Happy Tuesday everyone! Let’s talk about granola. In the past few years, I’ve made many changes in our kitchen, making more and more things the homemade way rather than purchasing pre-packaged items. A favorite breakfast of mine is granola. I love it! I love it in the morning served cereal style. I love it over yogurt. I love it by the handful! Now to be honest my boys would much prefer Captain Crunch or Applejacks. And I’ll be honest again, I actually allow them a bowl of the sugary “goodness” once in awhile. I like to play the fun mom sometimes!
Over the last few years I’ve come across multiple recipes for granola and I’ve made quite a few of them. This recipe is my version of perfect. I took bits and pieces of different recipes I found and put together what I’m sure you’ll love. The wonderful thing about granola is that it’s completely versatile. Feel free to substitute whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruits you like or leave them out. I use coconut oil as my fat in this recipe because of its health benefits and sometimes I’ll add flax seed for the same reason. If you don’t have coconut oil, feel free to substitute vegetable or canola, And If you need a chocolate fix throw in dark or semisweet chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a non stick baking mat.
Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, coconut and nuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until slightly crispy and toasted, about 30 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the cranberries before storing in an airtight container.