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Home » Categories » Fruits » Nut-Free Granola

Nut-Free Granola

Nut-Free Granola
Nut-free granola cooling after baking.

Prep Time: 15m

Cooking Time: 15m

Servings: 16 (1/4 cup each)

From "The Seasoned Mom" website: "This simple and easy granola recipe is nut free, but loaded with nutritious flavor thanks for the sweet honey, chewey dried fruit, and buttery coconut. Best of all, the crunchy, chunky granola is ready for the oven in about 10 minutes!"

Enjoy on it's own as a snack or pair with yogurt, baked apples, cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit, or salads. This version is nut-free, but 1/4 cup of chopped nuts could be added with the fruit if you wanted them.


Ingredients

Fruit

  • 1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
     
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or fruit of your choice)
     
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots (or fruit of your choice) cut into 1/4 inch cubes

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cup old-fashioned oats
     
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
     
  • 1/3 cup wheat germ

Saucepan Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
     
  • 1/4 cup oil (coconut, canola, or avocado oil recommended)
     
  • 1/4 cup honey
     
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
     
  • ½ tsp salt
     
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325º F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray.
     
  2. Measure and cut up all the fruit. Place in a small bowl. Put the fruit in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients. (The freezer is an important step! It prevents the fruit from turning into tiny rocks when baked.)
     
  3. Add the oats, chia seeds, and wheat germ to a large bowl and combine. Set aside.
     
  4. In a large saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, oil, honey, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Once the honey mixture boils (gets foamy), remove from heat.
     
  5. Dump dry ingredients mixture into the saucepan and stir until the oats are completely coated. Add fruit, and stir to combine.
     
  6. Spread out mxture evenly onto prepared baking sheet.
     
  7. Bake for 3 minutes. Stir and bake for another 3 minutes. Repeat for 4 cycles of 3 minutes each for a total of 12 minutes baking time. Do not let it burn.
     
  8. Remove from the oven, pressing oats gently together with the spoon to form clusters or any shape you'd like. Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. The granola will continue to get crispier and crunchier as it cools.