These low carb and sugar-free cinnamon twists are the perfect keto pastry for breakfast, snack, or dessert. Made with keto fathead dough, they are tender and delicious.
This recipe for Keto Cinnamon Twists was originally posted in July 2016. Now I’ve made them even easier to make, and I’ve got a new video to show you how.
Keto mozzarella dough really is magic!
Oh, oh, this keto mozzarella dough. Honestly, this stuff is a total low carb game changer for me and I am having way too much fun messing around with it to create new keto recipes. There’s nothing quite like it in the world, a stretchy, flexible low carb dough made out of mozzarella cheese.
It’s not perfect for everything but it works like a charm for any kind of keto pastry, and it makes an ideal keto pizza crust. I’ve used for everything from keto garlic knots to braided chocolate-filled bread.
Seriously, though. Who sat down one day and said to themselves “I am going to make keto dough out of cheese and see if it works”? Because while I am incredibly creative and innovative with my recipes, I am also quite certain I never would have thought of this. They deserve my kudos.
But that’s the nice part about the low carb recipe creation world. We can all learn from each other and build on each other’s work. I’ve put my own special twists on fathead dough now, and I think it gets better each time.
Perfecting keto fathead dough
This dough isn’t exactly tricky to make, but there are some tricks to getting it right. And so, at the request of several readers, I have created a video that walks you through the steps. Scroll down to the recipe to see the full video.
There are any number of ways to make fathead dough, and every time I make it, I find I learn something new. I actually have a few different versions of it, including this dough that’s made with both almond flour and coconut flour, and an all-coconut version as well.
I have found that fathead dough that’s made with all almond flour is too soft and spreads too much during baking. While you can indeed make it that way, and it’s good for people with coconut allergies, it’s quite a bit harder to work with. It simply lacks the proper structure.
One reader gave me another little trick that saves one step and one bowl, and that is to melt your butter right in with your mozzarella. Less mess and less to clean up afterward! That worked beautifully for me in these low carb cinnamon twists.
These little pastries make a wonderful breakfast treat. I’ve made them several times and my kids keep asking me to make them again. So if you’ve been itching to try the low carb mozzarella dough, just dive right in. I hope you find my video and all of my tips helpful.
How to make keto cinnamon twists
The video walks you through all the steps but here are some things to remember:
- Silicone mats are easier to work with, as they don’t slide around the counter as much as parchment paper does. If you use one big silicone mat to roll out and form the twists, you can simply slide the whole thing onto a baking sheet at the end.
- The conventional wisdom is that fathead dough turns out best with pre-shredded, part skim mozzarella. Although it does contain a little starch, it’s not enough to really raise the carb count, and it gives the dough more structure.
- You can melt the mozzarella and butter in the microwave, or on the stovetop. If you use the stovetop, remember to take your melted cheese and butter off the heat before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Fathead dough turns out a little differently every time. It can depend on your almond flour, your coconut flour, the size of your eggs, and the brand of cheese. So if it turns out a bit sticky, simply work in more almond flour, a little at a time, until you have a nice cohesive dough.
- I’ve updated the filling of these keto cinnamon twists to include the new Brown Swerve, for more of a cinnamon roll flavor. If you don’t have any, you can still use regular granulated Swerve.
- Let these keto pastries cool at least 10 to 15 minutes, as they are very soft when they are fresh out of the oven. If you want to warm the leftovers up a bit in the microwave, 10 seconds or so is enough for a delicious warm cinnamon twist!
Ready to make some delicious Keto Cinnamon Twists?
More delicious keto fathead recipes
- Keto Fathead Bagels
- Keto Pepper Jack Crackers
- Keto Pretzel Bites
- Keto Spanakopita
- Fathead Pizza Pockets
- Fathead Lasagna
Keto Cinnamon Twists
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 tbsp Swerve Brown
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Glaze:
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp Water
Instructions
Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking mat with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and baking powder. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the cheese and butter. Melt on high in 30 second increments until it can be stirred together. (Alternatively, you can melt the cheese and butter in a saucepan over low heat).
- All at once, add the almond flour mixture, egg, and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Use a rubber spatula to really knead the dough up against the sides of the bowl. It will still have some large streaks of cheese.
- Turn the dough onto a silicone mat or directly onto a kitchen counter and knead until uniform. If the dough is quite sticky, work in another tablespoon or two of almond flour as you knead it.
- Cover the dought with parchment paper and roll out to a 10x10 inch square.
Cinnamon Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and cinnamon. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, then sprinkle with about two thirds of the cinnamon mixture.
To make the twists
- Use a knife or offset spatual to gently loosen the dough from the silicone mat. Fold the dough over in half and cut into 10 strips with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
- Hold both ends of one strip and twist gently in opposite directions two or three times. Lay the twists on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon "sugar".
- Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool.
