All the flavours of a cinnamon roll in a delicious low carb, gluten-free biscotti. Perfect to dip in your morning coffee!
There seem to be some flavours that are universally loved and cinnamon is one of those. I can honestly say I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like cinnamon. It’s the spice of comfort and love. The smell of cinnamon is like coming in out of the cold and cozying up to a warm fire in your favourite slippers with your favourite person. It’s the smell of mothers’ love and happy childhoods. They say that when you want to sell your house, you should make it smell like vanilla or cinnamon by putting some in a dish in a warm oven. The people viewing the place will then subconsciously think it smells like home and want to buy it. I have no idea if this truly works but it certainly sounds like a good idea. At the very least, your house smells great even if it doesn’t sell.
And if cinnamon is like cozying up to a warm fire, then a cinnamon roll is like climbing into bed under a fluffy duvet on a cold night. Mind you, it’s a fluffy duvet made of gluten and sugar and you probably just want to go to sleep because your blood sugar has skyrocketed and your insulin is struggling to keep up. Sure, it seems comforting and insanely delicious to eat one at the time, but it’s not going to be so comforting later on when you are suffering from indigestion, weight gain or diabetic neuropathy.
I have managed low carb cinnamon rolls before and they were pretty great, but I think I could probably improve upon them. However, I also love taking those same flavours and putting them into some other delicious package that’s fun to eat and a little easier to make low carb and gluten-free. I’ve made cinnamon roll scones, cinnamon roll coffee cake and this time I thought it would be fun to make cinnamon roll biscotti. And it was fun. And delicious. And yes, even comforting. All without blanketing you in gluten and sugar and sending your blood glucose skyrocketing.
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups almond flour Honeyville
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter plus 1 tbsp for brushing biscotti
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or other powdered erythritol
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- For the filling, combine sweetener and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in 1/4 cup butter, egg and vanilla extract until dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto prepared baking sheet and divide in half. Form each half into a rectangle about 10 by 4 inches. Make sure both halves are similar in size and shape.
- Sprinkle one half with about 2/3 of the cinnamon filling. Top with the other half of the dough and seal the seams and smooth the top.
- Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned and just firm to the touch. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture. Let cool 30 minutes and reduce oven temperature to 250F.
- Using a sharp knife, cut log into about 15 slices (a straight up and down motion works better than sawing back and forth).
- Place slices back on baking sheet cut-side down and bake 15 minutes, then flip over and bake another 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit inside until cool.
- For the glaze , whisk powdered sweetener with cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over cooled biscotti.
Serves 15. Each serving has 4 g of carbs and 2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2 g.
133 Calories; 12g Fat (79.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 27mg Cholesterol; 113mg Sodium.
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Gorgeous! You know me, I love biscotti with my coffee and yes, I love cinnamon as well. Believe it or not though, my dad doesn’t. He’s convinced himself that he’s allergic to it and that it causes his insomnia. I think he’s just goofy.
Sugarboo says
Hey… your dad is not lying! Cinnamon has affected me that way my whole life. It has a high amount of chromium in it and I know chromium gives you energy. Even if I eat cinnamon in the early morning, it keeps me from sleeping for about 2-3 nights in a row. I like the good energy in the daytime but not when I want to sleep. I’ve tried many different kinds and brands, they all do the same. Same goes for ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Michelle @ Esculent Dreams says
Yum! So looking forward to making these for the holidays! My grandparents’ blood sugar keep reaching dangerous levels…and my mother isn’t far behind. They’ll definitely appreciate this, thanks for sharing!
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Biscotti are one of my favorite holiday cookies and these look fantastic, Carolyn! Perfect for dunking in a hot cup of tea.
Jessica @ Desserts with Benefits says
YUMMM!!! These look amazing! I have never had biscotti before (I’m more of a chewy cookie girl) but I definitely want to give these a try 🙂
That drizzle looks pretty darn good too…. it’s 6am where I live and I already want some serious sweets!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
I usually make biscotti as part of family Christmas gifts and have started to collect recipes to figure out what to make. These will be perfect for my two aunts that have diabetes!
