Granola is one of my favourite comfort foods. Sometimes there is nothing like the crunch of a good granola on top of yogurt or topped with a little milk. I can’t eat oats and neither can my son, plus I’m not a fan of grains generally so we needed to satisfy our cravings with something oatless. Cue lots of experimenting in our kitchen with different nuts, fruits and oils.
This yummy, crunchy mulberry or raisin granola is the result. It can be breakfast or a snack. It can even be a healthy dessert. Nuts are full of fat and calories and ideally they should be soaked before you consume them. But they are full of good fats and I think they are an essential part of a healthy diet. The great thing about granola is that you generally only need a little: it’s a topping. If you fancy eating a whole bowl you can just eat a little bit lighter for the rest of the day.
The latest guidelines suggest that unless there are food-related allergies in the family, there is no reason to wait until 1 year to serve nuts, but if you are in any doubt consult your child’s doctor before giving nuts to a child.
Recipe tips
The first few times we tried this recipe we threw everything in together and tried a few different temperatures in the oven. 135°C/275°F seems to be optimum for the nuts, but it was still burning the mulberries and raisins slightly. Then Theo, who is two, had the genius idea of adding the mulberries later. D’oh mummy, why didn’t you think of that? So adding the mulberries later it is, which means everything turns lightly golden and the dried fruit is crunchy but doesn’t turn to ash.
The beauty of this recipe is that if you don’t have all the ingredients, you can just omit them. If you have other favourite nuts you can add them.
Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
100 g (1 1/3 c) flaked almonds
100 g (1/2 c) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
50 g (1/2 c) pecans, roughly chopped
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp dessicated coconut
2 tbsp flaked coconut
50 g (1/3 c) mulberries or raisins
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 135°C/275°F.
1. Melt coconut oil on low heat until it is liquid.
2. Mix in a bowl with maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.
3. Add all nuts, seeds and coconut and mix together well.
4. Spread combined mixture evenly on a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, shake a bit and add mulberries and/or raisins. Bake for another 15 minutes.
6. Leave to cool before serving on top of yogurt or topped with milk. Store leftovers in a glass jar in a cool place.
Preparation: 10 mins | Baking time: 35-45 mins | Servings: 6
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