Crunchy Granola
My family love granola to top their fruit and yoghurt. It adds texture and crunch. But I love it because it provides their bodies with a great source of fibre (both soluble and insoluble), good fats in the nuts and seeds and its packed with magnesium, fat soluble vitamins A & E and zinc. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make and when compared to store bought granola, it’s much lower in sugar.
Ready in 30mins (5 minutes to mix + 25 to bake)
Ingredients
4 cups of traditional oats
1 1/2 cups mixed raw nuts and seeds (I used pecans, hazelnuts and pepita seeds)
1/2 tsp ground sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
1/3 cup natural maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
3/4 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)
Like many of my recipes, ingredients change depending on what I have in the cupboard. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different seeds, nuts and dried fruit, keeping the quantities similar. Try adding walnuts for extra Omega-3 or sunflower seeds. Create your favourite flavour - experiment with orange zest, dried apricots or vanilla.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a large tray with baking paper. Roughly chop the nuts and add to oats, salt, cinnamon and seeds in a large mixing bowl. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.
Step 2
Whisk oil, maple syrup (or honey) and vanilla paste in a mug. Slowly drizzle over the dry ingredients whilst mixing. Ensure dry ingredients are covered.
Step 3
Spread mix over lined baking tray and bake for 22 minutes in total. Half way through baking (11 minutes) add in coconut flakes and gently stir. Bake for a further 11 minutes - mixture should start to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes without mixing. The granola will continue to cook and crisp up over his time. Once fully cooled mix in your fruit or orange zest.
Use granola to top your favourite fruit or yoghurt. So good!
Store in a airtight container for about 2 weeks.
