Gluten-Free Apricot, Date & Coconut Granola

I love a crunchy granola and this one suits everyone in my family (my Dad can’t eat certain nuts).

Here I present gluten-free apricot, date and coconut granola. Pretty, nutritious and filling too, it’s the perfect breakfast or snack when the munchies hit!

I like to opt for unsulphured, organic apricots (darker in colour), large medjool dates (as they taste like caramel when heated up) and jumbo oats with this. The unsweetened desiccated coconut adds my most-loved flavour to the mix and helps boost the granola texture despite no nuts and seeds.

Simply, easy to make and so delicious, my kids love this with milk and it’s perfect over thick coconut yogurt. Yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp mild olive oil
• 200g honey or maple syrup for a vegan alternative which I opt for (my kids prefer honey)
• 300g jumbo oats (gluten-free)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 70g apricots, chopped
• 70g dates, chopped
• 50g  desiccated coconut
• 70g raisins

Method:

Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.  Heat the oil and honey in large pan then once they start to bubble and caramelise a little, add the oats, vanilla and cinnamon and stir the oats through. Place the oats into a greased oven dish and spread out evenly.

Bake for 20 mins, stirring halfway to ensure the oats bake on both sides.

Remove from the oven add add the apricots, dates and coconut. Cooking them together from the start would mean they would burn.  Place in the oven for 5 minutes. I then add the raisins in (without cooking them) and drizzle with coconut yogurt. You can enjoy it with cold milk or add a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of yogurt as my youngest does.

A healthy, slow releasing breakfast, we all love this!

It will keep for 3 weeks in an airtight container and makes for great DIY gifts.

Let me know if you make it.

Read more recipes here.