Granola

Want to perk up breakfast time with an amazingly tasty and nutritious brain food? Well, I am not sure about being brain food, though I could use some. I do know this recipe for granola is delicious, less expensive than many store bought versions and it is easy to make at home. 

There are affiliate links in this post.

Granola is a great breakfast food consisting of a simple base of oats and nuts with a little oil, and sweetener. There are many variations on this easy, homemade snack. Baked in a slow oven until it is toasty and golden. 

Not just for breakfast

Besides adding a lightly sweet, crunchy protein to a bowl of yogurt, granola is a satisfying snack. It is nutritious, lightweight, high in calories for energy, easy to store and great to tuck into lunches or take along on hiking trips and outdoor activities. 

It is pretty incredible sprinkled on a scoop of ice cream too.  Not for breakfast, of course 😉

Have it your way

Homemade granola is easily adaptable to substitutions. Switch up the raisins for other dried fruit such as apricots, currents, cranberries, cherries or blueberries.

Be adventurous and toss in sunflower or pumpkin seeds, change the cashews and  almonds or other nuts. Leave out the coconut or try using honey for the maple syrup. Toss in chocolate chips or M&Ms when the granola is completely cool.

Add flavor with vanilla extract. Add it to the liquid ingredients. If you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon or other spices, go light to avoid it from becoming overpowering. 

Just be sure as you adapt the recipe with various ingredients, to keep the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients roughly the same to ensure the most reliable results.

Homemade Granola

Gather granola ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

Toss together.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt.

Stir together both mixtures until evenly combined.

Pour oat mixture onto 2 sheet pans.

Baking long and slow is key to making a lovely granola. Cook in a preheated 250 degrees F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. Rotate top and bottom pans after each stirring.

Carefully remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Granola

recipe source Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews (or nuts of choice)
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Recipe Notes

• Adding the dried fruit after baking keeps it soft. 
• The granola made without the addition of dried fruit will be slightly sticky during storage. A quick stir easily breaks it apart. 
• Because the recipe makes a big batch, I poured the granola into glass canning jars and stored the extra jars in the freezer.  

 
Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial


 

You might also like...

Breakfast Hot Cereals ~ Oatmeal and Farina

FREE gift for subscribers!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love my email. Subscribe to have updates delivered to your inbox (about every three weeks) and receive FREE gifts available exclusively for subscribers. Don’t miss new content with recipes and ideas to inspire & encourage you. We would love for you to join our community. Just click the subscribe button below.