I've talked quite a bit about my commitment to both snacks and well prepared travel. This granola recipe was born out of the two of these personality traits joining forces prior to a family trip to Cape Cod. And, if I do say so myself, the result is pretty spectacular.
Leading up to the trip, I considered my packing (AKA snacking) list. I often tote a bag of store-bought paleo granola along with me when I travel for an option that doubles as breakfast and a snack. But those bags of deliciousness are ESSPENSIVE. So much so that I often leave them unopened because I feel a bit guilty about how much they cost. So for this vacation, instead of carrying along a treat I wouldn't even enjoy, I decided to go a more economical route and create my own recipe. It took me a few tries to get this babe right, but now that I have, she's absolutely wonderful. I brought an entire batch to the Cape with me and not gonna lie, my bag was much lighter on my return trip to New York!
Perfectly Crunchy Paleo Granola
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup pepitas
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 large pinches sea salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Finely chop almonds, pecans, and pepitas.
- Mix chopped nuts and seeds with coconut flakes, sesame seeds, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom and whisk to combine. Add this mixture to the nuts/seeds mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Spread raw granola on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to check in and stir after 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on tray. This allows granola-like chunks to form. Once cooled, scrape mixture from pan, and store in a cool, dry place.