Homemade granola is more than just a breakfast cereal, so let’s get creative and think outside the cereal box. Whipping up a batch of Spiced Maple Nut Granola will fill your home with a warm, spiced scent and your belly with a nutritious snack.
This recipe makes a slightly sweet and low-fat granola which can be prepared gluten-free (using gluten-free oats) or vegan (substitute honey with brown sugar and butter with coconut oil). Plus, you can get a batch into the oven in less than 10 minutes.
Spiced Maple Nut Granola
Yields 6 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup walnut pieces or cashew halves
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 6 Tbsp apple, peach or pumpkin butter, or applesauce
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1 cup dried fruit
Instructions
- Combine the rolled oats and nuts in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Combine the maple syrup, fruit butter, oil, honey, vanilla, almond extract, spices and salt in a small bowl; mix until smooth. Add the maple syrup mixture to the rolled oats. Stir until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.
- Spread the granola on a 13 x 18-inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in a preheated 250ºF oven for 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. At 45 minutes, add the coconut flakes and dried fruit. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before storing in a tightly sealed jar.
Tips
- Do not bake the granola until it is crunchy; it becomes crunchy as it cools.
- Try a blend of raw nuts; pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds — all work well. Don’t stop with nuts; try adding chia seeds or hemp hearts, too. Apple schnitz would be great in this granola, but use whatever dried fruit is on hand.
Recipe & Photo by Phoebe Canakis, phoebespurefood.com
