"Paleo" Maple Granola

 

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We had such a fun weekend celebrating Molly's birthday and enjoying the gorgeous weather! 

 

If you've been following Mag-Pie's for a while, you know how much I love granola.  Although I do not follow a Paleo diet at all, this recipe for Paleo "granola" sounded great to me.  I've already made multiple batches and can't get enough.  Its sweet and salty and packed full of nuts and seeds.  A delicious snack whether you are Paleo or not.  Just be careful not to eat the entire batch in a day :) It is seriously addicting!

"Paleo" Maple Granola

Source:  adapted from Carrots 'n' Cake

Yields:  about 4-4 1/2 cups

**Note:  You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your flavor preferences.  Swap out the maple syrup for honey.  Use any combination of 1 cup of nut and seeds instead of the variety that I used below.  If you don't like coconut, add-in an additional cup of nuts in place of the unsweetened coconut flakes.  Lastly, if you choose to add dried fruit to your granola, make sure to stir it in after baking and cooling!

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup grade B maple syrup

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup raw pecans

1/4 cup raw walnuts

1/4 cup raw almonds

2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Combine almond meal, flax seed meal, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt in a large bowl; stir until thoroughly combined.  Mix in nuts, seeds and coconut and combined.

Spread mixture onto a prepared baking sheet and pat it down in an even layer; it will be thick.

Bake the granola for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a large spatula to flip the granola, keeping it in large chunks. Return the granola to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool before breaking into clusters and serving.