Coconut Crunch Granola

I've made a bunch of granola recipes. There's Autumn Spice Granola with the warmth of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Low-Fat Granola when you're on a health kick and No-Stir Granola when you're feeling lazy. Tropical Almond Granola is perfect when you're ready for a Hawaiian vacation but you're firmly rooted on the mainland.

But this Coconut Crunch Granola, you guys? This one is my new fav.

It's extra rich with layers of coconut flavor from unsweetened coconut and coconut oil. And somehow the vanilla extract makes everything taste more coconut-y. Oats, almonds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and ground flax keep you full until lunchtime. And maple syrup lends a subtle sweetness that will make even your pickiest eaters happy.

Next time you're looking to mix up your breakfast routine or add a new snack to the mix, give Coconut Crunch Granola a try!

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Coconut Crunch Granola

5 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup (I'm talking pure maple syrup here, not pancake syrup.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, almonds, chia seeds, flax, and hemp seeds. In a separate small bowl combine coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.

Pour the granola onto two very large rimmed baking sheets. (Two half sheet pans would work well.) Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring thoroughly a couple times, until granola is fragrant and toasted to a golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Granola keeps well in a sealed container for a couple weeks.

Coconut Carrot Muffins

Everyone's talking about coconut oil these days. It's the new thing. (Actually, I'm pretty sure it's been a thing for a while now, and I'm just behind the times.) I've heard the virtues of using coconut oil for cooking, cleaning, baking, moisturizing...pretty much everything under the sun. It was high time I gave this newfangled oil a whirl, and Coconut Carrot Muffins seemed like the perfect opportunity.

These healthy muffins are vibrant with carrots and pineapple, studded with sweet raisins, and rich with coconut flakes and coconut oil. And with a pinch of orange zest stirred in, each bite is fragrant with citrus. Geez, are these babies good.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Carrot Coconut Muffins
Makes 36 mini muffins
Adapted from these Morning Glory Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
2 tablespoons oat bran
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
8 ounces crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, oat bran, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, stir together whole eggs, egg whites, brown sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, pineapple, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, raisins, pineapple, and coconut.

Fill prepared muffin tins with batter. I filled my mini muffin cups to the top and ended up with 36 muffins. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until muffins spring back when you touch them and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I made mini muffins, but you could certainly make regular-sized muffins. I would guess they'd need about 25 minutes to bake. If you try it, let me know!

*I happened to have 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour that I was looking to use up. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to use entirely all-purpose flour or substitute whole wheat flour. Also, if you have more whole wheat flour on hand than I did, by all means use more!