Baked Granola

A lot of granola and granola bars may have unhealthy sugars and oils. If you can’t find one that meets healthy standards, here is a recipe I pulled from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook! You could certainly use this as a “base” and add anything else you may desire. Examples may include adding: pumpkin seeds, ground flaxseed, walnuts, dried mango, dried coconut, dried cranberry, etc.

Makes Sixteen ½-Cup Servings

• 8 Cups Rolled Oats

• 1 ½ Cups of Pitted and Chopped Dates (Medjool dates are so yummy-FYI)

• Zest of 2 oranges

• 1 tsp of ground Cinnamon

• 1 tsp of pure Vanilla extract

• ½ tsp of Himalayan Pink Salt or to taste

Preheat oven to 275 F

• Add the oats to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Line two 13×18 inch baking pans with parchment paper.

• Place the dates in a medium saucepan with 2 Cups of water, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep the dates from sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat, add the mixture to a blender with the orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and process until smooth and creamy.

• Add the date mixture to the oats and mix well. Divide the granola between the two prepared pans and spread it evenly in the pans. 

• Bake for 40-50minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is crispy.

• Remove from the oven and let cool before storing in an airtight container (the cereal will get even crispier as it cools).