Granola, a nutty, crunchy mix of goodness. Keep this on hand to pep up your breakfast smoothies and yogurts, or grab a spoon and dig in. There's no wrong way to enjoy the texture rich splendour we call granola.
Traditionally, oats would be a primary ingredient in granola. But as we're trying to reduce carbohydrates, that won't do. In this recipe, there are no grains, just a whole lot of seeds and nuts. I've still included a sugar, in the form of honey. It's what provides the extra crunch after baking. You could try reducing the amount, replacing it with xylitol, or a sweetener, but you can't likely replace it entirely. Though, having a bowl full of sugar-free roasted nuts is also an option.
I've used wildflower honey in this recipe, but it doesn't matter which one you use. I'm going to include these details in case you want a similar as close to possible as mine. I'm not trying to be snobbish and assign any kind of honey preference. Go ahead and use clover, acacia, or dandelion. It's your granola, and you should pick a flavour you like.
It's also not so relevant whether you use flaked or shredded coconut. Nor should you worry much about the coarseness of the chopped almonds. You can leave out the sliced almonds, or add more. The seeds could be thrown in whole. It changes the texture, but it should be fine in any combination. The preparation here gives a feel I like.
Enjoy your granola.
Crunchy Nut Seed Granola
Ingredients
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150 g 1 cupAlmonds
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60 g ¹⁄₂ cuproastedPumpkin Seeds
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75 g ¹⁄₂ cupSunflower Seeds
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30 g ¹⁄₃ cupSliced Almonds
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1 teaspoongroundCinnamon
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¹⁄₂ teaspoongroundStar Anise
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¹⁄₈ teaspoonSalt
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30 g 4 teaspoonWildflowerHoney
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20 g 4 teaspoonCoconut Oil
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20 g ¹⁄₄ cupshreddedCoconut
Equipment
- oven
- food processor or blender to chop
- large mixing bowl
- baking tray
- a sheet of baking paper
Directions
Setup
- Preheat your oven to 160°C.
Mixing
- Roughly chop almonds with a food processor. Add to large mixing bowl.
- Roughly chop pumpkin and sunflower seeds with a food processor. Add to the large mixing bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil. Add to mixing bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients, except coconut flakes, to the bowl.
- Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are coated. Break up clumps that form.
- Add coconut flakes and roughly mix.
Baking
- Line a baking tray with backing paper. Dump the mixture from the bowl on the tray and spread evenly.
- Place in oven, on the middle rack, for 10 minutes.
- Toss the mixture, either on the tray, or dump back into bowl and mix. Spread evenly on tray again.
- Bake in oven for another 10 minutes. After 5 minutes watch the almond slices. If they start turning a dark brown remove from the oven.