Maple Pecan Almond Granola

I love Granola! Especially when it's homemade. I do buy it at the store sometimes, but it gets to be so expensive! I think the cheapest I have gotten was around $5 for a small bag, and it barely lasted me a week. I used to think it was too much of a hassle making my own, but it's really simple! This recipe took me about 30 minutes and it makes 8 cups of yummy & delicious, gluten free granola! I love using a variety of nuts and seeds in my granola. If you're like me and like your granola extra crunchy, you won't be disappointed with this recipe. It's super crunchy, a tad sweet, but full of flavor! I love it for breakfast with some milk or Greek yogurt, and I also eat it as a snack or put it in the kids lunchboxes too! It's so versatile, you can eat it anytime. I store my granola in a large glass mixing bowl with a cover and it stays fresh for 2 weeks or so. You could also portion it out in small snack bags, pour it into mason jars with lids and give them as gifts- really whatever you like!

Enjoy!

Xo

Melanie


Recipe for Maple Pecan Almond Granola


Ingredients:
1 16 oz. Bag of Raw Pecans, roughly chopped
1 16. oz. Bag of Sliced Raw Almonds
1 Cup of Raw Sunflower Seeds (Unsalted)
4 Cups Gluten Free Oats (can use quick-cooking or whole oats)
1/2 Cup Ground Flaxseed
3/4 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup 100% Apple Juice
1 Tsp. Gluten Free Vanilla Extract
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
Nonstick Spray

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a large sheet pan with nonstick spray and set aside. In a large bowl add the oats, pecans, and almonds and mix to combine. Pour the nut/oat mixture onto the sheet pan and bake until golden for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and set aside to let cool for a few minutes.
4. Heat a small saucepan over medium and add in the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple juice and sea salt and mix until fully melted. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla and stir to combine.
5. Add the toasted nut/oat mixture to a large bowl. On top of that add in the sunflower seeds and ground flaxseed. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the granola and mix well to combine everything together.
6. Add the granola back on to the sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy and golden.
7. Remove the granola from the oven and let cool. Once it is cool, break up the granola into bite size chunks and place in a covered storage container.