Granola Clusters

Gluten Free! Vegan! Naturally Sweetened! And delicious! Whats not to like? If you love big chunks of granola with milk, as a snack, or in yogurt, then turn your oats into granola clusters and enjoy the extra crunch! This customizable recipe is here to help you make healthy recipes the whole family will enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats, divided
• 1 cup pecans
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup coarsely chopped dried fruit, such as apricots, dates, cranberries, currants, cherries, etc.
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (or a mix of both)
• ¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Put ½ cup of the rolled oats in the food processor, and process to a coarse flour.
3. Add the remaining oats, along with the pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped, about 5-6 pulses.
4. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup or honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla. Pour the syrup mixture over the ingredients in the food processor, and pulse until the mixture comes together and looks damp, about 8 pulses.
5. Transfer the granola to the baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, press it into a ½-inch thick rectangle, about 8×12-inches large.
6. Bake 20 minutes.
7. Rotate the pan 190 degrees and bake until lightly browned along the edges, golden on top, and firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes longer. (Don’t stir the granola while baking or cooling – it needs to harden)
8. Cool the granola on the pan. Break it into clusters before serving.

Recipe by Nicki (FromScratchFast)

Easy Granola Clusters Recipe! (GF, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened)