Amazing Grain-Free Granola

Hi. Let’s talk breakfast. We haven’t for a while and I feel it is about time.

This granola is . . . well, to be honest I could list every single superlative in the dictionary and still not be satisfied that I have done it justice.

Since making it for the first time I have made three more batches and have eaten it for breakfast almost Every. Single. Day. Since. Seriously. I am not kidding.

This is a big deal because I am the queen of variety. Eating the same thing for breakfast every day is not something I usually do, primarily because there are so many different things to choose from. But this has been all I have wanted / been satisfied with for weeks now.

I think this is for 2 reasons. One – it is so, so, so, so, tasty. The mixture of nuts and seeds and coconut (with a little hint of chocolate) means that every spoonful is different. Although I always, always leave a pecan nut for the last spoonful. Should I admit that? Too late, I have now! I have decided that pecans are most definitely my favourite nut. Remind me of that in a few weeks when I declare another nut my favourite . . .

And two – I have discovered that chia seeds and my skin are best buddies. True BFFs. Whilst in the past I have been happy to throw a spoonful into smoothies and even waffle batter, this is a new way to eat them and I have eaten my allotted daily allocation without even realising or – more importantly – having to remember to add them.

Oh, and I should probably mention that this is free of refined sugar as it is sweetened with maple syrup, which when you bake this granola, any spare will puddle and pool and make delicious little chewy toffee-like pieces. Just try not to pick at it too much whilst it is cooling, because one little morsel will have you dancing around the kitchen in delight and instantly going back for more.

The recipe states three different types of nuts – almonds, cashews and pecans – but feel free to mix it up a bit if there are other nuts you prefer. I confess that this particular batch contained some hazelnuts because I had some that needed to be used. Also, although the recipes states the quantities of nuts in cups, I usually just buy 100g bags as this is roughly a cup’s worth of nuts, so you need 400g of nuts in total.

Most of the time I eat mine with some yoghurt and fruit, but I have also thrown it on top of waffles and have recently been experimenting with smoothie bowls (still not entirely convinced, but I’ll give it a few more tries), but frankly I think there are more things it could go on. Although maybe not scrambled eggs . . .

Adapted from Minimalist Baker