Tasty Tuesday - Gluten Free Coffee Granola

I've often imagined myself holding hands with the love of my life in my rocking chair living well into our nineties. Cute right? But here's my reality - I love the thought of greasy bacon and sugary sweet pancakes. I've always thought breakfasts needed to be fried and greasy; and snacks had to be eaten straight out of a bag. The truth is that's not going to get me into my nineties. 

So the last thing I expected to be putting up on this blog would have been Gluten free Coffee Granola! I have to admit it is probably the best tasting granola that I have had. It's an amazing energy boosting breakfast and it also works really well as an anytime snack. 

Use a coffee that you really like. I used the Colombian coffee because of the wonderful chocolate notes in its aroma, but I think that the Brazilian coffee would have worked just as well here. 

Ingredients:

• 330g gluten free oats
• 55g raw pecan nuts chopped
• 55g chopped dates (pitted dates)
• 4 tablespoons finely ground coffee
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar free peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey - or more if you like it sweeter.
• 1/2 cup water to thin the almond butter - adjust this amount depending on the consistency of your almond butter.
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Method:

• Preheat oven to 150 deg C.
• Combine oats, pecans, dates, and ground coffee in a large mixing bowl.
• Combine almond butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, salt and water and heat in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk until smooth, and add more water until the mixture is pourable.
• Pour the almond butter mixture over the oats mixture and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated.
• Spread onto a baking sheet, and pack tightly with little or no space between the ingredients to ensure that you get big clumps of granola.

• Bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Shake the pan and flip halfway through the baking.
• The granola will crisp up as it bakes, but be careful no to let it burn.
• Allow to cool before crumbling over milk and splash a bit of yogurt over it for a delicious breakfast.
• Add your favourite berries as a topping.