EASY AND DELICIOUS MORNING GRANOLA

Sunday afternoons in our house have become a welcomed time of restful baking and preparing foods for the week to come.

Taking the time to slow down and create something easy and delicious from simple ingredients has become a really therapeutic part of my weekly routine that I now truly look forward to!

Recently I've been making this crunchy granola recipe and it's received a huge thumbs up from the whole family, so I knew I wanted to share it with you! 

Not only does it create the most delicious treat to enjoy with milk, as a topping for smoothies or yoghurt, it makes the whole house smell like vanilla cookies while it's baking!  Win win.

I first found this recipe via the gorgeous Pick up Limes.  My version is very slightly different as I use cashews rather than almonds and a mix of pumpkin and sunflowers seeds.  She also adds dried mango in the recipe on her website as below which I imagine is also delicious, but we tend to leave out the dried fruits.

Dry Ingredients

2.5 cups organic rolled oats

1 cup puffed quinoa

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or coconut oil)

1/ 4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup almond butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C). Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir.

2. Add all the wet ingredients to a separate medium bowl. Whisk until it's all combined into a smooth caramel-like sauce.

3. Pour this wet mix over the dry mix, and stir until coated.

4. Transfer to a large lined baking tray and spread it out. Bake on the centre rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir once halfway.

5. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. It continues to harden as it cools.

6. Add any cut up dried fruits or 2 tbs of hemp seeds, and toss.

7. When completely cooled, transfer the granola to a storage container.
   

I originally came across this recipe at my all time favourite Pick Up Limes.  Here's the link to her recipe!