Simple maple coconut protein granola recipe (gluten-free, low sugar)

Simple maple coconut protein granola recipe (gluten-free, low sugar)

• 5.10.2018

This recipe was born from necessity!
Okay, I know I could have lived without granola for another couple weeks, but why not try making my own?

I am pretty much stuck at home with baby Otto, not really up for doing faraway errands with him unless I have to, and I'm feeding him every 2-3 hours so I don't want to go out shopping without him, either.

I have been mostly processed food-free, grain-free, and definitely gluten-free for years now. But when I was pregnant for a while there I just couldn't handle eating eggs in the morning. So I looked for other filling breakfast options and found this "peanut butter protein granola at Trader Joe's. It was lower in sugar than other granola brands and had protein added.

It wasn't actually that good, really. I really didn't like the peanut halves in it. But it was good enough with coconut milk and frozen blueberries--just not good enough to eat out of the bag, which was actually a pro cause it meant Jason and I wouldn't snack on it and I would have enough for my breakfasts!

So now I'm breastfeeding and way hungrier than usual. I eat at least two breakfasts most days! I wanted some more granola but Trader Joe's is pretty far from our house, and I wasn't going to ask my dad (who has been helping out by getting us groceries at the close store) to go out there!

But I needed a low-sugar, higher-protein granola! Turns out (duh), Trader Joe's is not the only place to add protein to granola. There are several recipes online for other enhanced homemade ones! They all had a little too much sugar for my taste, or were too complicated (some have you add applesauce??). I found a couple simpler ones and tweaked the flavors and add-ins to create this delicious, healthier recipe!

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Simple maple coconut protein granola

Ingredients:

• 2 c. gluten-free rolled oats 
• 1-2 servings unflavored collagen protein powder or whey protein powder (you will need slightly more liquid when using 2 servings)
• 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4-1/3 cup almond butter (more if you like bigger clusters in your granola)
• 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup (more if you like bigger clusters)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine almond butter and maple syrup, stirring until fully combined. 

4. Add to dry ingredients and stir until well coated/combined (I used a fork and my hand!).

5. Spread the combined mixture over the baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, toss (breaking up clusters but leaving as many as you want), and bake for another 8 minutes, until light golden brown. 

6. Let cool to room temperature before pouring into airtight container. (Makes just over one quart/32 oz. jar.)

So simple! And each serving contains a little extra protein and not a ton of fat or sugar.

Eat with yogurt and fresh or frozen fruit if you like. I'm not doing dairy right now so I put it on my protein shake smoothies or just eat in a bowl with coconut or almond milk and frozen berries!

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Shop my fave ingredients to use in this recipe here.