Almond-Cranberry Granola

yields about 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups of rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degree.

Combine oats, almonds and coconut in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl.  If you have kitchen gloves or plastic baggies, cover your hands with them and for about 10 minutes (or until the oil is completely saturated into the sugar) massage the wet mixture.  It should form into a molasses-type sugar mixture.

Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture and continue to coat the oats until completed covered.

Spray 2-3 cookie sheets with cooking spray and divide oat mixture evenly.  Bake in the oven for 60 minutes total, but turning the oats every 20 minutes (so you will turn them 3 times).

Once they are browned and cool, add cranberries and store in an air-tight container.

mangia!

The ‘Breakfast-For-Dessert’ Cookie

Breakfast and dessert all mixed into one.

I decided on this name for the cookie because I realized that as I was making them, I could have easily been making granola.  But for some reason when baked as small round balls, it tastes oh-so-much better.  If your a granola-maker and your baking cabinet is well-stocked, then you should have everything you need for these yummy make-shift-chocolate-laced-granola-oatmeal-type cookies.  If your baking cabinet is lacking some, well then, its a great excuse to go out and purchase all those ingredients you’d been meaning to try anyway (ie spelt flour, chia seed, maple syrup…).  Go ahead, try it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of whole grain oats
• 2/3 cups spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup raisins or dried fruit
• 1/3 cup chocolate or carob chips
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp chia seed + 2-3 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or maple/agave blend
• 3 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter)
• 2 tbsp canola oil or melted Earth Balance
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, baking power and carob/chocolate chips.  Stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the chia + water, maple syrup, oil, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until blended.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.

Line a baking sheet with a cookie liner or grease baking sheet with Earth Balance.  Spoon 1 tbsp balls of batter on cookie sheet and bake 7-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and let them cool before enjoying.

mangia!