Modified By Nicole Charles 40 Comments
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These AIP Cinnamon Swirl Squares are paleo, grain-free, dairy-free, and a cinnamon lover’s dream! Sure to satisfy your sweet cravings without any refined sugar, they’re light, soft and delicious.
If you are a cinnamon and/or a coffee cake fan, this recipe is for you. These AIP Cinnamon Swirl Squares are delicious and so comforting. I love that they’re not too sweet, and that the hefty dose of cinnamon is blood sugar balancing. Serve as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea, or as delicious dessert. Any way and any time, they’re truly scrumptious!
The texture of these is so soft and they definitely melt in your mouth. It is important to allow these to cool completely before cutting into them after baking. This allows the gelatin to set and the batter to firm up a bit more.
Here’s what you’ll need for these cinnamon swirl squares:
- coconut butter, melted
- full fat, additive free coconut milk – this is key for the texture
- unsweetened applesauce
- palm shortening – oil won’t work the same here.
- cassava flour – I recommend Bob’s red mill or Otto’s
- tigernut flour
- coconut sugar
- gelatin
FAQs for these Cinnamon Squares
Can I substitute…
I don’t recommend any substitutions in this recipe and cannot guarantee the same results if you choose to make any. The palm shortening is especially important here to create a soft texture and oil will not work in the same way.
Can I use a different size pan?
I’ve made these in both a 9×6 pan and a standard 8×4 loaf pan – both took between 22-23 minutes to bake. If can use a larger sized pan squares will be flatter and you might need to reduce the baking time.
How do I store these?
You can store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for 4-5 days. I have not tried freezing these.
Looking for more AIP desserts? You might enjoy:
- Salted Caramel Blondies
- AIP Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Streusel Muffins.
If you tried these AIP Cinnamon Swirl Squares, I would love if you would give it a star rating and short review. Don’t forget to snap a picture of the finished product! You can share it with me onInstagramby tagging@healmedelicious.
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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.5 from 10 reviews
- Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
These amazing AIP Cinnamon Swirl Squares are paleo, grain-free, dairy-free, and a cinnamon lover’s dream! Sure to satisfy your sweet cravings without any refined sugar, they’re light, soft and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Batter
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, melted*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup palm shortening**
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (additive free)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups cassava flour
- 1/4 cup tigernut flour
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 gelatin egg (1 TBSP gelatin, 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup hot water)
Cinnamon swirl
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP coconut sugar
- 2 TBSP cinnamon
- 3 TBSP coconut milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 9×6 pan with parchment paper. You can also use a standard loaf pan (8 x 4-inch) but will get less squares and they will be much thicker.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, add melted coconut butter, unsweetened applesauce, palm shortening, full fat coconut milk and vanilla. Beat/pulse until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine cassava flour, tigernut flour, sea salt and baking soda.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients. Stir to combine. Batter will be very thick.
- Make gelatin egg by mixing apple cider vinegar with gelatin powder. Pour in hot water and whisk with a fork until all the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Fold gelatin egg into batter. Batter should loosen a bit but will still be thick.
- In a separate bowl, make cinnamon swirl by combining coconut sugar, cinnamon and coconut milk.
- Scoop a few spoonfuls of the thick, plain batter into the prepared pan and smooth into a thin layer with a spatula.
- Drop alternate spoonfuls of the batter and the cinnamon mixture on top the bottom layer. Top with the remaining plain batter and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- Place in the middle rack of the preheated oven and set timer for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, once the batter has begun to soften, open oven and use a butter knife to run through the batter 4-5 times to create a swirl in the cinnamon. Bake for 19-21 minutes further. ***
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares to allow batter to set and prevent crumbling.
Notes
*Ensure your coconut butter is completely melted before blending. You can run the jar under hot water to achieve this.
** Palm oil will not work here. I do not recommend any substitutions to the palm shortening in this recipe as this is what creates the soft, cake-like texture.
***You can also do this before baking, but the batter will be much thicker and more difficult to run through with a knife.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
