Oil-Free Apple Pie Granola
Apple Pie becomes an easy, healthy oil-free granola! This tastes and smells just like apple pie, but much quicker and easier to make. Full of wholesome ingredients and free of oil and gluten, this makes a hearty and healthy, but incredibly delicious granola. It is great on it's own but would also be delicious as cereal with some almond milk!
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup (120g) chopped honey crisp apple, into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups (200g) oats
- 1/2 cup (60g) pecans, chopped (You can sub sunflower kernels or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy almond butter (You can sub sunbutter for a nut-free version)
- 2 tablespoons (40g) unsulphured regular molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1/2 tablespoon (7g) vanilla (optional)
Note
- This granola has the perfect amount of sweetness to it that will remind you of apple pie. Please note that if you change any of the liquid ingredients, it can really affect the resulting texture and crunch. The combo of the syrup/molasses/almond butter gives the granola a nice crisp and clump effect.
Instructions
- First, peel and chop up your apple and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C) degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the oats, pecans (use sunflower seeds for nut-free), cinnamon and salt (allspice if using) to a large bowl and whisk until well combined, making sure the cinnamon coats all the oats well. Add the chopped apple and stir to coat the apple pieces really well.
- In a separate small bowl, add syrup, almond butter (or sunbutter), molasses and vanilla and stir until completely smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until all the oats and ingredients are well coated and wet. Make sure to get all the dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the mixture over the lined pan and spread out evenly, about an 1/2 inch high. Bake for 15 minutes on the center rack. Remove and stir the granola around really well, making sure to get underneath so it cooks evenly. Add back to the oven and bake 15 more minutes, watching closely the last couple of minutes to make sure the edges don't burn.
- Let cool 15 minutes before eating, as it will crisp up as it cools. Store in a sealed container or ziplock bag. Note: Because this has apples in it, it will make the granola soften some by the next day (if you have any left!) so I just simply added it back to the oven for just another minute or so to rewarm and make crispy again. This is totally optional, but I liked the feeling of eating the warm "apple pie" straight from the oven.