Through instagram, I spotted many bloggers trying out homemade granola for a while and decided to whip up my own. Using a recipe that uses Coconurture coconut oil and coconut sugar (it was the first time I’ve used this in any cooking or baking)! I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of coconut sugar. It smelled like roasted nuts with a slight hint of coffee beans. As usual I did my research on coconut sugar and found some interesting facts!
Coconut sugar is considered to be one of the best natural sweeteners. It is completely natural – coming straight from the flower buds of coconut trees and there is no added chemicals nor any additives whatsoever needed in making it. Coconut Sugar has high mineral content. It is a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. In addition to this it contains Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6. When compared to brown sugar, Coconut Sugar has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc!
Coconut sugar has a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load. It is also all natural made from 100% coconut sap. No additives or any chemicals are needed in the manufacturing process. It is good for both diabetics and non-diabetics alike.
Coconut sugar produces absolutely delicious muffins, cookies, cakes, and healthy desserts. There is NO taste of coconut from the sugar and I think it is the closest taste available of all the natural sweeteners to white, refined sugar. It can be substituted 1 for 1 with regular sugar, and it has such an incredible taste to it that you will not even know that you didn’t use white refined sugar
I decided to bring this to the test and used The Other Big O granola recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup whole-wheat flour (I did not use this)
1/3-cup coconut palm sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger (I used ginger powder)
3 tbsp grapeseed oil or coconut oil (coconut oil of course!)
¼ cup cranberry juice or apple juice (I did not add this) If you prefer less sweet granola, add less agave syrup and coconut sugar!
3 tbsp real maple syrup (Used agave instead and I added an extra tbsp of agave syrup to replace the apple juice)
½ cup pumpkin seeds or nut/seed of choice (I added in pine nuts, walnuts and almonds)
¼ cup sunflower seeds (Did not add this)
¼ cup California raisins (Did not add this)
Method
Preheat oven to 300 F (150 degrees)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I ran out of it and used aluminum foil which was hard to remove after baking!!)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine
Spread the mixture out onto your baking sheet, and bake for 35 minutes (I might bake it around 30 minutes instead as I prefer them less brown), tossing after 15 minutes to prevent burning
Remove granola from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
Pair this with sliced fruits or with non dairy milk for breakfast just like I did:) This was so fragrant,crispy and yummy and I am persuaded never to buy store bought granola anymore!
p/s: If you are wondering where Coconurture imports all their products? They are made from Philippines, one of the World’s top producer for coconut products.
Mr & Mrs Vegan 