Quick Paleo Cinna Bun Muffins are a fast, easy, frosted, cinnamon roll flavoured muffin that is grain free with low carb options. I must admit that I still crave cinnamon rolls, especially when I go to a shopping area where they are baking those cinnamon buns and piping that amazing smell throughout the shops. Sort of evil of them I think. I know can’t have these, even as a cheat food without getting very ill.
I have been experimenting with different ingredients and trying to come up with a decent, grain free, easy to make cinnamon roll muffin. After many failed, and a few just kind of blah results, I finally made one that I like enough to keep my cravings satisfied!
I made a paleo and a grain free low carb version and included dairy free options. These are not nut free, as the cashew meal flour or almond flour was what seemed to taste the best in my experiments. I did try a coconut flour one and it just didn’t quite taste right. I also have oven baking instructions for these, as I know many people don’t use or have a microwave. They are still pretty fast to make in the oven as well. Not to mention that oven baking makes your kitchen smell lovely too.But I know people are in a rush sometimes and need a microwave option, especially when you’re having a cinnamon bun emergency!
Cinnamon is an amazing spice with so many health benefits. It just makes me so happy that a spice that tastes so good, can be so healthy for you. Here are some of the amazing health benefits of cinnamon:
- Contains antioxidants
- Can lower blood sugar
- Can prevent Alzheimer disease
- Fights bacterial and fungal infections
- Can help burn fat (love this one)
Not all store bought cinnamon are the same. I have heard that most commercial cinnamon contains actually very little cinnamon and mostly contain fillers like flour (I have been cross contaminated buy cinnamon before) and sawdust, yuck. So, be sure to buy real, organic, non-irradiated cinnamon like this one: Organic Cinnamon 
- Cinna Bun Muffin:
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee or coconut oil, melted
- Milk of choice: 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk, or 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ tsp GF vanilla extract, where to buy GF vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp cashew meal or almond flour (grind up raw cashews in a processor until course flour forms), where to buy cashew meal, or can use 3 tbsp almond flour.
- Sweetener of choice: 1 tbsp coconut sugar (paleo) or 1 tbsp erythritol for low carb sugar free, where to buy erythritol
- 1 tsp organic cinnamon, like this one
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar, like this one
- FROSTING :
- 2 tsp butter or ghee or coconut oil, melted
- Cream of choice: 1 tbsp coconut cream (where to buy this), or 1 tbsp double English cream (where to buy this), or 1 tbsp cream cheese, softened
- ½ tsp lemon juice, I use this lemon squeezer
- ⅛ tsp GF vanilla or orange extract
- ⅛ tsp apple cider vinegar
- Sweetener of choice: 2 tsp honey (paleo), or 12 drops liquid stevia for low carb sugar free option
- Optional pan frying:(can pay fry for a cinnamon crisp on outside of bun)
- 1 small fry pan
- a pat of butter or a couple tsp coconut oil
- a pinch of cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 400 F, if using oven instead of microwave. Grease or oil a glass or ceramic ramekin, an example of a 6 inch ramekin.
- Combine in the ramekin: 1 tbsp melted butter or ghee or coconut oil, 1 tbsp milk of choice, 1 beaten egg, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp cashew meal, 1 tbsp sweetener of choice and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Stir thoroughly with a fork, breaking up any clumps.
- Add ⅛ tsp baking soda to mixture and pour ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar over the top of the baking soda.
- Stir together thoroughly until completely mixed.
- Microwave for 1 minute and thirty seconds or until middle is done or bake in 400 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until center is mostly firm.
- Remove and let cool.
- While cinna bun is cooling, combine all the frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Whip together until all frosting ingredients are mixed together. Set aside.
- Using a butter knife between the cinna bun and ramekin edge, slide knife around bun and loosen from ramekin. The lift out a ramekin.
- In a small fry pan on medium heat, melt a little butter or coconut oil, then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and place cinna bun in fry pan and pan toast a little on each side for a minute ( gives it a little cinnamon crisp effect on the outside of bun).