Susan says
Oh, funny…I forgot the glaze! I made these last night, left them it the oven overnight…they came out wonderfully crunchy and a fabulous flavor! And
to top that, very little dishes for clean up! Another Carolyn biscotti in the rotation!
Could I suggest an anise version?
Susan Pelter says
Carolyn, I made these yesterday and they are fabulous! The taste is wonderful and the consistency is just amazing. I couldn’t get the edges to seal around the filling, so I ended up just smooshing it all together, but they baked up perfectly. I’m going to try an anise version and an almond version next. Your recipes are the greatest!
Carolyn says
Wow, you really did go on a biscotti making rampage! And smooshing it together is kind of what you have to do to get those seams sealed.
Debbie says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made last night and am thoroughly enjoying this morning…..so yummy!
Marv D. says
Oh my… This is a keeper!
Alaine says
I have these in the oven right now. Can’t wait. I munched onthe ends after I sliced and already yummy. Next time I am going to try to recreate my Mom’s nutroll / poppyseed roll, which is one of my favorite desserts. Most of my family is diabetic now. I think it will work well. Thank you for creating this.
kaitlin says
I am a college student who loves to bake. I live next door to my University’s male basketball team, and they know me well for always having something in the oven. As a GF person, it’s rare that I get the chance to eat what I make. When I discovered your site, I added your recipes to my arsenal and got to cooking. Within minutes of having baked these, they were devoured by the guys (after I snagged one for myself, of course). No one would believe me that they were gluten free and the guys even told me they need to come sooner next time to get them before the others!
This recipe is amazing. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Wonderful, thanks for sharing, Kaitlin!
Jan says
Carolyn, I posted a link back to you for this great sounding recipe on my website tonight and I have a question. I have Trader Joes Almond Meal, but I’m reading where people bake with Honeyville Almond Flour.
Would the Trader Joe’s Meal work in this recipe, or is the consistency not going to be right. I’m a bit confused about the difference between Almond Meal and Honeyville Almond Flour. You have a wonderful website, I’m totally hooked…
Carolyn says
Trader Joe’s might be okay but I think they will be a lot more fragile and prone to breaking. It’s just not as finely ground as Honeyville so things don’t quite bake up as well. I have a tutorial on baking with almond flour in my FAQ section, you should check that out!
Sally Casner says
I have been diagnosed with a sensitivitie to almonds and cashews.
If I blend pecans or hazelnuts as fine as I can do you think they would work in place of almond flour in your recipes?
Carolyn says
Possibly. You really need to grind them very finely. I’d grind first in a big food processor and then in a coffee grinder if you have one.
Maria says
Hazelnut flour is available, but might need to go through that coffee grinder as well. I will have to try these for sure!
Emily J says
Hi Carolyn- I just want to thank you for all your amazing recipes! They have saved me while I’ve been eating healthy and low-carb (especially since I am a baking fiend). Your cinnamon roll biscotti recipe inspired me to make a chocolate-chocolate chip version of this biscotti and it turned out great! I would love to give you a shout-out on my lifestyle blog when it gets up an running!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Emily. Glad you like the recipes!
Barbara says
These are great and so easy to make. Made them last night and they were not crisp enough by the time we went to bed. So I left them in the cool oven overnight. This morning they were perfect. My husband even likes them without the glaze. Not me though.
Barbara says
For some reason all of my comment didn’t post. The part that thanked you for your delicious recipes and hard work developing them. Thanks so much.
Carolyn says
You are welcome!
Judy says
What is the best way to store these to keep them crisp?
Susan Pelter says
I keep them in the freezer; just take out how many you want and put them on a plastic plate or a paper towel and they are still crispy when they thaw. Yummy!
Carolyn says
Very smart!
