coconut granola bark

What?? Another granola recipe Marin mama? Yep, I’m posting another granola recipe peeps, because I’m an oat crazed gal who loves something sweet and crunchy to nosh on in the afternoon, and this granola bark fits the bill! It’s crunchy, sweet, (but not too sweet) full of goodness and very addicting! I made this bark up the other day and it went very fast, so fast that I had to make another batch the next day so that I would have something to photograph. The kids and I couldn’t stop ourselves, we kept going back for seconds, thirds and so on…

Put this bark in a jar and just watch how quickly it goes. Look, I even caught of picture of Eli sneaking a piece as I was photographing it for the blog. Eli’s got his hands in the cookie jar…

This bark is totally fun to make as well! You’re basically making and baking one big granola bar that you get to break up into pieces after! How cool is that? It’s like a food art project!

This granola bark is pretty healthy for a granola bar. It has the goodness of oats, some flax-seed added in, (your kids won’t even notice it) almonds, coconut oil and unsweetened coconut.  It also of course has some sweeteners, like brown sugar and maple syrup. Come on, you gotta have the sweet in there!

I’ve been sending the kids off to school with this for snack, breaking it into smaller pieces and topping it on yogurt parfaits with fresh berries, and we’ve also been eating it for breakfast paired with some milk. It beats out the supermarket granola, cereals because it’s so fresh and super crunchy!

So make it, break it and pair it with whatever your cute little heart desires…

coconut granola bark:

recipe adapted from Best Lunchbox Ever
makes one giant granola bar

equipment needed: large rimmed baking sheet & parchment paper

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats, also called rolled oats – do not use quick or instant oats! – You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free oats
• 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds (not toasted or roasted) – I used sliced almonds
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or flax meal – I used coarsely ground flaxseed
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar – I used dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup virgin unrefined coconut oil, melted (see my note below about measuring out coconut oil) – You can also use olive oil, but the coconut oil really intensifies the coconut flavor. 
• 1 large egg white  – the egg white adds a crunch to the granola without adding calories
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: Coconut oil is not in liquid form like most oils, so to measure it out you will need a dry measuring cup. Just scoop out the coconut oil with a spoon and press it into a 1/4 dry measuring cup. Then scoop out the oil into a small bowl and microwave it till melted (about 2o-30 seconds).  To make sure that I have a 1/4 melted coconut oil, I pour the melted oil into a liquid measuring cup. If I have less than 1/4 cup, then I just melt a bit more and add it till I get 1/4 cup.  I know that sounds like a bit of a process, but it works and I’m a bit anal when it comes to exact measurements 😉

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper so that it drapes a couple of inches over the two long sides.

In a large bowl, add in the 3 cups oats, 1 cup almonds, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup flaxseed and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Mix the ingredients together.

Add to the oat mixture, 3 tablespoons water, 1/4 cup coconut oil, egg white and the 1 teaspoon vanilla, and stir until well combined. In a small saucepan, warm together the 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon water over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes (I did this for exactly 2 minutes every time). The sugar won’t completely dissolve, but it will reduce down and the mixture will get more liquidly. Using a spatula, scrape out the maple syrup mixture from the pan and pour it over the oats.Toss/stir until well combined. I actually got my hands in there and mixed it all together!

Transfer the granola mixture to the rimmed baking sheet. Using your hands press the granola firmly and evenly onto the baking sheet. You’re basically creating one giant granola bar here.

The mixture is sticky, so I would recommend using a piece of parchment paper to press the granola down.

Bake the granola for 15 minutes, then turn the pan around halfway, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 more minutes, or until the granola is golden brown in the center and darker brown along the edges (but not too dark where it looks burnt along the edges).  Total baking time ranges from 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Oven’s vary, so keep an eye on your granola after the 30 minute mark.

Mine took exactly 32 minutes to bake every time!Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool down on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Using your hands, break the granola bark into large pieces. The size of the bark is really up to you. I broke mine up into  pieces big enough for a couple of bites each, as well as into some smaller bite sized chunks for cereal!Feel free to break it up into bite sized chunks to top on some yogurt, or just pour some milk over these bad boys and have a big bowl of granola!  Oh yeah!
Store the granola bark into a sealed container for up to 1 week!  I love using these big old mason jars to store my granola in. They look great on the kitchen counter and make it easy for the kiddo’s to grab a chunk or two for snack!

