Date-Sweetened Granola

This recipe is a way to make myself feel better about the amount of sugar I sometimes consume in the morning. I have a weakness for a bowl of fruit with a big scoop of whole milk greek yogurt, honey, and homemade granola (especially this maple pecan granola- it’s my favorite!) Yet, I started to realize that even by switching to using only honey/maple syrup, I’m still consuming a bit too much sugar.

Date-Sweetened Granola

So to make myself feel better, I subbed out the maple syrup for dates. Yes, it’s still sugar but I feel better knowing it’s pure mother nature’s sweetener. I started getting into dates when working with rhubarb recipes last spring- I needed something with extra sweetness but without all the extra sugar. Dates did the trick.

Date-Sweetened Granola

This granola is a simple riff on my favorite- coconut oil for the walnut oil and almonds for the pecans. This granola would also be great with some dried fruit chopped up and added at the end or a couple tablespoons of chia or flax seeds sprinkled in with the oats. Feel free to mix it up a bit!

Date-Sweetened Granola   Date-Sweetened Granola

(PS- Wooden Spoons Kitchen launched a site design for our client this morning (that happens to be one of the food bloggers I’ve always looked to for photography).  Her photos and recipes are always gorgeous and I was happy that Melissa and I could give her a site to showcase them! Be sure to check out Baked Bree’s new look!)

 
Ingredients
  • 4 medjool dates
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 cups oats
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300˚.
  2. Pit dates and combine with water in a small sauce pan. Cook until dates begin to break down and become soft. Once done, place in a food processor and pulse until it smooths out.
  3. Whisk together ¼ cup of date mixture and melted coconut oil. Combine with oats, almonds, salt and cinnamon. Stir until oats are coated.
  4. Pour out onto a covered baking tray and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so until oats are golden.

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  • http://twitter.com/thelittleloaf thelittleloaf

    This is such a lovely idea! I adore using dates to sweeten things like sticky toffee pudding so why not granola? Plus, as you say, it’s all natural sugar. Yum.

    • elalderson

      I’m really loving experimenting with dates (and sticky toffee pudding with dates sounds wonderful!)

  • http://www.twohealthyplates.com/ Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)

    This sounds so wonderful – I love the simple ingredients. I really like adding dates to my oatmeal and breakfast quinoa too =)

    • elalderson

      I agree! They break down so well in oatmeal!

  • http://twitter.com/wvanillasugar Warm Vanilla Sugar

    This looks so fabulous, and I love Bree’s new site!!

    • elalderson

      Thank you, Katrina! Getting excited about yours!

  • Moveeatcreate.wordpress.com

    This sounds fantastic! As a runner, I have learned that dates are a great source of natural sugary energy for me and I’ve been trying to incorporate them into my diet more often. I love this.

    • elalderson

      Awesome! I can imagine that it would be good for sugar energy!

  • http://twitter.com/cookingforseven Erica Lea

    This granola sounds amazing, Erin! Less guilt in eating granola sounds awesome to me. ;) Lovely site design for Baked Bree. :D

    • elalderson

      Thank you, Erica! I’m such a granola fiend so I agree about the less guilt!

  • http://twitter.com/BakeJenny Jenny

    these photos are gorgeous! and I love the sound of this recipe!

    • elalderson

      Thank you, Jenny!

  • Sonja / A Couple Cooks

    The Baked Bree site looks awesome — congrats to you both! (And the granola looks fab. If it’s anything as good as your maple granola, I’m sold!)

    • elalderson

      Thanks, friend! Maybe when I come to visit I’ll bring you a batch of this :)

  • Loretta E

    You did a fabulous job with Bree’s site!

    My hubby just made granola last night and it made me wonder why it’s been so long since I’ve made it…I know he’d love this version, so I’m pinning it for next time.

    • elalderson

      Thank you (and a husband that makes granola- hang on to him ;)

  • Kate

    Great idea! Will have to try this out – I love making my own granola and I LOVE dates, so I’d imagine swapping them in for maple syrup will be delicious!

  • http://twitter.com/pyfoods Melissa Vanni

    Love Bree’s new site and this granola looks wonderful!

    • elalderson

      Thank you, Mel!

  • Pingback: Date-Sweetened Coconut Granola « Eat with Chelsea

  • Chris

    This was my first time making granola, and the flavor is completely addicting. I love how it’s not ridiculously sweet like most granolas but still has an awesome flavor, probably because of the cinnamon. I added some raisins for a little extra sweetness, which went really well with the milder sweetness of the date paste. My only question is, what can I do to crisp the granola up a bit more next time? I used a little less than a quarter cup of coconut oil because that was all I had (in retrospect it would have been easy to have just added some more of another oil), and also my tray may have been a bit too small. Would a bigger tray and more oil have helped? Thanks, and either way this recipe is amazing. I enjoyed the chewier texture that I ended up with even if I would have preferred a little more crispness (it’s my own fault anyway).

    • elalderson

      Hi Chris!
      My guess would be that the oil and the pan may have played a small part, or it may not have baked long enough (oven temps aren’t always accurate so it may have been yours may be on the cool side?) Glad you liked the recipe though!

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