Receta Cherry-Almond Coconut Granola
Cherry-Almond Coconut Granola
One of my favorite road-trip snacks has always been granola. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it’s easy to make a huge batch, and you don’t need any utensils to eat it on the go. That’s sometimes a problem, however, as I tend to go a bit crazy grabbing handful after handful and before long it has disappeared! Last summer, I was on a chocolate chip granola kick after our trip to the beach; prior to that, my standard granola recipe had always been the maple-almond version with dried fruit. I love both of those, but I’ve long wanted a great coconut granola, and this is finally it!
Along with a significant amount of flaked coconut in the mixture, coconut oil is used in place of the standard vegetable oil. I chose to use dried cherries and chopped almonds because it’s summer, and summertime always reminds me of spending days on end at my grandma’s house. One of her favorite ice cream flavors was white house cherry, so I chose dried cherries as my single fruit of choice. I love the flavor combination of cherries and almonds, so that made it easy. You can absolutely play around with different fruit, nut and seed choices, using whatever combinations you’d like.
I love the fresh flavor that the coconut adds to this granola; it just screams summer!
What are your favorite granola add-ins?
Four years ago: Portobello Pesto Pizza
Five years ago: Barbecued Beans
Cherry-Almond Coconut Granola
Yield: About 4 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Two different types of coconut are used in this granola, along with dried cherries, almonds and a variety of seeds.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2½ cups traditional rolled oats
- 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup dried cherries
- ½ cup almonds, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the coconut oil over low heat until completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, cherries, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
4. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the melted coconut oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir together until the mixture is evenly moistened.
5. Transfer the mixture to a large rimmed baking pan and spread into and even layer, pressing down slightly to pack it into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it does not burn. Allow the granola to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.