cinnamon rolls final collage

I can’t think of a more perfect EASTER morning breakfast than…The Cinnamon Roll! Soft, warm, and inviting as you tear them apart, ย steam wafting out. There may not be another food that can conjure quite as much nostalgia for me as cinnamon rolls.

My mother used to make the most brilliant cinnamon rolls from scratch and I can still still remember the smell of the dough rising and the taste of the sugar and cinnamon that still lingers in my mind. Lately, my boys have been BEGGING me to make a grain/dairy free cinnamon roll that is worthy of that heritage, so after much ado…..here it is!!!

The Best Almond Flour Cinnamon Roll Biscuits

Ingredients:

For the biscuit rolls

3 cups fine ground blanched almond flour (What I recommend)
1/2 tsp salt (or just slightly under that amount)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil/palm shortening, softened or liquid
2 Tbls honey
2 large US size eggs, room temp eggs
Note: For best results use a high quality very fine ground almond flour like THESEย brands. Other coarser brands will likely result in a grainy, wet dough.

For the filling

1/4 cup or more honey (depending on what you like)
1/2 cup pecans/walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1- 2 Tbls ground cinnamon

Icing recipe and instructions are at the end of the post

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda.

3. In a separate bowl, gently beat together the melted fat, honey and eggs. If the eggs are too cold, they will cause the coconut oil to harden.

4. Add the egg mixture to the almond flour mixture and mix until it comes together and a smooth dough is formed. Scoop up into a ball let rest in the fridge for 10 min. This will make it easier to work with.

5. Lightly grease the outside of the ball of dough. Using a rolling pin roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper into 9×13 rectangle (approx.) and between 1/4″ 1/8″ thick. Take your time and get a good uniform rectangle.

6. Drizzle the 1/4-1/2 cup of honey (or even spread with ghee and coat generously with maple sugar) evenly over the dough, then carefully spread it around to cover the whole surface. Honestly, I use my fingers to do this. I find that I am less likely to tear the dough this way.

7. Sprinkle the raisins, grounds pecans and cinnamon (or whatever you like) over the surface of the dough. Try to keep the filling additions finely chopped so they do not tear through the dough when you start rolling.

8. Now youโ€™re ready to roll it up! Turn the dough so that the short end is facing you. Starting at that end, begin to roll the edge of the dough away from you. Try to start a tight roll from the beginning. Continue rolling until you have a nice uniform log. Again, take your time and get a uniform, tight roll. If the roll cracks use the warmth of your hand to press it together and make it smooth again. Use the parchment paper to help you roll as needed. This dough is not as workable as a gluten based dough would be.

9. Cut right away or chill if needed for smoother cutting.With a good bread knife, cut the roll into about 9-10 thick slices. I just use the width of two to three fingers (depending on how thick the roll is) as my guide. Shape them a bit if needed.

10. Lay the rolls cut side down onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. They can be placed apart or connected.

Bake 10-15 min.
Notes: I recommend staying close to the stove and checking toward the end of the baking time. They should be golden with some browning. The dough toward the center of the roll should be soft but not to doughy and not hard. As Goldilocks said, they should be “just right!”

When ready, remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 min. If you try to move them before then, they are likely to fall apart. Drizzle with coconut butter and/or honey just before serving.

Makes about 9-10 small cinnamon roll biscuits.

For icing: Drizzle with your favorite icing or for a lower sugar treat just drizzle a little warmed coconut butter or honey over the rolls, as seen in the photo. Or drizzle with your favorite caramel sauce.

What to expect? These cinnamon rolls, if baked right are soft and lovely. Since it is not a yeast or gluten based dough they will not have that ‘stretchy, pull apart’ feel that a yeast/gluten based roll would have. I would consider them to more of a ‘biscuit’ style cinnamon roll and less sweet than the traditional cinnamon roll.