As a toddler, my mom used to put Cheerios in the pockets of my overalls in case I got hungry while toddling around. Not kidding. Now, I try to keep my cereal consumption pretty low, but occasionally get the hankering for this Sweet Cinnamon Cereal (or Cinnamon Graham Crackers)
I was good at sharing.
Before going mostly paleo, I LOVED cereal and always had several varieties in the pantry. I’ve never been into the sweet stuff, I can thank my Mom and my Cheerios habit for that. But I have always loved cereal as a snack, especially an after dinner one.
Since going mostly paleo, cereal has sadly vanished from my life. I know it’s for the best, since cereal has little to no nutritional value. And I’m glad that I no longer consider it a staple food item. We’re better off without it. Once in a while though, it’s a fun snack, and the homemade stuff is really a whole different thing than what you’ll find in a cardboard box. And of course this version is grain-free and made with just a handful of ingredients.
This recipe is great as both a slightly sweet cereal or as cinnamon graham crackers. If you want it even less sweet than it is, just reduce the amount of maple syrup or sprinkle less coconut sugar on top.
Sweet Cinnamon Cereal or Graham Crackers
makes 12-14 2×3 inch crackers or 6-8 servings of cereal1 egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch *
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
* update: arrowroot powder works as a cup for cup substitute.
- Preheat oven to 350˚
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, maple syrup and melted coconut oil
- Add the tapioca starch and almond flour and stir to combine.
- Give the dough a couple of kneads so it’s well incorporated.
- Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten a bit with your hands.
- Place another piece of parchment on top and roll out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8 inch thick.
- Remove the top piece of parchment and cut the dough into 1/4 inch squares for cereal, and about 2″x3″ for graham crackers. (You want to cut through the dough, but leave it where it is, you’ll break it apart once it’s cooked.)
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the dough with the mixture.
- Slide the dough with the bottom parchment paper onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn down the oven to 325˚ and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cereal / crackers are crisp.
- Allow to cool (walking away is highly recommended) and break apart at the score marks.
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Debbie says
Sounds like you had one smart mom!
And, this cereal recipe is brilliant!
Thanks for sharing.
zenbellyblog says
She is definitely smart, and her name is also Debbie! For a minute, I thought she was the one who posted this comment 🙂
Belinda Hart says
I just made this. Fabulous and great to have paleo cereal at a fraction of the cost!!
Andrea says
In the oven now and smells so good! My kids are anxiously waiting 🙂 thank you.
zenbellyblog says
I love that you made this right away! I can totally relate- I have gotten in my car to get ingredients before I’ve even read a recipe through. Glad you had everything on hand, and I hope your kids loved it!
adventures in the uncommon says
Cannot wait to add this to my occasional snack for my daughter! Ty. Mind if I link to it on my blog?
zenbellyblog says
Don’t mind at all, thanks!
Emily says
This looks awesome and I want to try it, but my son has an egg allergy. Do you think this recipe would work with an egg replacement like flax or chia?
adventures in the uncommon says
I bet it would work with chia seeds. You may need to experiment with the right amount but I use them as a binder all the time.
zenbellyblog says
I think it would. I know it works in other recipes, and the tapioca in this one should help hold it together as well. Might be a good idea to try a half batch to test.
Joy B. says
I’d love to try this as well but don’t have chia seeds. I do have flax meal and use it for flax eggs all the time. Would flax work as well as chia?
zenbellyblog says
I haven’t tried either with this recipe, but if it works for other recipes, I bet it would for this one, too! Please report back if you try it! I get so many egg substitute questions, and just don’t have time to test every recipe with every option. I’d love to include options in as many recipes as possible for people who are egg-free. 🙂
Aimee says
I just tried it with chia seeds instead of egg. (1 tbsp chia seeds in 3 tbspn flax milk) Worked great!
Emily says
Awesome! Thanks!
Biocadence says
I, too, miss cereal! I’m excited to give this a whirl!
