Cinnamon Buckwheat Granola

As the warmer season is well on the horizon, I think it is time to begin changing up our plates so that they also fit the sunny setting. This is why a good granola recipe is needed in everyone’s cookbooks – it is a fast, convenient and tasty breakfast that takes minutes to make, and even less time to assemble in your breakfast bowl. It is perfect as a crunchy topping for porridge and smoothie bowls, with coconut yogurt and fruit or, enjoyed straight from the jar (which I confess doing).

Most people tend to reach for the lighter and cooler breakfasts in the warmer seasons, and the hearty and comforting types in the colder seasons but, shop brought granolas are often packed full of unnecessary additives with sugar standing proud in 2nd place on the ingredients list for most brands. Not a wise choice. You may be asking yourself: well, what will I eat? And the answer is simple, homemade granola!

Meal-prep, home cooking, and baking are not difficult, scary or hard, as many people think them to be, and rather they are fun, money-saving and personal to the individual. Making granola from scratch really doesn’t take a scientist, and allows you to not only be creative with flavour choices but gives you control over the sugar that is going in!

This recipe makes a good sized jar of nutty and crunchy goodness, that is paired with beautiful cinnamon and vanilla for flavour, and banana and maple syrup for sweetness… with no added sugar! It is the perfect batch recipe for the upcoming week and a way of using up those spotty bananas if you are on banana bread overload.

The base is so simple: oats and buckwheat groats, what you add after that is your choice, so feel free to experiment with the flavours. I always add my favourite nuts and seeds for extra texture, and whatever dried fruit I have on hand: try adding cashews and choc chips; walnuts and raisins; or almonds and cranberries. It really is up to you where you take this recipe!

Ingredients

150g of oats

100g buckwheat groats

50g mixed seeds

50g chopped almonds

3 mashed bananas

6 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Pinch of sea salt

4 tablespoons coconut flakes

A handful of chopped dried figs

A handful of dried mulberries

Method

Preheat the oven o 180℃.

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, buckwheat, chopped almonds and seeds and mix well.

Next, mash the bananas in a bowl and mix in the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt. Combine with the oat mix making sure the everything is evenly distributed.

Line a large, flat baking tray with parchment paper and press the granola mix into an even thin layer and bake for 13 minutes.

After this time, remove from the oven, let it cool and break it up into smaller clusters. Replace back in the oven for a further 12 minutes.

Next, scatter over the coconut curls and bake again for 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the coconut.

Finally, after the granola has cooled, fold through the dried mulberries and figs, transfer to a jar and store up to 4 weeks in an airtight container.