The kids love to help me make this. I get everything prepared and chopped for them then they like to add it all together to mix and spread it. They eat it for breakfast with fruit and yoghurt or as an afternoon snack on vanilla ice cream.
To get the kids interested in tasting it the first time you may want to let them drizzle some melted dark chocolate over it, or sprinkle the granola over vanilla yoghurt or ice cream. Once they realise they like the crunchy stuff, you won’t be able to keep up with demand! – Anita xx
Ingredients
1 cup medjool dates, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water
Date soaking water (if needed)
½ cup hulled tahini or 50/50 with peanut butter
3 cups traditional rolled oats
1 cup mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecan), very roughly chopped
½ cup organic dried apricots, chopped
½ cup organic raisins or dried cranberries
½ cup sunflower seeds (or mix of sunflower and pepitas)
¼ cup shredded organic coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
a small pinch of cardamom (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Mix the dates and tahini (or tahini and peanut butter mix) in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add some of the date soaking water if needed to help get a smooth paste.
3. Ask the kids to add all the dry ingredients into a very large bowl and toss. The different textures are fun to feel and play with.
4. The kids can get their fingers sticky by mixing in the tahini date paste until all the dry ingredients are coated.
5. Spread the granola evenly on parchment paper. You might need to use two baking trays to spread the mixture just thinly enough to dry out but not too thin that it crumbles.
6. Everyone can help to press it flat with their hands or the back of a large spoon to make it denser.
7. Bake the granola for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and deliciously nutty cinnamon smelling. If it feels very moist after 30 minutes of baking, turn the oven down to 110°C and then bake for a further 15 minutes. It will harden more when it cools down on the bench.
8. Let cool completely, and break apart to desired chunk sizes. Keep in an airtight container.
Based on Jenny Mustard’s ‘Super healthy whole foods granola’ recipe.
