Cast Iron Coconut Maple Granola

Cooking in cast iron is a great chemical-free alternative to nonstick pans. Cast iron also has the added benefit of leaching iron into your food, which is a good thing since iron deficiency is fairly common, especially in women.  I recently thought to myself, if I'm cooking so much in my cast iron skillets, why not toast my granola in them too? Now if you don't have cast iron pans, this granola can be made easily when divided between two rimmed sheet pans.

Cast Iron Coconut Maple Granola
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
7-8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts and almonds
3/4 cup shredded or ground raw coconut
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)
1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
1/3 cup virgin organic coconut oil (such as Tropical Traditions*)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2/3 cup pure maple syrup (or you may use 1 cup maple syrup and eliminate the orange juice)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

2. In a small pot, warm the coconut oil, orange juice, and maple syrup together, until the coconut oil melts.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, raw coconut, flax seed, and wheat germ. Pour the liquid over and stir with a spoon (or your hands) to coat the granola evenly in the mixture.

4. Divide between two cast iron skillets or two rimmed sheet pans.

5. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes for about an hour, or until the oats are toasted.

6. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

*Not all coconut oil is created equal! Learn more about the quality of Tropical Traditions by visiting their home page or watching this video.  While browsing their site, learn about all the healthy benefits that coconut oil can provide!

Other Granola recipes you may like:
Basic Cinnamon Granola
Dark Chocolate Granola with Peanut Butter
Nutty Pumpkin Granola
Tahini Granola

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.


Linked to: Amee's Savory Dish, Weekend Potluck, Katherine Martinelli