconut oil (9×13 for thin cake pieces, 8×8 for thick cake pieces).
In a small cup combine the warm water, honey and yeast. Mix carefully then set aside for 5 minutes until foamy.
In a medium bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot and salt. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, vanilla and almond extracts. Pat the dough into a ball and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Spread ⅔’s of the dough onto the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Pour the coconut oil over the top, then sprinkle with lots of cinnamon and coconut crystals. Drop the remaining dough in spoonfuls over the cinnamon layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
Calories: 177
Fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 14g
Sodium: 47mg
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: —