Mulberry Apricot Coconut Granola

I’ve been on kick lately with creating new granola recipes and I wont lie to ya… it’s so much fun #nerdingoutonnutrition. I used to buy bags of granola and didn’t think I could make up blends that didn’t contain copious amounts of processed sugar. BUT, I thought wrong. You can. It’s so simple. Every time I make a batch, I either use maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar and the amounts are quite low considering the size of the batch. I also like to add in a bit of dried fruit too. If i’m feeling sassy, I will even add in some super foods & super berries.

Some mulberries caught my eye at my work and I decided to include them in this recipe due to how healthy these lil guys are. Check out some cool facts about them below:

Let’s chat about these lil berries that pack a punch: Mulberries

• As a dried fruit, it contains much less sugar than other fruits do, these contain less than half the amount of sugar in raisins and less found in fruits like bananas, figs, and dates.
• Mulberries are nice and sweet. You can add them onto yogurt, in granola or soak them and then just simply eat them – anything goes!
• They are filled with antioxidants that can help neutralize damaging free radicals and they may help protect the heart from future damage
• Mulberries contain 4g of protein in 1/3 cup
• They contain fibre to which can help lower cholesterol and help with your bowel movements – on the regular. Who doesn’t want regular bowel movements! (yay)
• They are high in vitamin K, iron, calcium and magnesium which means they may help support bone building in your body

An important note: These berries are very good at lowering blood sugar levels, This might be okay for some but can also be dangerous for others. You can check with your Naturopathic doctor if you are worried about any interactions or with medications. Always check if you have allergies to these as well.

Mulberry Apricot Coconut Granola

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups total almonds = 1 cup whole almonds + 1 cup shredded almonds
• 3/4 cup apricots – chopped into small chunks
• 3/4 cup white mulberries
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• 2-3 cups coconut shreds (add the full 3 cups if you LOVE coconut)
• 3/4 cup hardened coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt ( you can add a bit more if preferred)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract – optional (if using it, opt to use the one that’s alcohol free)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. (some blogs say 375 for granola but I have burned so many batches at a high heat that I now set the oven to 275-300 just in case ha-ha!)
2. In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, both sets of almonds, sesame seeds, hemp hearts and stir until combined. Don’t add in dried fruit or coconut yet!
3. In a small pot on the stove, add coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and vanilla and heat up on low-medium heat until melted and combined.
4. Turn off the heat, remove pot and pour liquid onto rolled oat mixture. Use your hands to combine so that the liquid is covering entire granola mix. If you find the granola too oily, you can add 1-2 tbsp extra rolled oats if you want.
5. In a baking pan that’s lined with parchment paper, put granola mix onto it and spread evenly. I use two medium pans for mine as this made a big batch.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes – this step is KEY to prevent burning. Do this every 10 minutes until granola is done. I usually bake mine for 40-45 minutes but you can bake as long as you want.
7. When it’s done, take out of oven and let cool completely before touching it. This step is also KEY for getting those delicious clusters of granola.
8. Add in chopped apricots, mulberries, and coconut and mix up with granola mix. Add to sealed jars and store in cupboard.

If you try this recipe out, let me know how it turns out!

Marcy xo