Cinnamon Roll Bites (No-bake)

You don't need to have a biscuit or a bread dough in order to have cinnamon rolls. You also don't need an oven.

This is an outstanding snack option. Your kids will have fun helping. Rainy day? Yes, awesome. Bring it. You do need a food processor, but otherwise this is an easy-peasy quick recipe where the sum of the parts so far exceeds expectations. Really.

Just trust me. Go get some oats, go get some dates, grab your food processor and you'll be glad you did.

Note: If you don't have oat flour, start with processing 1 cup of oats to a floury consistency. You might need a hair more, like up to 1 1/4 c of oats.

Note: You'll note my roll looks a little tan. My almond flour if with skins; almond flour from blanched almonds is paler.

Cinnamon Roll Bites (No-bake)

Yield: 12 - 15 swirly bites

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup oat flour (ground from old fashioned or quick oats)

1 cup almond flour

½ tsp salt

3Tbsp coconut oil, softened or melted

2 Tbsp maple syrup

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

1 cup packed pitted dates (roughly 12 medjool dates yield 1 cup once pitted; don't use precut dates because they are coated to not stick together which will impact your filling consistency)

1 Tbsp coconut oil, softened or melted

1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 – 1 Tbsp warm water (amount depends on how soft and smooshy your dates are)

Instructions

Make your dough:

Line a baking sheet with a piece of plastic wrap, maybe 9 or 10 inches long. Lay it flat, to the best of your ability.

Combine oat flour, almond flour, and salt. Pulse 3-4 times to combine. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pulse again to distribute the liquid and then run the food processor for about 10 seconds until it starts to come together and form a cohesive smooth dough. Dump the dough onto your prepared plastic wrap; set the food process bowl aside, and don't bother washing it out yet.

Gently shape the dough into a ball and then smash it into a rectangle. Using your fingers and palms, smash the dough into a mostly-even rectangle, roughly 8 or 9 inches long, roughly 6 or 7 inches wide. You're aiming for about 1/4 inch thick. Cover the top of the rectangle with more parchment and use a rolling pin to shape it into a ~7-inch square, about 1/6 of an inch thick. Do not beat yourself up if it is not totally even. And, this is super forgiving dough, so if you need to take a bit from one side and press it on the other, feel free. Just do your best. Set aside.

Make your filling:

To the now empty food processor add dates, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and water (starting with the lesser amount). Let the machine run until a thick, cohesive paste is achieved. This should take a few minutes. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. If the food processor is having trouble blending, add a bit more water as needed.

Once you have a smooth paste, spread the cinnamon filling over the dough all the way to the edges. You'll have about the same thickness of filling as you do dough.

Once the filling is spread evenly, turn your baking pan with the short end toward you, and using the plastic wrap, start rolling up your cinnamon roll. You might need to nudge the first roll into a tight coil, but then it should be fairly easy to roll it into a tight roll. Peel the plastic away as you roll until you have a lovely swirling log. Lightly roll the log between your hands to even the round.

For easiest slicing, move the roll to the plastic wrap again, and roll it up making sure to cover the ends too. Chill the wrapped log for at least an hour, or overnight.

When ready to serve, unwrap and slice into roughly 1/2 inch slices, using a thin sharp knife. Enjoy!

Leftover cinnamon rolls will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 1 month.