Something about getting back home to my kiddos after 6 days away from them made me wanna get in the kitchen.
This is always a good thing.
I mean, if they were little and I could spend all their waking hours with them to show how much I missed them, I would. But hey, somebody has to go to school! For 10 hours a day! That means somebody else has to stay home and make yummy food to let the other somebodies know how much she missed them and she never never never wants to be away from them again.
Enter homemade granola.
I could have whipped up some brownies, but that would be obvious and I still like to surprise my crew. I’ll save the brownies for tomorrow…
This granola is fast and easy to make, using simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry already. It uses about half of the oil called for in most traditional granola recipes- I use extra-virgin coconut oil for the flavour and nutritional profile. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, use rapeseed or walnut oil.
For the sweetener, I used a combination of honey & maple syrup- honey for the stickiness factor and maple syrup for the flavour. (If you want it to be vegan, just sub more maple syrup or agave for the honey.) Again, I found I could reduce the amount of sweetener called for in traditional recipes by about half. Now, one downside of reducing the sugar & fat in granola is that it will not “clump” when it cools. So if you’re a “clump-lover,” then you’re gonna have to increase the oil & sweetener in this recipe. And I’ll pretend not to notice. But if you like a crunchy, light & super-tasty granola that you don’t have to limit yourself to a quarter-cup serving on, this is the one for you.
Just mix up the oats, nuts, seeds, & coconut… and pour over your warm syrup that you’ve made from the oil, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla…
… and spread it on a rimmed baking pan lined with parchment. Bake it for about half an hour, stirring it up every 10 minutes or so to brown it evenly.
When it’s done, stir in the dried cranberries. Voila! It’s ready to go.
It’s delicious topped with milk, almond or soy milk, as a topping for yogurt or ice cream, or as a snack on its own. It’s kind of addictive, actually.
It will keep for about 2 weeks in an airtight container in your pantry… but I’ve never known it to last that long!
If you make this recipe, please post a picture to Instagram- tag me @thexpatdietitian… you will make my day!! Happy granola-making!
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw pecans
- 3 cups rolled oats
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 T. chia seeds
- ¼ cup dried flaked coconut
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup dried cranberries
For the syrup:
- 2 T. water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey (sub maple syrup or agave for vegan)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 140C (300F.) Cover a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop the nuts. Place nuts, oats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, coconut, & cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- To make the syrup, combine all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until warm.
- Pour the syrup over the oat mixture and stir until all the oats & nuts are coated. Spread onto the prepared baking tray, making a thin layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning 2-3 times to brown evenly. Granola is done when it is a dark golden color.
- Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Granola will keep for about 2 weeks. Makes about 6 cups or 12 servings.