I just started making granola on a weekly basis to cut out boxed cereal. I love it over yogurt as a snack in the afternoon, or we just eat it straight and dry. Its delicious!
It takes about 30 minutes of baking time, but is hardly any work. The batch lasts about a week with two of us eating on it every day. Its a blank slate, and completely customizable. Add any kind of dried fruit and nuts you want, and you will have new granola every week!
Homemade Natural Granola
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed so that it is liquid (yes, you could use canola, but I just started using coconut oil for all of my cooking that doesn't involve olive oil)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar*
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raisins
any other kind of nuts and fruit you want
I have also seen recipes with wheat germ, so I might start adding 1/4 cup or so.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola.
Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the nuts/seeds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely before sprinkling the dried fruit over the granola. Store in an air-tight container.
The granola will not be crispy straight out of the oven, but should have a dark "cooked" color to it. If you think it could afford to cook a few more minutes to get a little darker, go right ahead. It will crisp up when it cools.
*The recipe originally calls for 1/2 c brown sugar, and I used a little less honey than the original recipe suggests. If you want yours sweeter or if you want it to "stick" together better and make bigger clumps, you might need to add more honey.
I got this recipe from The Amateur Gourmet, who got it from a cookbook. I think this recipe has been around the block!
Nutrition: Lots of Protein and Fiber, Complex Carbs, Omega-3, Omega-6, Vitamin E, Folate, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Manganese, and Zinc
I use wheat germ and oat bran in mine. This past time, I also threw some flax seeds in as well. One reason I add all the extras is for omega's. I read, and had this confirmed with my ear surgeon, that people with otosclerosis and tinnitus need to keep their bodies "well oiled." I feel like the tin man sometimes. When I start slacking off with the omega's I start to "creak" or in my case, "beeeeeeeep!"
ReplyDeleteAny way...love homemade granola! It's almost the perfect food (like pizza) because you can make it however you want. Little E loves it too, and I can't complain about that.
I may have to make this so I can have a snack in the afternoon! Yum. I love how customizable it is. And, since we have that great store down the road with loads of dried things, this sounds perfect!
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