Cinnamon rolls...super fast!

I've been wanting to make super speedy cinnamon rolls for ages!  Ever since this recipe when they tasted great but...took...so...long...to...make!

Patience is not my greatest virtue :-)

So a super speedy no-rise cinnamon roll has been on the cards for some time. Obviously it also had to be healthy (as far as possible) and offer a gluten free option (note: I have used oat flour which some will have sensitivities to). Finally I have a little recipe to share with you.

I made a small batch but you could easily double this recipe. I made these rolls in a mini muffin tray. I encourage you to do the same, but in order to get a soft 'crust' make sure the dough is sized to almost touch the sides of the tray before they go in the oven, since they don't rise much and any 'air gap' will give more of a crust...not that this matters (that's what mine were like) I just felt that next time round i'd try this method for a softer option. You could also loosely cover with foil to reduce browning and drying of the tops.

I tried both spelt and oat flour rolls, both tasted good, the spelt had a slightly more 'bready' feel to it' which I guess it to be expected and it rose a little more during baking, although between the two I don't have a clear favourite.

You can make this roll as naughty or as virtuous as you like with your own desired level of sugars and syrup or frosting added. I used this mincemeat filling to amp up the Christmassy theme with some extra extra coconut sugar added....it made for an amazingly moist filling...I would definitely recommend using a really thick moist filling like this!

I still have so many Christmas themed recipes to share...oh well my '12 days of Christmas' may have to continue over the entire Christmas period....too bad ;-)


Keep your eyes peeled for a round-up tomorrow (it will replace Silent Sunday)...there are so many great recipes and funky ideas out there!

Recipe: No-rise cinnamon roll

Makes 6 mini rolls

Ingredients:

1 cup flour*
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
approx. 1/3 cup soy yoghurt (or other plain style yoghurt)
1 tbs coconut oil melted
2 tsp agave
Filling: 3 tbs mincemeat, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbs coconut sugar
Decoration: chopped nuts and maple syrup

*Either use 1 cup wholemeal spelt or use a heaped 3/4 cup oat flour with 3 tbs tapioca starch and 1 tbs ground chia/flax)

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and then add the wet ingredients. Mix lightly but well, the mixture should be lightly tacky but you should be able to handle it with floured hands.

Lightly knead the mixture onto a non-stick surface to form a rectangle approx 1cm thick, gauge the width of the rectangle based on the size of mini muffin or cupcake trays so that when rolled up it will fill them nicely. Mix the filling ingredients together, warm if necessary so that it is easy to spread across the surface of the dough right to the edges.

Carefully roll the dough into a little log and slice into approx 6 pieces (depending on the size of the muffin trays). Place a piece in each case and bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Cover with foil for part of the baking time to reduce browning.

Drizzle with nuts and syrup to serve.

spelt on the left oat flour on the right

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Holiday spiced fruit granola

Christmas breakfast take-two….that’s if you haven’t already been swayed by my Christmas baked oatmeal! Maybe you’ll just have to have two breakfasts…or even better reserve this for a snack. Mid morning, or mid afternoon, whenever you’re flagging an in need of a spiced fruity kick all packed into a little chewy granola nugget to power you through your day.

I love to eat a handful of granola clusters as a snack, but if you are more the breakfast kind you can spread the raw mixture thinly and bake to make more of a ‘flaked granola’ and serve with your favourite fruit/milk/yoghurt. Layer up that breakfast bowl!

There are two things I really love about this granola: the smooshed up fruit (aka mincemeat) gives the chunks an amazing glazed crisp yet chewy texture it is amazing. Secondly because the fruit pieces in the mincemeat have been smooshed to a more paste, it doesn’t burn it like whole raisins or cranberries etc would do. I also added some extra dried fruit to the mix once cooked but that’s optional.

I know I am a little oat obsessed…we are only 5 days in and already we have two oat recipes! Well I am not apologising, I love my oats and they make the perfect snack for a bit of sweet sustenance. But I’ll do you a deal...no more oats for the next few days, I have a few more ideas in store!

Recipe: Holiday spiced fruit granola

Makes approx 2-3 bowls (or 2 baking sheets worth)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup hazel nuts (or any nut mix)

¼ cup flakes almonds

¼ cup mincemeat

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp rum extract to taste- optional

1 tbs orange zest (or ½ tsp extract if no zest)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground mixed spice

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

2 tbs rapadura (or other unrefined sugar) or more to taste

½ cup cranberries or other dried fruits mixed through once cooked- optional

  

Method:

Melt the coconut oil and mix with the extracts, mincemeat and zest.

Add all dry ingredients  (except whole dried fruit pieces) to a medium bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and mix through to form a sticky mix.

Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure to achieve a thin even layer with lots of clumpy bits for clusters or a no clumps for a flaked mix.

Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden, flakes may take a minute or so less. Add the dried cherries/cranberries to the mixture once cooled. Stores in cupboard for a few weeks.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Gingerbread quinoa bake

Homemade mincemeat is definitely my new favourite thing around here. Once you've made a jar (which literally only takes minutes) you can store it in the fridge and then use it in everything. I did the same last Christmas and these were a couple of the resulting recipes from back then.

Gingerbread parcels

Mincemeat fruit loaf

Cranberries also seem to be a bit of a recurring theme at the moment, maybe it’s because they look like Christmas jewels and I like pretty seasonal photos!

But in actual fact this post is really in celebration of…ginger and quinoa. I almost reached across for the cinnamon when mixing together this batter then my fingers switched track and out came Mr Ginger accompanied by Miss Molasses, another fabulous combo for this time of year. Note I am very cautious with adding too much molasses as I find it easily overpowering to my taste buds, feel free to be more generous if that’s your thing.

The texture of this bake was spot on, really moist but light and cakey. If you are not accustomed to the taste of quinoa flakes you may pick up on a slight bitterness, I think the ginger works really well to compliment the quinoa. But feel free to modify the level of spice and agave to your own taste.

Perfect for breakfast or dessert…or both! The recipe can easily be doubled up for a larger pie dish.

Recipe: Gingerbread quinoa bake

serves 2

Ingredients

½ cup quinoa flakes

1 tbs ground chia/flax

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch stevia (1/6^th tsp)

3 tbs agave/maple syrup

1 tsp molasses

1/3 cup soy yoghurt to mix (or other yoghurt)

3 tbs apple puree (or more yoghurt)

2-3 tbs mincemeat for base (homemade ideally)

Handful of part-cooked fresh cranberries to decorate top

1 tbs crystalised ginger- chopped for top

Brown rice syrup/agave/maple syrup to drizzle (if desired- I omitted)

Method

Part cook the cranberries by cooking in the microwave (1 minute) or hob for a few minutes until the first few cranberries only just begin to pop their skins.

Meanwhile, mix all wet ingredients together in a small bowl before adding to the dry ingredients (other than base and toppings) Mix well to achieve a thick smooth batter consistency.

Line the bottom of a small pie dish (approx. 15cm diameter) with the mincemeat mixture (or mix this through the batter- see note) spoon the quinoa batter over the top and smooth top with a spoon. Gently press the part cooked cranberries into the top of the batter and sprinkle with the finely chopped ginger pieces.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for approx. 15 minutes until golden, check with a toothpick and if the mixture is still uncooked in the centre loosely cover with foil so that the top doesn’t brown and continue to bake for another 5 minutes until cooked through. (I had to cover mine)

Notes:

Instead of using mincemeat as a base, you could mix it through the batter and reduce the yoghurt slightly.  I used a small ceramic fluted pie dish and it was tricky to get the bake out neatly. It would be advisable to use a dish with a removable base and mix the mincemeat through the batter if you wish to remove it. Or do as I did and eat from the dish- I didn't eat it all by myself!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Christmas breakfast baked oatmeal

Without a doubt this recipe will be my breakfast choice on Christmas morning…in actual fact I will probably double the recipe and treat my whole family to some warm comforting, creamy, fruity, spiced oats!

This recipe serves two to three, so if you are like I was this morning you can save whatever you don’t eat in one sitting for breakfast the next morning…serve either hot or cold.  Like many of my breakfasts this could easily become dessert, you may simply want to increase the sweetness a little more to taste.

I love the colours and textures in this beautiful dish, the mincemeat gives an amazing Christmas infusion. The best way is to make your own…see this recipe for a sugar free and fat free version, (so easy to make and stores in the fridge for ages), but you could use store bought at a push (it won’t be as healthy) or failing that just add extra dried fruit and spices and mix through a little grated apple, or apple sauce.

A ‘snowfall’ sprinkling of flaked almonds to the top completes the picture. (Oh…and if your are as obsessed with cinnamon as I am add a sprinkle more here also!)

Recipe: Christmas breakfast baked oatmeal

Serves 2

Ingredients

2/3 cup oats

1 tbs ground chia/flax

1 cup soy milk (or other)

3 tbs mincemeat (homemade)

½ heaped tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg (or to taste)

1 small nectarine (or any small orange)

Handful of fresh cranberries

Topping: 2 tbs flaked almonds and a little unrefined sugar if desired  

Method

Part-cook a handful of fresh cranberries (5 mins on the stove or 2 mins in the microwave). Peel and slice the orange into fingertip sized pieces.

