Brown Butter Cinnamon Granola
THE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This is a variation on my OG Nut & Seed granola - I make some version of this every single week! I devour it in one of the following ways:
On top of yogurt with berries and raw honey (fave brands: Straus Greek, Wallaby Plain, Alexandre Family Farm A2 Yogurt, Cocojune Vanilla Unsweetened)
In a small cup with milk (and sometimes chocolate chips!) as an afternoon or evening snack
On top of smoothies for a little crunch
By the handful - sometimes to just get a few cals in my system before I workout!
This also makes an amazing hostess gift, or a “just because” gift for a friend.
Why should you make your own granola? Store bought granolas often have added sugars, seed oils, or are sneaky blood sugar spikers because they have brown rice or oats, leading to a high carb count. My granola is mostly nuts and seeds so it’s packed with micronutrients and it’s blood sugar friendly. It’s also so much more cost effective to buy nuts in bulk at Costco and make granola at home vs. buying a bag (often in plastic) every week!
Yields: 1/4 cup, total servings about 24 (but it only lasts about a week in our house…)
Total time: 45 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: ~30-35 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
Sheet pan (stainless steel or non-toxic non-stick)
Large mixing bowl
INGREDIENTS
5 cups of nuts and seeds of choice
For this recipe I like pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts but use any nuts or seeds you like and have on hand!
Optional: Swap out 1 cup of nuts for 1 cup of sprouted oats. When I’ve tested this on my CGM I’ve found I can maintain blood sugar balance with just a minimal amount of oats.
1 cup raw, unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flax seeds or hemp hearts
4 tbsp grass fed butter
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
HOW TO DO IT
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Combine nuts, coconut flakes, and seeds into a large bowl.
Brown the butter: Start by melting 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a light-colored pan (I like using my silver all-clads for this) over medium heat to monitor the color changes easily. As it melts, stir occasionally and watch for the butter to foam and then turn golden brown, releasing a nutty aroma. Remove it from heat immediately to avoid burning the butter and and pour into the granola.
Add in the 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1 egg white, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well.
Spread mixture evenly on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 300 (low and slow!) for 30-40 minutes. At 15 minutes, stir your granola to help it brown. Check in on your granola at about 30 minutes. It should be a light brown and lightly toasted.
Let it cool before putting into a glass container for storage.
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Oats: If you’ve found you can tolerate some oats without a blood sugar spike, swap out one cup of the nuts for 1 cup of oats! I often do this as I’ve found when I pair a few sprouted rolled oats with nuts (read: with protein and healthy fats), I can keep my blood sugar stable.
Sprouted oats are whole grain seeds that have started to germinate, but are harvested earlier than regular oats. The sprouting process activates nutrients in the oats so they are higher in magnesium, protein and free amino acids. (PMID: 32932082)
Don’t overcrowd your baking sheet: Spread the granola in an even, thin layer on the baking sheet to ensure it bakes uniformly and crisps up properly. If it’s too crowded it won’t get crispy!
Nutritional Info
Per serving, 1/4 cup, total servings about 24
Calories: 220
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: 4g
Net carbs: 6g
Protein: 6g
Fat: 18g
Sodium: 124mg
Sugar: 3g
