Homemade. Cinnamon. Toast. Crunch.
Just one more time…for everyone in the back, not listening to what I just said. Homemade. Cinnamon. Toast. Crunch. That’s also vegan and gluten-free. Are we all feeling the same about this!? (Ecstatic, and mildly in shock from the thrill of it all?).
THE JOURNEY
I’ll tell you a little bit about the journey to get to this homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch even though you and I both know we’re here for the destination. The other week, I made a cinnamon & sugar cracker cookie situation the other week. I kept trying to figure out what I could frame it as, and what it reminded me of. Little did I know, I had basically created a more whole food version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! And it only took me about a week to realize this fact. I’ve never claimed to be perfect.
Anyway, after tweaking that original recipe and fully committing to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch vibe, we’ve made it here. It’s definitely an exciting departure from some of my other breakfast favorites on the site.
INGREDIENTS
I use a combination of almond and oat flour to create that snappy, crisp texture while still remaining light and not too dense. Unless you live with a flour mill (I certainly do not), I recommend buying oat flour from the store for this recipe instead of pulsing your own oats in your blender. Store-bought will be a lot finer than what we can realistically make at home – and that’s what we want for this recipe!
I use coconut sugar for this Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch recipe because 1) it’s my everything, 2) it creates a warm and golden taste to anything it’s added into, and 3) it’s an unrefined sweetener, and we love that for it! This recipe is not overly sweet; I don’t like a super sugary anything so I find this to be just the right amount – especially paired with the sprinkling of cinnamon and coconut sugar on top!
PROCESS
I recommend separating the dough into four batches and rolling them each out separately between two pieces of parchment paper. This will ensure we can get thin enough pieces that will work both as a cereal, or even as a snack. While you can and should absolutely use it as your traditional Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal in a bowl of cold milk (almond is my favorite here), you can even eat it on it’s own as little sweet crisps with your afternoon coffee or tea, or as a snack.
Use two pieces of parchment paper to roll the dough out using a rolling pin or a bottle, ensuring that it rolls out thin, but not so thin that it can’t stay grounded (lol) on the sheet. I recommend using a pastry cutter (will link the one I use below) to slice through the dough. You can also use the tip of a sharp knife to slide it right through!
Top with cinnamon and coconut sugar before baking (to be honest, I just go crazy here and don’t get too precious about it). Let your Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch cool slightly before breaking it apart and enjoying. Let it cool completely if adding to milk!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and when you make it, tag me on instagram @dadaeats so I can see your creations!
Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour, packed tightly
- 1 1/4 cups oat flour (if you're gluten-free, check the label to make sure), packed tightly I suggest getting store-bought here – it's a lot finer than what we can realistically make from pulsing oats in our blenders at home!
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
For topping
- ground cinnamon
- coconut sugar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
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Now add in the melted and cooled coconut oil, followed by the water.
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Finally, fold in the coconut sugar and ensure that everything is fully incorporated.
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Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces. Roll each piece of dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it's thin (you don't want it to be too thin to the point where it tears, but you can knead it out and roll it thin to get it to that cereal-like thinness)
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Remove the top layer of parchment and slice the dough using the tip of a knife or a pastry cutter. You can of course make these as big or small as you like – I like aiming for something just a tad bigger than traditional cinnamon toast crunch.
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Whisk together a few tablespoons of coconut sugar and a dash of cinnamon (I don't really measure this out too much – but visually, you really want the cinnamon and sugar to coat the cereal!) Sprinkle it over the top of the dough so that it's fully coated.
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Bake each batch in the oven for about 20-30 minutes (keep checking on it so the edges don't burn). You may have to break off the more well-done, thinner edges and remove those pieces from the oven, and put the rest of the dough back in to bake. Let cool slightly before breaking and enjoying. Let cool completely before adding to milk!
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