Maple Almond Raisin Granola

Posted on December 9, 2015 by glutenfreezen

I love granola.

It’s sweet, a bit salty, crispy, chewy. All great things in one.

Plain, or with dairy free milk, or half and half if you can have dairy.

On top of ice cream, on top of yogurt, over fruit, on a hike, in the car….It’s delicious any way or anywhere you choose to eat it.

I can’t eat it often because grains and I don’t get along well, but over the next few days I’m making a small exception.

Of course, someone has to be here as the taste tester, and that happens to be me!

I’m going to bring you two more fabulous granola recipes over the next few days that you can make for your family or as gifts to give.

This recipe was particularly tough for me to keep my hands off of because it happens to have candied almonds. Unbelievably good!

I could not stay away from them.

In fact, they would make a nice gift all on their own if you didn’t eat them all before you were able to get them packaged.

Granola is a great gift because most people love it, it’s easy to make, and your creative options are endless!

Candied Sliced Almonds

1 Cup of Sliced Almonds

3/4 Cup (kind of small-ish heaping) of Maple Sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Dairy Free Butter

1 teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup

Generous Pinch of Sea Salt

Measure the almonds, maple sugar, and butter into a small fry pan. I used my omelette pan so it wouldn’t have any chance of sticking. Turn the burner onto medium and toss and stir lightly until all of the butter is melted and the sugar begins to stick to the almonds. Drizzle in the maple syrup and throw in a good pinch of sea salt and continue to carefully toss. I like to cook mine about 7-9 minutes or so to ensure that the sugar is melting and sticking and will harden lightly when it cools. Keep an eye on it though so it doesn’t burn and turn down the heat a bit if necessary. Pour them out onto parchment and quickly separate them with two spoons. Allow to cool completely.

Maple Almond Raisin Granola

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

6 Cups of Gluten Free Rolled Oats

3 Tablespoons of Avocado Oil

3/4 Cup of Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup of Pure Maple Sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Cup of Candied Sliced Almonds

1 Cup of Organic Raisins

Measure the oats, avocado, maple syrup, maple sugar, and sea salt into a large roasting pan and stir until completely combined. Bake in 7 minute increments stirring thoroughly until it is toasted and golden in color. It took mine about 35 minutes and I use convection. A good way to test if it is crispy enough is to take a small spoonful and spread it out on the counter to cool. It will cool quickly, then taste test for crunch.

Once it’s crispy to your liking (I like mine lightly crispy), pour it out onto parchment paper on the counter and spread out to cool. When completely cooled, pour it into a large bowl, add the candied almonds and raisins, and stir until everything is distributed evenly.