Healthiest Tastiest Cinnamon Vanilla Almond Granola

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No refined sugar, low fat, full of flavor !

Oats, seeds, nuts, coconut flakes, almond butter, a dash of maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract


I used to think granola was the healthiest thing. Oats and seeds and nuts? So healthy! But then I started reading labels and learning about how bad sugar is for us, and I was SHOOK. My rainbow sprinkle obsession from childhood had morphed into a granola romance (it's a texture thing), and I thought I was being so healthy. This stuff that I had been dumping all over my smoothie and yogurt bowls and eating out of the bag was no better than eating cookies and cupcakes. I decided the only way to make sure the sugar was low and there were no other funky ingredients was to make it myself. 

Plus, most granola comes in plastic bags. This is the last thing anyone needs - a food that is so easy to make that is put in a single use plastic bag. It's almost as bad as bottled water! Don't get me started on bottled water, except for the fact that it is less regulated than tap water, and you're literally just paying for plastic as you can buy filtered water for cents on the dollar). But I digress. Almost everything that goes into granola can come from the bulk section, so there really is no excuse to buy a bag. What more do you need? Get to baking! 


Ingredients: 
  • 4 cups oats
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup almonds 
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 10 drops stevia 
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
Method: 
  1. Preheat oven to 325F. 
  2. Mix oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. 
  3. In a small bowl mix coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, stevia, vanilla and almond extracts. 
  4. Add wet into dry and mix around. 
  5. Add to baking sheet and spread out. 
  6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until beginning to be fragrant, mixing once halfway. 
  7. Add coconut flakes and mix around, and bake for another 10 minutes until coconut gets toasted... be careful because coconut likes to burn!
  8. Remove and let sit until cool. 
  9. Store in an airtight container.


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