Double Sunflower Seed Granola [Nut Free!]

The great thing about sunflower seed butter in granola is that it mostly imparts a rich, nutty, salty taste—which granola typically already has! It ends up just tasting like an ~enhanced~ granola. 

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups rolled oats (or a mixture of rolled and quick, which I did)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup creamy sunflower seed butter, aka sunbutter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, mix sunbutter, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon until it’s combined and creamy.
3. Pour over oats and stir to combine. According to Minimalist Baker, “If it appears too wet, add more oats.”
4. Stir in sunflower seeds. If you’d like, you can also stir in 1/4 cup of some dried fruit. I didn’t.
5. Spread evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, toss granola once, and resume baking for another 5-10 minutes, or until it’s turning golden brown.
6. Remove from oven, toss again, and let cool completely on the pan. (It will not be crunchy yet; I promise it gets crunchy once it cools!)
7. Store in a sealable container for up to two weeks. According to Minimalist Baker, you can also freeze it.

Just an FYI:

“Wow.” “Wait, you made this yourself?” “I’ve never had granola that tasted this good.”

These were a few of the comments I received after sharing this new granola recipe with my boyfriend and his roommates. To be fair, it seemed this was their first experience with any homemade granola, so of course they would find it mind-blowingly good (I remember my first experience with homemade granola. Mmmmm).

I’ve made peanut butter granola before, but I’ve never made it with sunbutter. Indeed, I have rarely made anything with sunbutter!

Guess how many nut butters I have in my cupboard and fridge. Guess. Got a number in your head?

Nine. I have nine different jars of nut butters at this moment, and that’s not including the handful of Justin’s packets I’ve acquired thanks to my special skill of seeking out free samples. Different nuts, different flavors, different textures. Despite this constant variety, I never used to stock sunflower seed butter regularly. Don’t get me wrong—I like it. I just don’t think it goes on Cardamom Fudge Oatmeal quite as well as almond butter and coconut-peanut butter. (Yes, that is what I eat every goddamn day most days. Try it if you haven’t yet!)

But since I bought a jar for the Oh She Glows recipe I made last month, I finally had some sunbutter to experiment with. I’m not sure what made me think of granola, but once the idea came to me, I couldn’t stop myself. Especially because my boyfriend (who ends up receiving all the granola I make) is very fussy about granola. No dried fruit. Very limited nuts and seed options. No weird flavors. Just the basics. That does not bode well for this recipe creator. 🙂 But alas, I do my best.