Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

(I'm not sure why the font is so small all of a sudden... it is not a different size than any of my other posts :/. Blogger just likes to give me trouble, I suppose.)


Okay guys, this will be the last lavender recipe for a while, promise (though, if you love lavender as much as me that may not be such a good thing?)!

Let me just start off by stating the facts: this is the one of the best tasting and smelling granolas (with a serious emphasis on "smelling"- man my house smelled GREAT) in the whole wide world and if you think otherwise I'd have to say that you are positively crazy. With that said, you certainly have to like lavender and coconut to like this granola :).

Honestly though, it even beats my old favorite, Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola, by a landslide. I suppose I could be extremely biased considering two of my very favorite flavors are lavender and coconut, but even Mikey-- who is not a granola-person mind you-- found it to be addictively scrumptious (side note: Firefox tells me "addictively" is not a word, but I could have sworn it was and will continue to go on pretending that it is).

Coconut and lavender seem like a less than desirable match, but they work unexpectedly well together! (I imagine that a lavender-coconut quick bread would be quite amazing.) The Meyer lemon's flavor is extremely subtle in this granola, but noticeable enough to freshen things up a bit. I love the delicious nuttiness the hazelnuts add, and the crunchy buckwheat kernels bring in lots of texture. Basically, I adore every component of this granola.

If you don't try either of the other two lavender recipes I've posted recently, I implore you to try this one! Because as a granola-lover, this one is just perfect for me, and I hope that you will find it to be more than acceptable for you as well!

By the way: Recently I posted an "About Me" page (which can be found at the very top of each page) and I was curious to know if there were any other questions you would like answered on the page. Please post any suggestions in the comments, thanks!

Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup buckwheat
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut butter (you could use coconut oil instead, it just won't be as coconut-y)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp culinary lavender

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, buckwheat, coconut, hazelnuts, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt together the honey, coconut butter, and lavender over low heat for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Pour the hot mixture over the oats, etc. and stir to fully coat. Pour the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out into an even, thin layer.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the granola has reached your desired level of golden-brown (I like mine a little more on the extra-toasty side), stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before storing.