- Using a butter knife, spread the frosting over the top of the cinna bun.
- Cut in half for two portions or serve as one.
- Cinna Bun Muffin:
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee or coconut oil melted
- tbsp Milk of choice: 1 unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk or 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 egg beaten
- ¼ tsp GF vanilla extract where to buy GF vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp cashew meal where to buy cashew meal, grind up raw cashews in a processor until course flour forms
- tbsp Sweetener of choice: 1 coconut sugar or 1 tbsp erythritol for low carb sugar free where to buy erythritol, paleo
- 1 tsp organic cinnamon like this one
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar like this one
- FROSTING :
- 2 tsp butter or ghee or coconut oil melted
- tbsp Cream of choice: 1 coconut cream or 1 tbsp double English cream (where to buy this), or 1 tbsp cream cheese, softened, where to buy this
- ½ tsp lemon juice I use this lemon squeezer
- 1/8 tsp GF vanilla or orange extract
- 1/8 tsp apple cider vinegar
- tsp Sweetener of choice: 2 honey or 12 drops liquid stevia for low carb sugar free option, paleo
- Optional pan frying: can pay fry for a cinnamon crisp on outside of bun
- 1 small fry pan
- tsps a pat of butter or a couple coconut oil
- a pinch of cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 400 F, if using oven instead of microwave. Grease or oil a glass or ceramic ramekin, an example of a 6 inch ramekin.
- Combine in the ramekin: 1 tbsp melted butter or ghee or coconut oil, 1 tbsp milk of choice, 1 beaten egg, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp cashew meal, 1 tbsp sweetener of choice and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Stir thoroughly with a fork, breaking up any clumps.
- Add 1/8 tsp baking soda to mixture and pour ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar over the top of the baking soda.
- Stir together thoroughly until completely mixed.
- Microwave for 1 minute and thirty seconds or until middle is done or bake in 400 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until center is mostly firm.
- Remove and let cool.
- While cinna bun is cooling, combine all the frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Whip together until all frosting ingredients are mixed together. Set aside.
- Using a butter knife between the cinna bun and ramekin edge, slide knife around bun and loosen from ramekin. The lift out a ramekin.
- In a small fry pan on medium heat, melt a little butter or coconut oil, then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and place cinna bun in fry pan and pan toast a little on each side for a minute ( gives it a little cinnamon crisp effect on the outside of bun).
- Using a butter knife, spread the frosting over the top of the cinna bun.
- Cut in half for two portions or serve as one.
Nutritional Data for Paleo Version (coconut sugar &honey sweetener options) : Servings: 2, Serving Size: 1/2 of whole bun, Cal: 244, Carbs: 15 g/ Net Carbs: 13.9 g, Fiber: 1.1 g, Fat: 19 g, Protein: 5 g, Sugar: 12 g
Nutritional Data for Low Carb Version (erythritol and stevia option): Servings: 2, Serving size: half of whole bun, Cal: 207, Carbs: 4.5 g / Net Carbs: 3.4 g, Fiber: 1.1 g, Fat: 19 g, Protein: 5 g, Sugar: 1 g
*all nutritional data are estimates based on the products I used*
As Seen In Redbookmag.com for :”8 Delectable Desserts That are Paleo”
Hello, what is the Frosting suppose to taste like. Mine came out tasting like lemon and apple cider vinegar.
Is this right?
Thank you,
Yoli
Yoli, you can leave out the apple cider vinegar and just use vanilla extract.
~stacey
These sound great, is it possible to swap the cashew flour for almond meal in lieu?
Gillian, yes you can sub almond flour for cashew meal in the exact same amount.
The recipe sounds divine. Can’t wait to try it. I also thought that I’d let you know that you have a humorous typo in the nutritional info regarding the “crabs” hehehe.
My auto-corrector likes to change carbs to crabs, as they don’t consider carbs a real word. I don’t always catch it, and it sort of amuses me 🙂
~Stacey
Can’t wait to try this, may have to use almond meal so I can try them sooner rather than later 🙂