Annie at Biocadence
Tracey says
Our family wants to eliminate grains but we have a nut allergy in the family. Alternative to almond flour ?
steph says
Try coconut flour!
Jaclyn says
Ground (raw) sunflower seeds work as a replacement for almond flour, measured cup for cup. Just grind in a food processor or (my fave) a coffee grinder. (Coconut flour is delicious and nutritious, but you can’t substitute it cup for cup for almond flour!)
zenbellyblog says
I agree with the sunflower seed comment! I haven’t tried it yet, but have heard from people who have that it’s a great substitute for almond flour. Coconut flour is great too, but cannot be used as a cup for cup sub. It requires much more moisture than other flours.
abennett415 says
Another awesome recipe! Thanks!
malinda says
i dont have tapioca starch what can i use to replace it? thanks
zenbellyblog says
Arrowroot is a good alternative, and what I usually use, but went with tapioca this time because I feel that tapioca is generally easier to find for people. Potato starch might work too.
Kenneth Linwood says
I can confirm that potato starch does work for all you guys who might have a tad of a problem trying to find tapioca flour! Hope it helped!
Lucy says
hey! 🙂 how many servings is this recipe? i need to calculate the calories but I dont know how many servings this makes. thank u very much in adance, lucy 🙂
zenbellyblog says
hmmmm Servings… It makes just about a full cookie sheet, which I would say is about 6-8 servings? Small servings, but since this is nut based, I imagine a bowl of cereal being smaller, since it’s so much more filling. A little goes a long way!
Julie Ann says
I would love to make this recipe! I love ceral, I’m pregnant, and all I have wanted is cinnamon ceral. Unfortunately I have a severe nut allergy and I am not a creative cook/baker so any suggestions on a good way to substitute coconut flour?
zenbellyblog says
coconut flour is SO different, it would have to be a whole new recipe. Can you have sunflower seeds? I’ve heard that people have good results subbing ground sunflower seeds in place of almond flour. I hope that’s possible for you so you can get what you’re craving!
Diane Bevis says
The recipe looks delicious, however everyone in our family is allergic to almonds. Do you have any suggestions for substitution?
zenbellyblog says
This has come up a lot lately! I have heard good things about subbing ground sunflower seeds in recipes that call for almond flour, but I haven’t tried it myself. I will experiment and report back!
Guinnevere Śquirt Courvoisier says
Thanks for this recipe! I can’t wait to make this for a weekend snack 😀
Trinis says
My daughter has nut allergies, can this be made with coconut flour?
zenbellyblog says
coconut flour is totally different, so can’t be subbed cup for cup. I’ve heard good things about using ground sunflower, and I plan on experimenting more with that soon!
Laura Hofstetter says
How would you store this so that they stay crunchy? In a paper bag? An airtight container? Or is is gone pretty much once you make it? I want to make this the night before for a morning staff meeting. Thanks so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it 🙂 I LOVE cereal!
zenbellyblog says
I stored them in a plastic bag, and they stayed crunchy for 2 or 3 days, which is as long as they lasted. 🙂
Laura Hofstetter says
Perfect! Thank you so so much for your quick reply 🙂 I will let ya know how the gang likes them…but I’m sure they’ll be a hit!
Stephanie says
Can I substitute stevia for the coconut sugar?
zenbellyblog says
If you have an idea of the measurement, then yes! I never use it, so I don’t know what the ratio would be…
Stephanie says
I believe it’s 3/4 tsp stevia is equal to 2 tsp white sugar. Is coconut sugar the same “sweetness” as white sugar? I’ll let you know how it works. Looking forward to making these! Thanks for all the recipes.
zenbellyblog says
I’d say coconut sugar is a bit less sweet than regular sugar, and has a bit of a brown sugar taste. Definitely let me know how they turn out with stevia! I’d love to include it as an option for readers who use it, but don’t really like it myself…
Leesa says
We can’t have nuts or seeds due to allergy, would coconut flour be doable.
zenbellyblog says
coconut flour would require different measurements entirely, but could be doable… If you have done this with other recipes and have an idea of the proper measurements, go for it!
zenbellyblog says
one more thing: you’ll definitely have to adjust the liquid in the recipe, since coconut flour is so much more absorbant than almond flour.