Glaze:
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sweetener, vanilla extract and just enough water to achieve a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled twists.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Post #2
Made these again but subbed the cinnamon for 1/3 cup Lilly choc chips–Ahhhmazing. Tastes like a choc croissant from Paris. Carolyn you be the greatest!
Kept the balance of the recipe the same and used spouts lite shredded cheese…….dough performed perfectly.
My daughter is seven and was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes six weeks ago. I’m confused about how to dose for net carbs. Our doctor said only use the total carb count, but I don’t see that anywhere. Any ideas??
I’m sorry but I always subtract erythritol carbs, simply because, as a diabetic, Swerve and erythritol does not affect my blood sugar at all. And this may hold true for your daughter as well but you need to TEST that. If you count erythritol carbs in this, you would need to add 10.9g of carbs to the total (so about 15g TOTAL CARBS). But if your daughter’s blood glucose isn’t affected by erythritol, then you will be overdosing. So it’s something you need to play with a bit for now, testing her after she eats so you can see if it affects her. It doesn’t affect most people.
Carolyn,
You have now made me post comments twice! These are just fantastic. The recipe was perfect, I followed it exactly and they turned out identical to yours which is a huge compliment because I am know to say “presentation doesn’t matter”. I make delicious food but it’s normally pretty ugly. These are not just tasty but also very appealing to the eye. Thank you so much for sharing!
My phrase is “well at least it tastes good!”. I sometimes make ugly food too…
The best cinnamon rolls eva! Made into 11 cinnamon rolls, baked in my silpat muffin pan. Sooooo good! Used Trader Joe’s shredded lite mozerella cheese and dough was so easy to work with- had no issues. Thank you Carolyn.
Glad you liked them!
Made these for Christmas breakfast with eggs and sausage. Yummy! Thank you!
Hi – thanks for your great site, I was hoping you would be able to clarify one ingredient in the cinnamon twist recipe please. The recipe states baking powder and the video states baking soda. Would kindly appreciate clarification of which you use. Regards Anna (Merry Christmas)
Baking powder. That must be an error in the video.
Thanks Carolyn 🙂
I’d love to know the weight of 1.5 cups of mozzarella, please. Depending how 1.5 cups is packed, it can vary a lot. Wondering if that could be why some people are having trouble working the dough? I’ve the same issues & don’t want to give up.. I use Honeyville & the same other ingredients. The only variable is the cheese. It’s packaged, low moisture, pre-shredded, has starch added. I’d appreciate it so I can make your fabulous recipes.
Thanks & happy holidays!
6 ounces. I’ve added that info in to subsequent posts.
Grams per cup is also listed on the preshredded packages for serving sizes. Love using grams on my food scale!
Don’t know if anyone asked this, but could I switch Out sweeteners in this recipe? I have truvia or stevia…….no swerve. I don’t even know the differences. But would like something close to the cinnamon and sugar Tate. Thanks.
You can certainly do that. Truvia is sweeter than Swerve so use less. Also, powder it if you can first. Coffee grinders work well.
Just made these!! Delish!!! Thank you! So often I try new recipes that just don’t come close to what I expect, but yours are consistently spot on! These are definitely a keeper!! Thanks again!
I just made these. Delicious! Thanks for writing such clear directions. They were very easy to make. It is so nice to be able to indulge without all the carbs.
wonderful. thanks
I am seriously excited about this recipe. I’m so glad I found it!
I am glad you did too! 😉
I’m just about to make these….but thought I would read all of the comments first so I don’t make mistakes 🙂
Please can you tell me if the “dough” can be frozen raw or cooked?
Very exciting and thank you!!
I have frozen it raw a number of times. I will tell you that it loses some of its elasticity. It works still, but it is best made fresh.
Thank you very much!!! They all turned out brilliantly. Thanks very much for a fab recipe
These are amazing! Even my ‘unhealthy friends who were afraid to try them! I added a smidgen of cinnamon to the frosting to cut the sweetness a bit
I tweaked the ingredients a bit and made a savory version. Garlic bread like – Those were a hit as well.
I had the ‘flattened out into pancakes’ happen. They looked beautiful going into the oven but then came out like blobs. I used Kraft shredded mozzarella and followed the instructions. Any suggestions?
You may have needed a little more almond flour. I find that different cheeses have slightly different consistencies. What sweetener did you use?
I used straight erythritol with monk fruit from bulk barn. It is the bulk version of Swerve.
It’s not the bulk version of Swerve, there is a major difference. Swerve contains oligosaccharides, which are as sweet tasting pre-biotic fiber. Thus, it adds more bulk and fiber to the recipe, helping it hold together. Monk fruit is a non-bulk sweetener, meaning it adds nothing but sweet taste to the dough. It could very easily be the issue here.
This is a fantastic recipe – thank you! I underestimated how delicious they would turn out, and I’ll admit that I grabbed a second one almost instantly. They really hit the spot and my spouse is beyond pleased that we can have cinnamon rolls again!
Wonderful!