In the spirit of sharing recipe traditions, here is one of my favorites!
I have to admit, one of the reasons I love to make this recipe because it makes my house smell amazing!! Something about the coconut and vanilla and cinnamon just feels like warm cozy holidays. Whenever I make this, the kids always come out saying “mmmmm it smells like cookies!”. All the smells, but you get something healthy that is just as tasty. Seriously.
During the holiday months, we take a lot of road trips to visit family. I like to bring some healthy snacks because we usually travel through rural Nevada where there are not a lot of healthy options on the road. This is also a great snack to have on hand to add to yogurt or açaí bowls in the morning. I left out the dried fruit because the kids aren’t a huge fan of it, and they will snack on this stuff all day.
I don’t typically use cookbooks since there are so many great, diverse recipes on the internet, but I definitely have a few of my go-to favorites. This recipe is from the “Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out”. I love this cookbook because it has some of the easiest recipes to follow to start eating clean without sacrificing flavors. All of the recipes are vegan, and although I do not follow a vegan diet, they are fabulous and healthy base recipes to add meat or dairy and it also tells you what to substitute in each recipe to make it grain free as well.
This recipe calls for a lot of ingredients but you don’t have to prep anything, just throw the nuts in a food processor to break them down, and mix all the rest together. If you shop somewhere with bulk food bins, this recipe is super cost effective too!
Ultimate Nutty Granola Clusters
| 1 cup whole raw almonds |
| 1/2 cup raw walnut halves or pieces |
| 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats |
| 1/2 cup buckwheat groats or gluten-free rolled oats |
| 2/3 cup mixed dried fruit (cranberries, apricot, cherries, etc0 |
| 1/2 cup raw pepita seeds |
| 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds |
| 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut |
| 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon |
| 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt |
| 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or other liquid sweetener |
| 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted |
| 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract |
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 1/2 cup of the almonds in a food processor and process for about 10 seconds, until a fine meal forms (similar to the texture of sand). Transfer the almond meal to a large bowl.
- In the food processor, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of almonds and all of the walnuts and process for about 5 seconds, until finely chopped. Add the mixture to the bowl with the almond meal.
- Add the oats, buckwheat groats, dried fruit, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon and salt to the large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
- With a spatula, spread the granola into a 1/2 inch layer on the prepared baking sheet and gently push down to slightly compact it. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 20 minutes more.
- Cool for at least an hour before you break up the granola into clusters.
This recipe is good for 2-3 weeks in the fridge or 4-5 weeks in the freezer.
Enjoy!
