This is my absolute favorite granola that I bake monthly, not too sweet, perfectly crunchy and flavorful, and so versatile. I love it with coconut yogurt, almond milk, or simply as a snack with some afternoon tea (this one is my new favorite and I’m obsessed!) I usually bake a double batch and gift some to neighbors and friends, keeping half for myself. Stored in these jars, they make a simple gift and look beautiful on your countertop or in your fridge. Everything is more appealing when it’s packaged nicely isn’t it?
There are two things main things that set this granola bark apart from the slew of granola recipes you may already know.
Most store-bought granola is not very good for you. There. I said it. The vast majority are filled with too much oil, often not quality oil either, and too much sugar with lukewarm nutritional benefits. Many are essentially a deconstructed oatmeal cookie. Delicious? Yes. Breakfast? Maybe not. I’ve kept this low sugar by using coconut sugar and maple syrup as a sweetener, and swapped out the common dried fruit addition for loads of nutritious nuts and seeds. Chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds are tossed in here providing powerful antioxidants and lots of protein and fiber. You can have fun with it, it’s a great excuse to raid your pantry and use up little bits of seeds and nuts you have lying around.
My trick for enormous clusters of granola that are supremely snack worthy is to resist the urge to stir the granola as it bakes, simply turning the pan halfway through, and popping the whole pan in the fridge or freezer to cool after baking. This allows the granola to firm back up in one big sheet, to be broken up as you like. Hot Tip: kiddos LOVE helping with this part.
“What else can I use?”
- If you don’t have or want to use coconut oil, feel free to swap in olive or vegetable oil. It won’t cluster quite as firmly but it’ll be delicious.
- Use any nuts or seeds you have on hand, it’s hard to go wrong. Sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, hemp hearts… the possibilities are tremendous.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, use the equivalent amount of maple syrup or use brown sugar instead.
This granola bark is an easy sell. It doesn’t take much to convince someone that when you mix nuts, seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup, and a few warm spices together and bake it until crunchy and golden it’s going to taste pretty fantastic. The fact that it’s actually good for you, and this easy to make? It’s kind of a no-brainer.
Superfood Granola Bark
Equipment
- baking sheet pans
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats look for Gluten Free oats if omitting gluten completely
- 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped or sliced nuts I used almonds here, but pecans or walnuts are great too
- 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom optional
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, nuts, flaxseed, chia and sesame seeds, salt, and spices.
- Stir in the coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, warm water, and vanilla until well combined.
- Transfer the granola to the baking sheet and spread evenly so the granola lies in a thin sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, undisturbed, then rotate the pans back to front and bake for 15 minutes more.
- Place the cooked granola right in the refrigerator until cooled and hardened.
- Break apart in large chunks using a spatula or your fingers.
- This will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator, which is how I like to store it.
While the recipe was delicious I learned a valuable lesson, I doubled the recipe and cooked half on a silver metal baking sheet with parchment paper and the other half on a dark metal baking sheet with parchment paper. The batch on the dark pan burned within 10 minutes, which was a huge bummer and waste of my organic expensive ingredients! So just note to everyone!!! The pan you use matters!!! Stay away from dark metal pans for this recipe!!! The other batch came out very tasty, I still took it out a few mins early bc I was worried and I think it came out perfect.
Oh Sarah! I’m so glad that you got to enjoy some of your work in the end, but baking dishes can be such fickle things!
I steer away from dark metal for this reason, but it’s not common knowledge. I’m sorry you had to learn this way!
Thank you so much for giving it a try nonetheless, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kat.