Maple Almond Granola Clusters

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats
• 3/4 cup almond flour or almond meal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds (i recommend unsalted)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Mix the oats, almond flour, salt, and almonds together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine coconut oil, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar dissolves. It’s ok if there’s a layer of oil on top. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla, and pour over oat mixture. Stir until everything begins to come together. The mixture will be sticky.
4. Pour into prepared baking pan and, using a spatula, press mixture tightly into an even layer in the pan.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes to ensure the granola “slab” bakes evenly. Remove the baking pan, but do not turn off the oven. Let the granola slab cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes. (The cooling is crucial!)
6. Lift the granola out of the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides. Cut into squares, and then break up into smaller cluster pieces—be careful, the granola is hot! Place the clusters back into the baking pan, with or without parchment, or spread onto a lined or unlined baking sheet, and bake the clusters for 10 more minutes.
7. Remove clusters from the oven and cool completely. Clusters become crunchier the longer they cool.
8. Cover and store the cooled clusters at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.