Jennifer Champion says
Mine came out very sticky. Is that how the batter is supposed to be before I roll it?
zenbellyblog says
the batter shouldn’t be too sticky… Did you make any substitutions? The other thing I can think of is that possibly your egg was very large? If the batter doesn’t roll out fairly easily, maybe add more tapioca or arrowroot.
Jennifer Champion says
No, I didn’t make any substitutions. So maybe it was my egg. Ok I know for next time. I had a hard time rolling it out and then it came out softer in the middle. Good flavor though. I just have to play with the texture a bit to match my eggs.
kitchen_rookie says
Followed the recipe and my batter came out sticky as well. I used a “jumbo” egg. I just added more tapioca flour until the batter turned into a easy-to-handle ball.
The merrymaker sisters says
LOVE LOVE the idea of this cereal! We may have to try this out! e & c
Maura says
Wow, this is great. I used the maple syrup in the dough but did not put the sugar on top and it still came out amazing. My grain lovng daughter was munching on it before bed. This will be going in her lunch box in the fall and in her cereal bowl in the morning. Thanks!
zenbellyblog says
Awesome! I’m so glad your daughter loves it! I’m hoping to come up with more grain-free cereal options, too. 🙂
katie says
Does this freeze ok?
zenbellyblog says
I haven’t tried freezing this, but I’m guessing it would be fine. There’s a chance it might need a quick refresh in the oven if it loses some of its crunch…
Julie says
What kind of almond flour do you use?
zenbellyblog says
This one! It’s the best, IMO, super finely ground.
Sam says
I put cocoa in the mix and they were good!
Brianna says
You’re a genius. I’m glad to see you don’t use a lot of coconut flour. Cant wait to try all of your cereal recipes!
Layan says
Looks like a great recipe! How long will these last in the pantry?
zenbellyblog says
If you keep them in an airtight container, they last a really long time! If they lose some of their crunch, you can throw them in a 325 oven for 5 minutes to re-crisp them.
Amy says
Hey! This is so awesome! Can you tell me what you might replace the tapioca flour with for lower carbs ? Would arrowroot work, do you think ?
zenbellyblog says
Arrowroot works!
Amy says
Super excited, it’s in the oven now. You mentioned to bake for “another 15 mins” was I supposed to bake it twice?
zenbellyblog says
I probably didn’t catch you in time, but yes. You bake for 15 at 350, and then turn the oven down to 325 and bake 10-15 more to finish baking. I hope it worked out!
Kristin says
Could you possibly substitute almond with coconut flour? Also, could you put sweet potato or avocado in them? Make them a healthier snack? Maybe blend up fruit and add it to the mix? THANKS : )
zenbellyblog says
almond and coconut flour are completely different, you can’t sub them unless you create an entirely new recipe for them. Adding sweet potato or avocado would change the texture completely as well… You could experiment with it, but I have no idea how they’ll come out.
Yvonne Martin says
This one of my families favorite snacks, It never makes it more then two days. Even my parents loves this one, thank you. I will need to try the s’mores idea next.
zenbellyblog says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it. Thanks, Yvonne!
Donna says
Excellent recipe for a lightly sweetened graham cracker snack that my kids love.
zenbellyblog says
🙂
Susan says
I’m assuming that this would work well for graham cracker pie crust, by just food processing with some melted butter? If yes, then would you still parbake the crust (assuming that the pie recipes calls for it)? GC is my favorite crust!
zenbellyblog says
Oh yeah that would work great! I think whether or not you par bake depends on the filling… I’ve made similar with things like apple pie and not par baked. I wouldn’t add too much more butter because it’s already pretty buttery / fatty 🙂