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Loaded Granola with Cranberries, Nuts and Seeds

  • Author: Stacey McNeill

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.