Baked oatmeal cinnamon rolls
I read an interview with Jennifer Garner once where she confessed to being called “the funkiller” by her children. After reading this, I knew she and I had at least one thing in common. I’ve always joked, nervously perhaps, that my legacy will be that I devoted half of my life to (surreptitiously) serving healthy imposter versions of the world’s most beloved treats and dishes. With the drop of a hat or the substituting of a banana for cane sugar, I kill fun. Or at least that’s what the children sometimes say! (Laughing, not laughing).
This morning’s sneaky, healthy breakfast was comprised of baked oatmeal rolls that I tried to pass off as cinnamon buns. Did the underage residents of this old house fall for it? Heck no! They’ve been onto me for years now and are too smart at this point, thanks (I like to think) to the cod liver oil I coerced them to swallow as babies! But did they eat said rolls and enjoy them? Yes, yes, they did. And for the record, I thought they were delicious too.
This recipe is adapted from one shared by Nutritious Delights, where you can find a slew of tips and substitutes should you wish to experiment with the ingredients and directions below. I added glaze to my rolls but will probably skip it next time, especially if I’m serving this to my kids for breakfast. Although it adds a lot of sugar to an otherwise healthy treat, the glaze is a great hack if you want to serve these as a dessert or a decadent pastry. Otherwise, pouring a little maple syrup or honey over each roll will do the trick.
One quick note before I share the recipe: If you can’t find oat flour at your local grocery store, you can easily make it yourself by blitzing rolled oats in a food processor or vitamix for about 30 seconds to a minute. The other ingredients are fairly straightforward and the recipe is surprisingly easy to make. I think I’ve made these rolls three times in four days - I hope you love them too!
INGREDIENTS
for rolls
1 ripe banana, mashed
5 tbsp coconut, almond or avocado oil, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 cups oat flour (plus more for dusting and rolling)
¼ tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp flaxseed meal
1-2 tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
2 tsp cinnamon
for glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp coconut, almond, or avocado oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp milk (dairy or non-dairy, I use almond milk)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana, 4 tbsp of the oil, and the maple syrup. Mix well. Next add the oat flour, salt, baking powder, and flaxseed meal. Mix ingredients until a thick, uniform dough forms.
In another small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle some oat flour on a cutting board or flat surface, place the dough on top, and roll it out with a rolling pin. If the dough is sticky, add more oat flour until it’s workable. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle it with the cinnamon + coconut sugar mix (this is optional; you can omit the sugar for a healthier version of this recipe).
Cut the dough evenly into three long strips and start rolling them from one short end to the other. If the dough sticks to the counter or cutting board, slip a butter knife lengthwise under it and use it like a lever to gently lift and roll the dough. Continue rolling until you reach the end of the strip of dough.
Transfer the rolls to the baking tray and bake them for 10 minutes, or until they’re slightly crispy and firm to the touch. Let the rolls cool for five minutes, then continue to step 6, if you want to top them with glaze.
To make the glaze, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together until they’re even combined. Then either pour them over the rolls with a spoon or transfer the ingredients into an icing bottle and decorate the rolls that way.
Allow the rolls to cool just a bit (5 minutes); then serve warm.