I don’t buy granola at the store because most of the time, it’s packed with sugar and other stuff that’s gonna slow down my digestive system. However, I’m all for homemade! This recipe is great because it is filled with fiber from different sources as well as a good source of omega 3s thanks to the chia seeds. If you don’t have all the ingredients, feel free to swap with others that you do have on hand. The only thing I wouldn’t swap out are the oats, cocoa powder and coconut – the combination really makes this granola.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of rolled oats (I take organic)
- 1/2 cup of chia seeds
- 1 cup of crushed almonds (you can swap or use a combination of nuts here – I like cashews, pecans and pistachios)
- 1 1/2 cup of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2/3 cup of cacao nibs (you can also use dark chocolate chips chunks)
- 3/4 cup of buckwheat groats (you can use brown rice puffs as well)
Syrup:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup of coconut nectar or maple syrup (depends how sweet you want this)
- 1/2 cup of dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
- Mix all the dry ingredients (oats, chia, nuts, coconut flakes, cacao nibs and buckwheat) together in a large bowl
- In a small saucepan, mix the syrup ingredients and put over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until it is the consistency of a nice chocolate syrup
- Mix hot syrup into the granola so that everything is coated
- Spread in a large pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so. Depending on your oven, you may need to let it bake an extra 5 minutes.
- Bring the pan out of the oven and let it cool somewhere dry for an hour
- Once it is cooled, store in well sealed glass jars