Grain-Free Coconut Granola

Happy Friday! How was your week? Ready for the weekend?! :) 

I kind of already kicked off the weekend last night at BloggerFish, a blogging event at CopperFish Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar in South Tampa. The food was amazing and the company was great too! Check back next week to read all about my amazing experience!

I have a special Friday gift for you: my ultimate favorite granola recipe! Exciting, right?!

I used to make homemade granola bars all.the.time. and hand it out to my friends and family. (Do y'all miss that?) 

I posted an article about coconut oil the other day on Facebook and it got me thinking about the huge tub I have in the pantry. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with that tub. Make yummy granola! So I did. And I hope you like it as much as I do.

The thing I like most about this granola recipe is that it's so flexible and the possibilities are almost endless. It's one of those things that you can just add in whatever you have at the moment. Every time I've made this granola I make it differently. I make the base (nuts and a coconut oil/honey mixture), then add whatever I have. This time around I had raisins, goji berries, and hemp seeds. I'm incredibly sad I didn't have chocolate chips because...chocolate. I wasn't willing to run out to the store to get that one item.

These can be cut into bars or chopped into bite-sized pieces. 

Eat by themselves or used to top yogurt and smoothies. 

Grain-Free Coconut Granola

What You Need:

2 1/2 cups assorted nuts (I used almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, goji berries, etc)
1/2 cup seeds of choice (hemp, sunflower)

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp extract (vanilla or almond)
1/2 tsp salt
Cinnamon

What You Do:

Take 1.5 cups of assorted nuts and put into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Place in a big bowl.
Take rest of nuts and give them a quick chop with a knife or mallet. Add to bowl.

Here is the time where you can add your dried fruits, seeds, and whatever else you like. 

Over medium-low heat, in a small saucepan, combine coconut oil, honey, extract, salt, and a few dashes of cinnamon. Stir and cook until bubbles form. Take off heat and pour over nut mixture.

Stir to combine and make sure everything is coated with the oil mixture. 

Pour into a cake pan lined with parchment paper.
Spread out and press down to fill in entire pan. 

Let cool for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Remove from pan and cut into bars or chop into bite size pieces.

Enjoy!

XOXO