Cinnamon Crunch Cereal (Gf, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free)

This is my riff on an American breakfast cereal treat.

In America they have this deliciously delightful cereal called Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s delicious and if you want to try it, you can source it here in Australia from confectionary stores and international stores (One Stop Express Mart in South Bank. I love this cereal it’s like a French toast/cinnamon scroll made into a tiny square, dusted in cinnamon sugar. Like all the best breakfast cereals, it’s more of a dessert/sweet snack than a cereal. No judgment I would eat a bowl of these every morning if I could.

Do not despair, if you’re like me and a little hesitant about eating a big old bowl of sugar for breakfast, I have healthy-fied it. Now y’all can eat it all the time!! It just happens to be refined sugar free, vegan and gluten free. You could give it a gingerbread twist for Christmas (or wait until I do because that’s a brilliant idea). OMG don’t steal my ideas!

Makes a 2-3 cups

The Crunchies

• 100 g raw pecans

• 60 g raw hazelnuts

• 100 g oats

• 50 g buckwheat kernals

• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

• 4 Tbs maple syrup

• 2 Tbs coconut oil/macadamia oil

• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

To make the cereal

1. Preheat your oven to 180’C and put aside a large baking tray.

2. Place nuts onto a small baking tray and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. If the hazelnuts have skins put them in a clean tea towel and rub them to remove the skins.

3. Put the nuts into a processor and blend until ground, add the oats and buckwheat kernels and blend until finely ground.

4. Place the ground nuts and oats into a bowl, then add the cinnamon and salt and stir until well combined.

5. Add the maple syrup, oil and vinegar into the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. Set aside.*

6. Prepare a large piece of baking paper (to fit your baking tray) on your bench/work space and then place the dough into the centre of the paper. Tear another piece of baking paper (roughly the size of the bottom piece) and place on top of the dough.

7. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough (while covered by the baking paper) until 2 to 5 millimetres thick.

8. Remove the top piece of baking paper then using a pizza cutter/knife cut into squares or diamonds.

9. Lift the bottom sheet of baking paper with the rolled out dough onto the baking tray and then lightly sprinkle with cinnamon.

10. Put into the oven for 10 minutes, until golden.

11. Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack.

12. Once cool, break up or cut up the baked cereal into the squares/diamonds you cut earlier.

13. Place cool cinnamon crunch into an airtight container.* This keeps pretty well so you can make larger batches and keep them as a food supply for a while.

Notes:

* You can make the dough into little cookies prior to rolling out (as pictured below)

* You can cut into any shapes, but the squares are easiest to move onto the baking tray.

* You can use coconut sugar or monkfruit sugar to sprinkle with the cinnamon to make it sweeter and closer to the og version.

* This cereal is delicious with some sliced banana and milk (I use oat or almond milk or even kefir yogurt).

* You can make this as a treat for a friend and put it in a nice jar with a ribbon. It works well as a personalised gift and keeps well for transport.

final thoughts…

So the Brisbane Lions beat Richmond on Friday night. This is a HUGE deal and I’m still getting emotional and teary every time I watch a replay. We just got one more hurdle then it’s grand finals for me and the boys. GO LIONS.

I am aware that Masterchef Junior starts soon. I don’t watch it unless Christina Tosi is a judge so I won’t be watching it. The Great British Bake Off has restarted though and you all need to be on that. It’s so good! The GBBO makes you feel like everything is right in the world. It’s like a big hug!

Happy Spring everybody!!!!

Love from the one and only flour child,

Amelia xx