Simply Sugarless: Honey Pecan Granola

Welcome to Simply Sugarless, our monthly sugar-free recipe column written by Starr Struck's own Sara Meeks. Once per month, Sara picks a "regular" recipe and adapts it into a sugar-free version of that same recipe using only natural sweeteners (fruit, sweet veggies, etc.). A perfect option for those trying to eat less added sugar on a daily basis.

​Take it away, Sara...

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I'm going to be honest with you, I was hesitant to take on granola for this month's recipe. I've realized over the years that I like sweet granola; if it's too nutty or doesn't have berries or tons of sugar, it's not going to get eaten.

But, here we are and I'm beyond excited to unveil an inexpensive + easy + sweet granola recipe that will rival any store bought brand out there. Seriously. 

I must have scoped out over ten recipes before landing on this one because I didn't want to invest a ton of money in a recipe that I was *fairly convinced* would end up a bit lackluster. But this one has shockingly "normal" ingredients. The only thing I had to buy (because I already had the coconut oil on hand from this favorite recipe) was pecans, and you can get a tiny bag in the baking section for under $2. I would consider making a couple of tweaks next time I make this (and there will be a next time!), so I've included those in an extra "notes" section below. 

Oh, and one last thing: when I let my boys sample the granola, my soon-to-be five year old exclaimed, "This is the best granola I've ever ate-en. And I'm not just saying that to be nice." See? You don't even have to take my word for it.

HONEY PECAN GRANOLA
Hands-on time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25-30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 cups

Ingredients: 
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup chopped pecans 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Mix oats, flour, shredded coconut, pecans, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
• Stir in honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
• Spread oat mixture on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Stir gently. Continue baking, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Let cool until crispy, about 15 minutes. 
• Store in airtight container.

A Couple of Notes:

• I left my granola in the oven for an extra few minutes (past 25 minutes) because mine didn’t brown very much. Maybe it was the whole wheat flour, but it still turned out crunchy and delicious even though it stayed light in color.
• Now that I’ve made this, I would consider mixing some freeze dried strawberries in at the end. I love a little fruit in my granola.
• I would also increase the amount of pecans to a half a cup. I don’t really even like pecans all that much, but I think a few extra would only be a good thing.

{Created by modifying this recipe.}

Oh boy, as a TOTAL granola-lover I'm super excited about this recipe! And while I'm no expert (ha!), I bet you could throw in any other ingredients that you like in your granola, like raisins, craisins, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc. Fun fun!

View more Simply Sugarless recipes and/or learn more about the column + Sara here.  You can also follow Sara + her fam on her fun photo-a-day blog, Small City | Big Days. ​

Thanks for sharing, Sara!