My kids love this granola in a yogurt parfait.  I use vanilla bean and strawberry Greek yogurt, layer it with some fresh blueberries, strawberries and granola. It makes the perfect breakfast or snack!One of my reader’s Donna made this granola and posted this below picture to my Facebook page. She made this with coconut palm sugar instead of brown sugar and it turned out plenty sweet. She also used a cookie sheet 15.5 x 10.5 and baked as instructed, watching for darkening around the edges. It took her granola about 35 min total. The crunch was perfect and she may even add some raisins next time around.

Thanks for sharing Donna! I’m super happy you loved it 🙂

If any of you make this granola, take a photo, email it to me and let me know how it turned out for you! I also love hearing your adaptions, so please share those as well!If you love to snack on oats then try either of these two recipes.

No-bake dark chocolate and peanut butter granola bars. These bars are made with 6 simple healthy ingredients, oats, dark chocolate, medjool dates, unsweetened coconut, peanut butter and honey!  Peanut butter chocolate chip granola.  You can’t go wrong with this 6-ingredient granola.  I mean seriously, peanut butter and chocolate mixed together, come on, Yum!

5 from 1 reviews

coconut granola bark

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

32 mins

Total time

42 mins

 

This bark is crunchy, sweet, (but not too sweet) full of goodness and very addicting!

Author: Marin mama cooks

Recipe type: snack

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats, also called rolled oats – do not use quick or instant oats!
• 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds (not toasted or roasted) - I used sliced almonds
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed or flax meal - I used coarsely ground flaxseed
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar - I used dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• ¼ cup virgin unrefined coconut oil, melted (see my note below about measuring out coconut oil) – You can also use olive oil, but the coconut oil really intensifies the coconut flavor.
• 1 large egg white - the egg white adds a crunch to the granola without adding calories
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Note: Coconut oil is not in liquid form like most oils, so to measure it out you will need a dry measuring cup. Just scoop out the coconut oil with a spoon and press it into a ¼ dry measuring cup. Then scoop out the oil into a small bowl and microwave it till melted (about 20-30 seconds). To make sure that I have a ¼ melted coconut oil, I pour the melted oil into a liquid measuring cup. If I have less than ¼ cup, then I just melt a bit more and add it till I get ¼ cup. I know that sounds like a bit of a process, but it works and I'm a bit anal when it comes to exact measurements.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper so that it drapes a couple of inches over the two long sides.
4. In a large bowl mix together the 3 cups oats, 1 cup almonds, 1 cup shredded coconut, ¼ cup flaxseed and the ¼ teaspoon salt.
5. Add to the oat mixture, 3 tablespoons water, ¼ cup coconut oil, egg white and the 1 teaspoon vanilla, and stir until well combined.
6. In a small saucepan, warm together the ¼ cup maple syrup, ½ cup brown sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon water over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes (I did this for exactly 2 minutes every time). The sugar won't completely dissolve, but it will reduce down and the mixture will get more liquidly.
7. Using a spatula, scrape out the maple syrup mixture from the pan and pour it over the oats.
8. Toss/stir until well combined. I actually got my hands in there and mixed it all together!
9. Transfer the granola mixture to the rimmed baking sheet. Using your hands press the granola firmly and evenly onto the baking sheet. You're basically creating one giant granola bar here. The mixture is sticky, so I would recommend using a piece of parchment paper to press the granola down.
10. Bake the granola for 15 minutes, then turn the pan around halfway, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 more minutes, or until the granola is golden brown in the center and darker brown along the edges (but not too dark where it looks burnt along the edges). Total baking time ranges from 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Oven’s vary, so keep an eye on your granola after the 30 minute mark. Mine took exactly 32 minutes to bake every time!
11. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool down on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
12. Using your hands, break the granola bark into large pieces. The size of the bark is really up to you. I broke mine up into pieces big enough for a couple of bites each, as well as into some smaller bite sized chunks for cereal!
13. Feel free to break it up into bite sized chunks to top on some yogurt, or just pour some milk over these bad boys and have a big bowl of granola! Oh yeah!

3.5.3208