Sherry says
These were so delicious! My husband doesn’t eat low carb but I found him sneaking them in the evenings! By far my favourite low carb treat to eat!
Soren says
Hi– I’m going to give these a try in plain old almond meal, almond extract… I think they make a great accompaniment to desserts like mousse and panna cotta. Thanks for all the great recipes 🙂
Carolyn says
Absolutely, they’d be great like that!
Terri says
I have never made biscotti before but have been dying to eat some so I tried your recipe. YUM. I will be making every single version of your biscottis and putting them in my freezer! What a lovely indulgence to have with my morning tea. I was so eager to start dipping that I had one right away before adding the glaze and it doesn’t need anything else. It is just fine in it’s naked self.
Brenda says
Mine are cooling in the oven, but I couldn’t wait to try them so ate an end – delicious!
Peggy D.... says
I am a huge fan of Maria Emmerich and now I’m beginning to be a fan of yours too! I googled travel recipes and yours came up. We will be going to an all inclusive resort in Mexico over spring break. A group of 14 with our kids and grandkids. I am ok with an omelette every day for breakfast but it’s nice to have a little something with it! It looks like these cinnamon biscotti will be perfect and also keep well in spite of heat and humidity. I’ll let you know if I like them! I know they are prettier with the two layers but I may just do it all in one and just add the extra filling stuff to the whole batch.
Carolyn says
Hi Peggy…yep it will definitely be easier to just mix all the filling in…and you get the same flavour anyway. Hope you enjoy them, have a wonderful trip!
Pj says
One of my favorite go to recipes. Thanks for sharing. Easy and a one bowl deal. Love it..I have made much biscotti over the years and here’s my tweek. Last baking just put back in oven, don’t put on side, leave standing up. Bake half hour.. Turn off oven and leave in over night to continue drying. Crunchy crunchy good.
Shannon Burke says
I loved these! I’m making them for the second time today. I used Gentle Sweet, so I thought I’d put the conversions here for you and any other readers, as it broke my brain trying to do the math so it seemed worthy of sharing. 🙂
For the fill: 2 tbsp Swerve = 2.5 tsp Gentle Sweet
For the dough: 1/3 cup Swerve = 6.4 tsp Gentle Sweet
For the glaze: 1/4 cup Swerve = 4.8 tsp Gentle Sweet
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Rav says
Hi Carolyn !! Can you please suggest an alternative to Xanthum gum ? I was thinking about chia seeds, do you think they will work good for this recipe?
Carolyn says
In this recipe, I think you can skip it.
Doris says
Carolyn, this is an amazing recipe! I just finished glazing the biscotti and couldn’t wait any longer for it to dry completely– I just ate two and they are SO good! I only started eating low carb a few months ago to help me lose some pregnancy weight. When I began, I thought there was no way I’d be able to stick with the low carb way of eating for longer than a few weeks… But thanks to your blog (my favorite food blog now!), I feel like I could continue forever! Thanks for creating such delicious recipes. 🙂
Carolyn says
Aw, that’s wonderful to hear. Enjoy your baby!
Rise Ruhl says
I used this recipe to make crackers! I was wanting something small and crunchy. I just rolled out the dough, sprinkled with the filling, and then folded it over itself and rolled it again. I scored it and baked it 15 minutes, flipped them over and baked another 7. Then turned off the the oven and let sit about 15 minutes. Took them out and broke them apart and allowed to cool on a rack. Love them!!!
Michelle M. says
I am gluten free for medical reasons but haven’t removed sugar from my diet. Do you know what the conversions would be to replace the Swerve with sugar?
This looks so heavenly, and I can’t wait to try them! I’m also thinking of giving them as teacher gifts for Christmas. Thank you for sharing your recipes!!
Carolyn says
Replace it cup for cup.
Hayley says
Hi Carolyn, Made these for the second time today – to cut them this time I used a pizza cutter, worked so well so thought I’d pass along the tip!
Thanks for the yummy recipe! 😀
Carolyn says
Oh very interesting. Thanks!