Description
This delicious and nutrient-dense paleo granola is one of my most popular recipes and much loved by the readers. Make a big batch and keep for 2-3 weeks or even longer in the fridge. Serve with dairy-free milk or yoghurt of choice and some fruit and berries.
Ingredients
- 3 cups mixed almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia and brazil nuts
- 2/3 cup dried fruit (plums, dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, figs or dates)
- 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2/3 cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes (if you have them)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp honey (rice malt syrup, maple syrup or coconut syrup can also be used)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Optional but very nice: zest of 1 orange
- 1 tbspcoconut oil or ghee
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- You will need a food processor or some other way to break the nuts into smaller crumbs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 165 °C (330 °F).
Add two and a half cups of whole nuts (reserve the rest as whole nuts) and the dried fruit to a food processor. Process the mixture into medium size crumbs, some of it will turn into finer flour/meal like consistency but that’s what we want – a variety of shapes and sizes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining whole nuts and the rest of the ingredients, excluding chia seeds. Mix well and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to break down the clumps which will form when coconut oil and honey come into contact with dry ingredients. It’s ok if some of them remain unbroken.
Grease a large baking tray with some coconut oil or ghee and line it with baking paper, making sure the sides are covered. Spoon the mix into the tray and flatten with a spatula.
Bake in three stages. First, bake for about 12 minutes and then stir the mix as the top would have browned by now. Then, bake for 8-10 minutes and stir again. Finally, bake for the last 4-5 minutes.
Remove and let it cool completely. The mixture should have turned crispy and dark golden brown.
Finally, add chia seeds and transfer to an air-tight container. You can leave it out of the fridge for a few days but it will keep longer, for up to two weeks, if you refrigerate it.