Now, I know this does not look delicious. Let’s be honest, if I were to judge this book by it’s cover, I would declare it burnt and decidedly un-granola like. However, I’m going to ask you to trust me because it is so good! It tastes great on its own as a snack and even better as a topping for your favorite keto friendly yogurt or ice cream. I think I’m going to try making a savory version that will be something in between a bread and a cracker for spreading delicious soft cheese, like brie, on. But I digress…getting back to this recipe, I have been craving something crunchy and “nutty” that won’t kill me. I recently discovered sunflower butter (Trader Joe’s has an unsweetened version which is what I use) and that got me thinking about making a granola-ish snack with pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I have not yet been able to find sunflower seeds that are not processed on equipment that also processes tree nuts, so that was out. I did, however, find some pumpkin seeds that are clearly labeled safe for people with peanut and nut allergies.

I really love how this turned out and I hope you like it too. You can certainly add nuts if you’re not allergic and are after that chewy, but keto friendly style “granola”. I suppose you could also substitute any nut butter for the sunflower seed butter as well. The combination of the chia seeds with water and the sunflower butter are what give it its chewy texture. I hope you like it as much as I do. Please let me know what you think if you make it and let me know if you make any adaptations that come out good too. Oh! I should mention that I don’t like things super sweet, and if you do, you will probably want to add some additional sweetener like some liquid stevia drops or more monkfruit sweetener.

Macros based on 8 Servings*: Net Carbs = 1 g; Fat – 14.3 g; Protein = 4.6 g *I use My Fitness Pal Recipe app to calculate macros.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 3/4 c. boiling water
• 4 Tbl. melted, salted butter (organic, grass fed, if possible)
• 1 Tbl. sunflower butter
• 1/2 c. roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 Tbl. sesame seeds
• 1 Tbl. poppy seeds
• 1/4 c. whole psyllium husks
• 1/2 tsp. organic vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbl. monkfruit granulated sweetener (or granulated erythritol) Reserve 1 Tbl. to sprinkle on at the end after cooling.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium size bowl, pour boiling water over the chia seeds and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Pour in melted butter followed by all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Line a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper and spread the granola mixture to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.

• Bake for 15 minutes; remove from the oven, and using a spatula, flip the granola to brown more evenly on both sides. You don’t need to flip it all in one piece. Lift up from each corner when flipping it, creating approximately four pieces. Return to oven for an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and use the spatula to break up the granola into slightly smaller pieces while flipping it over. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

• Remove the pan from the oven and mix up the pieces once again. Sprinkle the reserved granulated sweetener over it and give it a toss. Turn the oven OFF and replace the pan back in the oven so that the granola continues to dry out slowly as the oven gradually cools.
• Allow granola to cool completely for several hours on the counter before storing in an airtight container.