Gluten Free Coconut Macadamia Granola (with nut-free version for school)

This nourishing granola was adapted from a recipe in The First Forty Days—a beautiful book filled with comforting, postpartum-friendly foods. I’ve made a few small tweaks over time to suit our tastes, and it’s become a staple in our home—crunchy, gently sweet, and perfect with served over Greek yoghurt.

**When making a nut-free version for school lunches, simply replace the macadamias with 1 cup of mixed seeds, I used sunflower seeds and hemp seeds x

Ingredients for Coconut Macadamia Granola

6 cups rolled oats (GF if sensitive)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup chopped macadamias

1/2-1 cup chopped pitted dates

3/4 cup organic maple syrup

1 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon organic vanilla paste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Zest of 1 orange (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line one large baking sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (oats, coconut, cinnamon, and sea salt).

Slowly melt the butter and add maple. Whisk in vanilla and orange zest, if using. When the mixture is completely melted, add it to the oat mixture and stir thoroughly.

Bake for about 30 minutes on center rack (checking and turning every 10 minutes or so). Be sure to turn the mixture from the edge of the pan to prevent burning.

Allow the granola to completely cool before transferring to an airtight container.

Makes 6-8 cups.