Dates Sweetened Granola

By @Lilyrose.Cafe

Terra Delyssa organic dates do an amazing job in this granola recipe. Chewy, sweet, sticky enough to hold all the ingredients together like a cluster of goodness, and straight from the earth. What else do you need?

This granola is a dessert on its own in my opinion. I love to eat them as is, with a cup of freshly brewed tea or coffee, as a topping on Greek yogurt, ice cream, or smoothies for energy-boosting breakfast or even as a pre-workout snack or sometimes even treat it as cereal, but a healthy one with milk.

Prep Time: 35 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

Servings: 4

Diet Category: Vegetarian, Vegan

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups or 400g @terradelyssa dates
• 2 cups boiling water to soak
• 1/2 cup peanut, almond or any seed butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon, but the more, the merrier
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tbsp. @terradelyssa Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup coconut chips

Directions:

 Soak the dates in boiling water for at least 30 minutes.

1. In a high-speed blender, combine the dates, 3/4 cup of water that you soaked the dates in, nut butter, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and blend until smooth and thick.
2. *Add the remaining water little by little and scrape down the sides. Make sure only to add enough water to form the sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 300F.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and seeds.
5. Add the date mixture and @terradelyssa olive oil to the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly until evenly coated.
6. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper. Spread out the granola evenly between the pans in a thin layer. Press and flatten with a spatula or your hands.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Keep an eye on it and rotate the pan every 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and break into smaller cluster pieces.
9. Place the granola clusters back into the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
10. Add the chopped dates while it is still hot.
11. Cool for 15 minutes. It will get crispier as it cools
12. Add coconut chips