The Best Granola

My partner and I went to Mexico City a few weeks back for a culinary adventure. It was one of my favourite cities I have ever visited with so much to do, see and of course, eat. The flavours that Mexico brings to its dishes are incredible and it is my favourite food to eat. You are probably wondering what this has to do with granola….

Well, Cacao grows in Mexico and there are so many wonderful options to get fair trade and local cacao. I was so excited (I literally danced in the shop with excitement) to stumble across an incredible cacao shop and I bought beans to bring home and use for both cooking and ceremony. In making this granola, I loved the process of roasting, peeling and grinding the beans to make cacao nibs. While I love using natural cacao for its taste and nutrients, if you cannot find it- you can always sub for chocolate chips.

This granola recipe is my absolute favourite and we make it and store a batch for the week. The coating of hazelnut butter takes it to the next level. If there are a few of you that will be enjoying this granola in your house, I recommend making a double batch and it will last a week in an air tight container.

Feel free to modify, if you do not eat nuts then you can modify for more seeds (pumpkin, hemp, sunflower, sesame). And if you do not have nut or seed butter in house you can always use coconut oil.

raw cacao beans

cacao beans roasted and peeled. they were then ground into nibs.

granola layered 1 inch thick on a baking sheet

served with coconut yogurt, banana and hemp seeds

Ingredients:
Servings- 6

1/3 cup of nut or seed butter- I used hazelnut and the flavour is amazing
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews
2 cups oats
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup cacao nibs

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 325F
2) Mix the nut or seed butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a bowl- combining all the wet ingredients.
3) In a food processor, pulse the cashews and almonds into smaller pieces. Add to the wet mixture.
4) Add the oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, sesame seeds and cacao nibs.
5) Stir until it is all well combined.
6) On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread the mixture out flat with a spatula, keeping it all together and 1 inch thick. By keeping it all together it will ensure that it bakes into clusters.
7) Bake at 325F for 20 minutes and then flip the granola with a spatula and bake for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!