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Peanut Butter Maca Granola | Vegan and Gluten-Free
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5 from 3 votes

Peanut Butter Maca Granola Clusters (vegan, gf)

Crisp, peanut buttery granola clusters baked to golden perfection. A generous sprinkling of maca powder lends an energizing, mood-balancing boost to these granola clusters. They make the perfect grab-n-go snack but can also be paired with ice cold almond milk or a scoop of vanilla coconut yogurt.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Granola, Snack
Servings: 12 ⅓-cup servings

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ⅓ cups rolled oats, divided
  • ½ cup raw peanuts
  • ¾ cup raw buckwheat groats
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons maca powder

Wet Ingredients

  • cup natural creamy unsalted peanut butter
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 275F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.Add ⅓ cup of the rolled oats and the peanuts to a food processor and process for 1 minute or until the texture resembles a meal or coarse flour. This meal is the key to creating clusters as it binds everything together. Transfer the peanut-oat meal to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining 2 cups of rolled oats, buckwheat groats, coconut sugar, and maca powder.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth and glossy. Pour over the dry ingredients and get stirring. At first it will seem like there isn't enough to coat the granola, but I promise there is plenty! It just requires a bit of muscle and a few minutes of stirring, so be patient with it. Once every bit of the granola is evenly-coated, turn it out onto the lined baking tray and use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it out into a ¾-inch-thick layer across the pan.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake another 22 to 26 minutes. The granola is ready* when it's wafting a toasted scent, the top is a very light golden-brown, and it feels firm but not yet crisp to the touch. Once the granola is ready, remove the pan from the oven and place it on an oven-safe cooling rack. Placing the pan on a cooling rack allows air to circulate beneath and around it to efficiently cool and crisp the granola.
  • Allow the granola to cool completely on the pan until it's not even the slightest bit warm to the touch. If you start moving it around or try to break it into clusters while it's still warm, it will crumble into regular granola. I recommend a minimum 45 minutes of cool time at room temperature, but try to hold out for 1 hour if you can. Once the granola is completely cool, break it into pieces of desired size and store in large airtight glass jars to maintain its crunch.
  • Enjoy the clusters on their own or serve them over coconut yogurt with fresh berries or with a generous splash of cold almond milk. Perfection!

Notes

*Note: Granola is tricky because it doesn't become crisp and crunchy until it's had a chance to cool, so rely on look and scent more than touch or you'll end up with burnt granola clusters.