Heather C Heather C is a married, mom of three: big sis Lily and identical twins Natalie and Sophia. She has been guest blogging for Mumbling Mommy since February of 2012 and began working as a Social Media Editor in 2014. After nearly a decade in banking, she now works part time at a doctor's office specializing in breastfeeding medicine and spends the rest of her days in her Midwest home as zookeeper/stay-at-home-mom. Heather C is also a runner, hiker, yogi, bike rider and more. She reads when she finds more than a few minutes to herself and she hosts a lot of pajama dance parties in her kitchen. In her spare time, she's the co-leader for her daughter's Girl Scout troop and an active member of the school's Parent-Teacher Committee as well as a certified postpartum doula.

I decided to try out this granola recipe when our family made the switch to gluten-free eating. We were thrilled to see most grocery stores have already begun to embrace this dietary restriction. Each has a nicely stocked section with cookies and snacks and cereals to replace our previously loved wheat-filled versions. Only one problem: it became nearly impossible to find gluten-free items that were still whole grain AND organic. It seemed the trifecta that we desired is quite the rarity. (For example, unless otherwise specified, most gluten-free products that list “rice flour” as an ingredient are actually composed of white rice, which is not a whole grain.)

Frustrated, we started coming up with our own recipes like this granola recipe. I typically use the internet to find nutritious recipes and then mix and match ingredients to make them up to my family’s standards.

Today’s recipe is an earthy, whole grain granola designed with nutrition, balance, and a nice sweet tooth in mind. (Don’t worry, the sugar is minimal and, honestly, you can leave it out if you prefer.) It has an amazing apple cinnamon flavor. It is good as a topping on oatmeal or yogurt or even as a cereal itself. It’s amazing when served with almond milk. It is protein packed, too. But best yet, it is gluten free, whole grain and can easily be made organic.

Ready to dive in and make this granola recipe now? Read on!

Granola Recipe Ingredients:

 

  • 5 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 3-4 cups of crushed nuts and/or grains** (possibilities include almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, brown rice, quinoa, or flax seed)
  • 1 cup organic brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¾ cup unsweetened organic applesauce
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup raw (locally produced if possible) honey
  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
COOKING
  1. You’ll want the two racks on your oven to be evenly spaced from both each other and the sides of the oven. Preheat to 300 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
  3. Add wet ingredients to the dry mix and, using a good spatula, toss thoroughly until your dry ingredients are coated nicely.
  4. Lightly grease two rimmed cookie sheets. (Coconut oil cooking spray works great!)
  5. Spread the granola mixture evenly between both cookie sheets. The total cooking time will be between 40-50 minutes. Every 10-12 minutes, stir each batch of granola on the sheets and rotate their positions in the oven between the two racks.
  6. The granola will be a nice golden brown when done. It may seem a little soft still but it crisps up nicely as it cools. Be sure to stir the granola again a couple of times as it cools.
  7. Store in a large Ziploc bag or other airtight container. Since this is a preservative-free recipe with all natural ingredients, the granola will stay fresh longer if it is stored in the refrigerator.

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Category: Recipes

Tags: gluten free