I don't know about you, but I love a good, chunky granola. It stays crunchier in milk, looks delightful, and is easier for drive-by-grabbing-out-of-the-jar on your way to get your son out of time out for the fifteenth time that day. Chocolate chips are my usual standby treat to be shoved in my mouth on-the-go, but I am finding that it results in me eating an entire bag of them by nightfall. Delicious, but not as helpful for my attitude and patience levels as one might hope, and just doesn't fit too well into my health goals. So for now, granola, (and chocolate chips sometimes) and eventually I want to learn to have one, specific snack-time in my day and leave it at that. You know, like I preach to my children. Honestly, being a mother is just confusing. On to the granola!
Adding egg-whites and enough oil and maple syrup seem to be the answer to a good chunkiness. I mean seriously, look at this. After it is cooled you can break it up to your own, specific, chunkiness level or just eat it like a monster granola bar if you will.
I like to use gluten free sprouted oats for extra digestibility, but feel free to use regular old-fashioned oats. Do buy specifically gluten free oats if you are avoiding gluten. This granola contains a decent amount of nuts and seeds as well as the added benefit of collagen powder to give it lots of protein and staying power. If you cannot have sweeteners like maple syrup, I would use your favorite Stevia blend and then add an extra egg white and another tablespoon of coconut oil to achieve a similar chunkiness. I don't have a lot of experience with using non calorie sweeteners so if you give that exchange a try, let me know how it works! This recipe makes quite a bit of granola. If I am going to take the time to bake something, it needs to be enough to get us through a few breakfasts, at least. Now for a quick picture of the gooey goodness and then on to the recipe!
Chunky Maple Cashew Granola
Prep 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes, then left to cool
Makes about 10 cups
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
6 cups gluten free sprouted oats
1 cup coconut chips
1 cup cashews, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs maple syrup
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
4 tbs collagen powder
1/2 tsp kelp flakes
2 tsp cinnamon
Method
1. Preheat the over to 300 degrees F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a really, big bowl and set aside.
3. Grab a medium size pan, measure in the wet ingredients, and gently heat them on medium-low heat until warm and the coconut oil is just melted, gently whisking as it heats.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
5. Spoon mixture onto a very large parchment lined cookie sheet, making sure to pack the granola up against the edges( we don't want burned edges).
6. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 40-45 minutes. Once toasted and fragrant, turn your oven off and allow the granola to cool in the oven for about an hour.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Then break the bits up to your preferred size and store in an extremely large glass jar or a few quart sized jars.
8. Add some berries, sprinkle over some coconut yogurt, pour on some non-dairy milk, use it to top a smoothie bowl or grab handfuls from the jar throughout the day.
9.Enjoy!
