Now, here is a recipe for the parties, the planes, the movie theater, or the workday. Let’s jump right into the directions and you can read more about this recipe below. 

How to Make It:

1. Start by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl (exclude oil, nut butter, and vanilla). 

2. Then, in your air fryer basket (remove hot plate), drop in the coconut oil, the nut butter, and vanilla. I have a “Reheat” button on my device, so I turn that on and pre-heat the air fryer while simultaneously melting these ingredients. “Reheat” at 350 degrees for 1 minute – I press pause every 15-20 seconds and stir a little bit. I’m careful not to burn the nut butter.

3. Once it’s melted, mix in the dry ingredients. Blend everything well so that the nuts are coated. Replace the basket and set to 10 minutes. 

4. Be careful! A burned batch of granola is devastating – nuts ain’t cheap! I checked my batch after 5 minutes, then after 3 minutes, then the final 2. 10 minutes was perfect in my air fryer, any longer and the batch would’ve been burned. 

5. Take a couple test bites as you go to see how soft the almonds are. This 10 minute batch was with whole almonds, rather than slivered. Store in an airtight container or jar.

Want to keep this recipe and my other treats for yourself? Grab a copy here!

Variations:

You can use slivered almonds instead. You can also play around with the nut mixture. Once you make a few batches, you’ll see that you can easily substitute or add other ingredients. I often throw in a handful of chia seeds, raw sunflower seeds (hulled), and/or hemp hearts without measuring exactly. 

Once you start adding or substituting, you’ll see how the liquid consistency can change. I’ve had runny and dry batches, I like them both – just something to keep in mind.

Also, the ingredient list includes Ground Flax – make sure you actually use ground flax. I bought seeds, thinking I was so great getting all this flax in my diet – but, you can digest the seeds and all the flax nutrients just run through your body. I’ve read online that ground flax can easily go rancid, so it’s been suggested that you buy seeds and ground it yourself. I haven’t done that yet, I probably should. Something to consider.

After baking, I’ve also mixed in chocolate chips for fun. I use Lily’s baking chips since they’re made with stevia (erythritol). 

Yum, Yum:

Now for the background. I have ulcerative colitis and small nut and food particles can be hard on the digestive tract, especially during a flare. This recipe might be better suited to you in remission, when you know those small ulcers have healed. Until you know who you respond to nuts, you’ll need to keep a journal of your side effects.

However, it’s full of great nutrients and healthy fats, and easier than other grain & dairy products. The plus side is that it’s also quickly filling! As long as you can handle the small particles like chia and nuts, this is a great guilt-free/don’t second-guess yourself type of snack. 

Final Note – The approach I take to my recipes are always with colitis/autoimmune disease in mind. It’s very difficult to find sugar free/grain free recipes, so I’m on the hunt to find and share them here!