Raw Cinnamon Buns
I have come across a couple of raw cinnamon bun recipes on the web but none seemed close enough to traditional cinnamon buns. What a great challenge. Almond flour, flaked spelt (yup, you heard me right) and ground flax were the perfect medium for these. A bit of time in the dehydrator provided the perfect consistency. Wanting to get away from only using cashews for cream fillings, I also added almonds and raisins. The crowning glory is the maple cashew icing! I wouldn’t suggest having these for breakfast every morning, but for a Sunday brunch, or a weekend treat, they are perfect.
Spelt is a grain that is related to wheat but contains much more protein and less carbohydrates than wheat. It is high in B vitamins, iron and potassium. I got this raw, flaked spelt from Sunrise Flour Mills. You can read more about them here. You can replace it with raw, flaked oats if you wish. But you know me, I like to mix it up a bit!
Raw Cinnamon Buns
MAKES 12
Buns
- 5 dates
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Ground Flax
- 1 1/4 cups Almond Flour
- 1 cup Spelt Flakes
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans (chopped fine)
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Agave
- 1 cup Water
- Soak dates. Blend with 1/4 cup water to make a smooth date paste. Set aside.
- Combine flax, almond flour (I use the dehydrated almond pulp left over from making almond milk), finely chopped pecans, and Spelt flakes.
- In a separate bowl, combine date paste, olive oil, 1/4 cup agave and 1 cup water. Mix wet ingredients into dry.
- Spread in a rectangle on a non-stick dehydrator sheet. You want this to be a little less than 1/2 inch thick. Dehydrate at 145 for 30 minutes. Flip onto screen, peel off dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 for another 20 minutes. While the bun is dehydrating, you will want to prepare the filling.
Filling
- 1 Young Thai Coconut (the white part)
- 1 cup Cashews
- 1/2 cup Almonds
- 1/4 cup Raw Agave
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla (not raw)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- Soak Almonds and Cashews for at least 3 hours to soften.
- Place in food processor with remaining ingredients except raisins, process until smooth. Stir in raisins.
Icing
- 1 cup Raw Cashew Butter
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup (not raw)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3-4 tablespoons Water
- Mix all ingredients except water.
- Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to desired consistency.
Assembly
- Place “bun” on parchment paper.
- Spread filling on bun. You can spread to the edges on the long sides but leave an inch or two on the short sides.
- Gently roll up the roll.
- Slice and top with icing.
Lisa wrote on February 12, 2017
I tried rolling mine up after following directions to the letter. (Although the recipe for the bunch part doesn’t say when to add the cinnamon, so I just guessed on that part)
When I rolled the bunch, no matter how carefully…it kept splitting and falling apart.
Any suggestions?
Thanks. This looks like it will taste amazing
Shadow wrote on November 24, 2015
I saw this recipe on Pinterest, but the link was broken! Reverse google image search couldn’t locate it either. Finally, I found it! I’m so glad because it looks ridiculously delicious!
Susan wrote on November 24, 2015
So glad you found it! I really appreciate the extra work you went to. 🙂
Areli wrote on June 8, 2015
did you use the spelt flakes raw or spelt flake cereal?
Alison R. wrote on October 2, 2013
Susan I have gone through all of the posts here and I can’t find where this has been addressed: What type of vanilla is used that you call for in the filling? Is it extract or the real stuff from the pod? Thanks for this site! It truly is RAWMAZING 🙂
Darleen wrote on April 30, 2013
You can still “dehydrate” in your oven – just use the warm function to set the temperature to 115-145 degrees; it’ll function the same as a dehydrator would.
Susan wrote on April 30, 2013
I wish it would function as a dehydrator does, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. First of all, you can’t control the temp so you could really destroy the raw status. Second, a dehydrator functions by using very low heat and A LOT of air to dehydrate food. An oven just can’t do that. You may be able to dry/bake them but it isn’t the same.
Jessica wrote on March 19, 2013
Making these for the first time right now! bought the book Saturday and I’ve made these and the mushroom burgers and sweet potato “fries”- all have been wins in my household! Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Meghan Hill wrote on March 6, 2013
I was just wondering if there is anyway to make these without a food dehydrator? Could I bake in the oven? I have most kitchen gadgets, just not a juicer or food dehydrator. I have a feeling I will be asking for them from Santa before too long though!
Susan wrote on March 7, 2013
SInce this is a raw food site, these recipes have been specifically formulated to be made in a dehydrator to preserve their raw status. I do not have instructions for using an oven. Please feel free to experiment on your own.
Mary James wrote on July 26, 2012
Are Spelt flakes the same as Spelt flour, or is it different, I have never heard of this before. Would other flours be a suitable substitute?
Steve wrote on July 19, 2012
this recipe is amazing – thanks!