Mix all other ingredients together in a small bowl. Spoon into a greased oven dish min. 20x10cm. and press the orange and cranberries into the top of the mixture. Dust with sugar to offset the slight tartness of the cranberries if desired.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until the topping is golden.  This also tastes good cold the next day!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

‘Twelve Days’ day 9: Mincemeat fruit loaf

I’m on a bit of a mincemeat kick!

Yes, I know I could freeze part of the batch I made a few days ago but I wanted to make it into as many things as possible right now!...plus I can always make more if I need to as it’s so simple.

I’ve never been a fan of traditional fruit cake as it’s so dense and rich and I’m not a lover of candied peel.  However I do like the idea of a fruit cake as a semi-sweet filling mid afternoon snack served warm with some vegan butter or yoghurt.  So as with all things… I set about creating my own version. This loaf is a lot lighter than a traditional loaf cake and I used a food processor to blend the mincemeat into the mixture so that the pieces were much smaller with a delicate crumb to the cake, (great for people who proclaim not to like fruit cake because of the bits!) but instead of blending you could simply fold the mincemeat through by hand if you would prefer to retain more of a texture to the fruit.

The basis of this recipe was inspired by this cake as it had a lovely light delicate sponge, although I have ended up modifying it quite a lot.

I can barely believe we’ve reached ‘Day 9’ already…..this time next week Christmas day will be upon us! 

Ok- now I’m starting to get really excited…the final countdown has begun and there are still 3 more recipes to squeeze in this week…. 

So, put you Christmas tunes on, get your tinsel out and dance around the room like a crazy person. It’s Christmas so anything goes…plus after all that dancing you’ll need a rest and refuel with a little piece of cake!

Recipe: Mincemeat fruit loaf

Ingredients 

150g wholemeal spelt flour

50g almond meal

50g potato starch

1tsp flax seed mixed with 1tbs hot water

3tsp baking powder 

1tbs bicarbonate of soda

2tsp cinnamon

70g rapadura

¼ tsp stevia

100ml melted coconut butter

50ml soy yoghurt

100ml orange juice (more if needed)

1tsp vanilla extract

200g mincemeat (ideally homemade)

Whole blanched almonds for decoration

Fills one 8 inch loaf tin

Method

Blend all liquids in food processor and melt coconut oil separately then mix in. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl then pour into the wet ingredients and beat well to get a very smooth mixture. Add the mincemeat last and either blend in or fold in by hand. Add a little more orange juice if necessary to ensure a smooth batter.

Pour into greased and lined  8” loaf tin. Place/scatter a handful of blanched almonds over the top of the loaf. Bake for approx. 40 mins at 180C. If the top of the loaf begins to brown before the centre is fully cooked, lightly cover with foil for the last few minutes of baking time.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

‘Twelve Days’ day 8: Gingerbread parcels

Photoshoot complete before breakfast…oh and then these became breakfast!

I really wanted to put together a healthy gingerbread recipe. I love gingerbread and typically I would cut out the dough into gingerbread men, but gingerbread men are everywhere at Christmas and as cute as they are I really wanted to do something a little different from the norm this year.

I wanted to combine the idea of gingerbread with something equally as Christmassy…. Enter the Christmas gingerbread parcel, packed full of sweet and spicy mincemeat!

Mmmm, a crisp and chewy gingerbread cookie shell with a soft and juicy fruity centre. These are so moreish, rich and filling but not so sickly sweet. Using homemade mincemeat makes such a difference, as I mentioned yesterday in this post, I never used to like mincemeat at all….please give it a try!

I’d originally tried to create a gluten free gingerbread dough which tasted great (in dough form) but rolling it out presented an issue as the dough was quite crumbly. I think it would have been fine for a flat cookie, but these really needed the extra elasticity to allow them to be folded up into the individual parcels. So, I opted for the tried and tested spelt version as I am still quite a novice when it comes to GF baking. I’d be interested to know of any tips or comments other may have!

Of course this dough could be used for traditional gingerbread men if you prefer!

Recipe: Gingerbread parcels

Ingredients

1 ½ cups mix of whole and white spelt flour

½ cup arrowroot

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1tbs ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

3tbs coconut oil- melted

1 tsp flax and 2 tbs hot water mixed

1/3 cup agave nectar plus ¼ tsp stevia

2 tbs molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

Half a jar of mincemeat- bought or (ideally) homemade

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until you get a stiff dough. I didn’t feel that the dough needed time to chill, but feel free to chill for a short while if you feel it will make it more workable, particularly if a little sticky.

Roll out the dough using lightly floured parchment paper. Roll out to approx. 5mm thick and cut into squares approx. 8cm wide. Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat mixture into the centre of each square and pinch the corners together sealing them at the top  to form a parcel (it’s simpler than it sounds!)

Bake for approx. 8-10 mins until they begin to colour at the edges. Cool completely and decorate with a dusting of icing sugar if desired.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.