Raw Cinnamon Rolls

I was invited to a party in the Daintree rainforest – which meant 2-3 hours drive on a hot day without a cooling bag and only very limited time to figure something out. So I went for something simple that lasts fairly long and is amazingly delicious – raw cinnamon rolls.

Recipe for about 20 raw cinnamon rolls:

– 10 ripe bananas

– 1 cup pitted dates

– 1/3 cup filtered water

– 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Slice the bananas into 2-3 stripes, depending on the size. Make sure not to cut them too thinly or they might break.

2. Put the banana slices onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate on 46° Celsius (114° Fahrenheit) for about 8 hours. It might take longer depending on the thickness of your banana slices. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also use your oven at the lowest temperature.  Take them out when they are dry from both sides and before they get too crispy to avoid breaking them later when you roll them.

3. Preferably, soak the dates in filtered water for about 10 minutes. Blend the dates and cinnamon, add about 1/3 cup filtered water to get the blender going.

4. Spread the date paste onto the banana slices and roll them up. If you want bigger cinnamon rolls, you can also place a second layer of banana and date paste on top of the first banana slice and roll them up together (see picture).

5. Since the bananas are not completely dried and still contain some moisture, store them in the fridge if possible. Enjoy your raw cinnamon rolls!

It’s fascinating how such a simple mixture of natural fruits can taste like candy! Try these raw cinnamon rolls for yourself and let me know if you are ever going back to store-bought sweets 😉

Trinity Beach, Australia