I love making healthy cookie dough bites. First of all, what’s not to love about cookie dough-flavored anything? Second, they’re the perfect satisfying snack (that doesn’t spike your blood sugar like the cookie dough you’d buy in the freezer aisle) to keep in your freezer for whenever you need a bite of something sweet. I’ve made a ton of these delicious morsels (scroll down for all of them!), but these Healthy Pecan Cinnamon Roll Dough Bites might just be my favorite edition to my cookie dough bites collection—they taste like cinnamon rolls and cookie dough had a baby, and they even have “cream cheese” frosting to top!
To take your rolls to the next level, gently toast your pecan pieces for 10ish minutes before whipping up the rest of the recipe. It takes a bit more time (and is totally optional if you’re in a rush), but it makes the rolls taste fresh from the oven. And who doesn’t want their kitchen to smell like toasted pecans?!
The filling
To make these healthy cinnamon roll dough bites extra special, I made a four-ingredient filling out of pecan pieces, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and salt. It’s basically a nutty cinnamon-sugar coating that you roll the dough in to give the inside of your bites a satisfying crunchy texture and extra dose of sweetness.
The dough
By far the main ingredient in the dough is more pecans, with a flavor assist from maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and fine grain sea salt. A half cup of oat flour gives the dough a bit more substance, while keeping the recipe totally gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan/plant-based.
You’ll make both the filling and dough in a food processor (do the filling first, then set aside—no need to clean out the food processor in between). Once you’ve got the dough made, you just roll it gently into ping pong-sized balls. It breaks a bit, so you’ll want to sort of press and roll at the same time—just do your best. Once you’ve got your ping pong balls, press and roll each one into 3-inch long worms.
Finally, press the worms in the filling so one side is coated, then gently coil, with that side facing in. Place on a parchment-lined pan, pressing any parts that broke back into a ball shape. Place in freezer to cool while you make the frosting!
The frosting
The frosting is totally optional, but it’s fun! And who doesn’t want frosting on their cinnamon rolls? Plus, because it only takes two ingredients to make it’s not that much more of a lift. While your Cinnamon Roll Dough Bites are chilling in the freezer, mix together one personal-sized container of vanilla yogurt (go for dairy-free if you’re wanting a plant-based breakfast recipe, or dairy-full—both work) with powdered sugar until it’s your desired sweetness. Drizzle on top, or be extra like me and use a Ziploc with the corner clipped to spiral on. The total batch makes 12-14 bites. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months, and eat one when you need a nosh!
Love these Cinnamon Roll Dough Bites? Try these next
Like I said, these Healthy Pecan Cinnamon Roll Dough Bites are probably my favorite cookie dough bites I’ve made, but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t delicious. Oh, and if you’re craving just straight Healthy Cookie Dough that you can eat by the spoon, I’ve got that too: Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Gluten Free, Vegan, Raw). Otherwise, here are my other delicious cookie dough bite recipes:
- Healthy Caramel Apple Cookie Dough Bites (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)
- Healthy Sugar Cookie Dough Bites (Grain Free, Vegan)
- Gut-Healing, Protein-Packed Monster Cookie Dough Bites
- Healthy Cookie Dough Truffles
- Samoas Cookie Dough Bites
Watch it being made!
Enjoy, and tag me if you make it on Instagram (@lizmoody)—I can’t wait to see!
Print
Healthy Pecan Cinnamon Roll Dough Bites
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 cup pecan pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- Pinch salt
Dough
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Frosting (Optional!)
- 1 personal-sized container of vanilla yogurt
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Optional: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Toast pecan pieces for 10 minutes, or until fragrant. (This takes a bit more time but makes the rolls taste fresh from the oven.)
- Add filling ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times until it looks like sand. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the 2 cups of pecan pieces (from the dough ingredients) to the food processor—no need to wash the food processor in between. Process for 3-5 minutes, or until it becomes nut butter (wait for the oils to release and it to get really creamy).
- Add all remaining dough ingredients and process 1-2 minutes, until dough is well combined.
- Roll dough gently into ping pong-sized balls (it breaks a bit, so sort of press and roll at the same time), then press/roll each ball into a 3-inch worm.
- Press the worms in the filling so one side is coated, then gently coil, with that side facing in. Place on parchment-lined pan, pressing any parts that broke back into a ball shape. Place in freezer to cool while you make frosting!
- Optional: Mix together one personal-sized container of vanilla yogurt with powdered sugar until it’s your desired sweetness. Drizzle on top, or use a Ziploc with the corner clipped to spiral on.
- Makes 12-14 bites. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months, and eat one when you need a nosh!
