Carrot Cake Granola

This weekend will be all about filling the freezer and fridge with meals for the week. I have a chicken cooking in the slow cooker right now so that I can make chicken broth this afternoon (store-bought broths are definitely NOT #kimfriendly) and I made a batch of granola to get me through breakfasts this week.

When I lived in the Twin Cities, I also had a part-time job working at a gluten-free bakery that is no longer open (RIP Cooqi). I would go in once a week at night and/or on Sunday afternoons to make the cookie dough batter for the week, cake batter if needed and all of the biscotti and granola. I got really good at granola and I had a craving for it this week. Also, it's carrot cake. The greatest of all cakes.

I make a really good carrot cake for Easter (that is not what it looks like) and this recipe sounded super good and super easy. And it was. Original recipe is from Gimme Some Oven and I didn't have to make any alterations. I keep a giant thing of coconut oil because I use it for cooking and for sugar scrubs.

Carrot Cake Granola

Ingredients:
2 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats (I had quick-cooking oats, they're just a bit smaller)
1 cup grated or shredded carrots (I have a food processor, but just used my box grater for faster clean up)
1 cup pecans
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the oats, carrots, pecans, walnuts, and coconut in a large bowl.

Dry ingredients are mixed. Excuse the mess...working kitchen.

3. Mix the maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together in a small bowl and then pour over the oats mix and stir. I use my hands to make sure that everything gets coated.*

Wet ingredients and spices

 4. Spread the mixture out evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, pulling the mixture out halfway through and mixing it with a spatula. I find that using a solid metal spatula works best, and just drag the granola away from the sides, and then stir and re-spread for uniform baking.

This is halfway through baking. If you like your granola crispy,
bake it longer than 30 minutes

5. Remove and let cool until the granola reaches room temperature. Then add raisins and toss to combine.

6. Enjoy over yogurt if you can have it, with milk (I pour a bit of coconut milk [boxed NOT canned] over mine), or if you can find it and can eat it, I bet it would be amazing as a topping for cinnamon ice cream.**

It's close to Easter, so you have to eat it with pastel Fiesta.

*Trick I learned from the bakery. I'd have oats up to my elbows every time. Don't worry-we used gloves. Safety first.
**I've only ever seen cinnamon ice cream during the holidays-and it might just be an Iowa thing.

Your whole house (or at least your kitchen) will smell like carrot cake when this is cooking. Enjoy and Happy Spring! We're grey and cold here in Central Iowa, but hopefully it's warmer where you are.