Loaded Granola

by | Jan 17, 2020 | Baking, Breakfast, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Loaded Granola
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Oats are good for you, right? High in fiber, gluten-free, a good source of plant-based protein and all that. So a good homemade granola must be a better breakfast than, say, a piece of toast (which I often resort to). So after a long haul of trying to do the low-carb thing, I actually forgot how much I love granola. And what’s not to love (well, if you’re not into the Keto thing, that is)? After seeing a bit of a resurgence of new granola’s popping up in the supermarket, and trying some that were actually pretty horrible–too sweet, too hard to chew, pretty tasteless, too much like what I imagine it would be like to eat toasted cardboard–I decided it couldn’t be too difficult to make it at home. I truly don’t know why I didn’t discover this sooner.  No, it’s not difficult at all–it’s amazingly easy! And fun to mix up our own combinations with exactly what we like.

When my family gave my first try at granola making positive reviews, I figured it would be a good gift for Christmas–a bit healthier than my normal Christmas cookies, right? So I packaged it in mason jars with simple labels from the handy-dandy Avery label line.

The “Christmas Granola” was a hit! My personal trainer said it was one of the best gifts she received! And since my sister and others asked for the recipe, I’m posting it here, but I’m still experimenting with other methods and add-ins, and expect to amass a number of variations soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Loaded Granola with Cranberries, Nuts and Seeds

  • Author: Stacey McNeill
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Description

A super simple and quick recipe for homemade granola that can be customized to include your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. This keeps for a good 2 weeks in an airtight container, so it makes a good gift. For longer storage, it also freezes well, probably for at least a couple months (although ours has never lasted that long, so I can’t say for sure).

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used organic, old-fashioned oats for this recipe)
  • 3/4 cups pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons flax seed meal
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons honey (can be omitted for a vegan version)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used dried cranberries for my Christmas granola)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line a large, rimmed  baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flax meal, nuts and seeds.
  4. In a small sauce pan, melt the coconut oil and add the maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until well combined.
  5. Pour wet ingredients over the oat mixture and toss, stirring until all oats and nuts are completely coated with the oil and syrup mixture.
  6. Pour granola onto the prepared pan and use a spatula to press it into an even layer.
  7. Bake for about 14 minutes, then stir and press down firmly again. Continue baking for another 10-14 minutes until lightly toasted.
  8. Place the baking pan on a cooling rack and let sit, undisturbed, until completely cool, at least an hour.
  9. Add the dried fruit and break up the granola by gently lifting the parchment and placing it in an airtight container.