Lower Fat Granola

So Many Lovely Foods

February 5, 2022

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40-45 minutes

✓ 4 cups whole rolled oats
✓ ½ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
✓ ¼ cup Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice) or date sugar
✓ ⅓ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut or coconut flakes
✓ 1 cup raw almond slivers or coarsely chopped almonds (or other nuts/seeds - see note below)
✓ ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
✓ 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 T warm water
✓ ½ cup non-dairy milk (unsweetened almond, soy, etc)
✓ 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
✓ ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
✓ ½ cup nut butter (such as almond, sunflower, peanut, or a mix)
✓ ½ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
✓ 1 cup dried fruit (such as raisins, cranberries, blueberries, currants, chopped apricots, chopped dates, chopped figs, etc)

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix together the oats, sea salt, Sucanat, coconut, almond slivers/chunks, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
Mix 2 T ground flaxseed with 3 T warm water and set aside to thicken. Whisk together the milk, vanilla, applesauce, nut butter, and agave/maple syrup. When the ground flax seed and water have thickened and become gelatinous, stir into the other wet ingredients.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
Spread the granola evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Be sure to use two sheets so the granola gets crispy and bakes evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. Flip the granola in large sections with a large spatula and return to the oven for 20-25 more minutes. The granola should be starting to brown and achieve an even color throughout.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Break up very large chunks in to bite-sized pieces. Stir in one cup of your preferred dried fruit. Store at room temp in an air-tight container for up to 10 days (but you’ll probably eat it before that!)
Serve warm or at room temperature. Delicious served as breakfast cereal with almond milk and chopped fresh fruit or over almond milk ice cream or Warm Apple Cherry Compote!