Easy Homemade Granola

 

I have been wanting to try my hand at making my own granola. I've seen it done quite a few times, but never attempted it myself until yesterday. I have no idea why I waited so long, because it is so incredibly simple!
   If you've never had granola it's a mixture of oats, nuts and anything else you feel like throwing in, tossed with a syrup and then baked/dried out until it's sweet, crunchy and delicious. I chose to make mine fruit-free this time, but any dried fruits can easily be mixed in at the end.  Some chocolate would be a welcome addition also . . . but I'm a chocoholic so I think it belongs in most things. :)
   If you are looking for an easy way to add some crunch to your morning or mid-day snack, this granola is it. You can sprinkle it on any sweet breakfast item: e.g. yogurt, fruit, pancakes, waffles, etc. (You can even cook it INTO your pancakes and waffles and it elevates them to a whole new level!) You can keep a bag of it on hand to snack on as is. Or you can even pour some in a bowl with a splash of milk and eat it like cereal. It's satisfying and pretty healthy (especially if you use coconut oil like I did).
   I adapted a recipe written by Alton Brown, because he is a culinary genius. I often turn to his recipes for inspiration. His granola recipe was good, but I think I made it better. :)

    OK. Enough talking, let me show you how easy it really is.
**Update April 2016. I have since adopted a healthier approach to my eating habits, and have eliminated all highly processed ingredients, and eat as organic as possible. As a result, I have tweaked this recipe a bit. If you're interested in my healthier take on this yummy granola, just see the adjusted recipe at the end of this post. :)

First, put the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar into a large bowl. I like to use the 3,2,1 ratio. 3 cups oats, 2 cups nuts and 1 cup coconut. I used what nuts I had on hand, so that was sliced almonds and pecans but really any nut that is your favorite would work great. Same goes for the coconut. If you don't like it (which I find hard to imagine) you can swap it out for any other dry mix-in of your choice. Bran cereal is a nice choice that adds extra nutrition too.  Stir it all together and set it aside.

Then, in another bowl or measuring cup (like I used) measure out the maple syrup (100% pure maple syrup only please), salt and oil. I used coconut oil and it's solid at room temperature, until heated.

So I measured out what I needed (1/4 cup) . . .

and then warmed it all up for about 30 seconds until the coconut oil was melted.

The oil will just sit on top of the maple syrup, though so you need to stir or whisk them together until thoroughly combined. (I just used the measuring spoon I had already dirtied while measuring the maple syrup.)

Then pour the mixture over the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.

Stir it VERY well, until every little piece is coated with the syrup.

Then pour mixture onto two cookie sheet - half on each please.

And spread it out into an even layer.

Bake on the top 1/3 of your oven @ 250F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. . .

stirring ever 15 minutes to ensure even browning.

When it's done it will be golden brown and crunchy. (It gets even more crunchy as it cools.) See the pieces that are clumped together, making nuggets of all the ingredients? Those are the best part! But it's all delicious.

Nothing left to do, but eat it! This is the way me and my kids had it for breakfast. . . But if it lasts much longer I have many plans for all this goodness.

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Alton Brown's Granola

Easy Homemade Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds (or any nut of your choice)
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (or any nut of your choice)
1 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or veg oil)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.
In another bowl or measuring cup, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add dried fruit (if using) and mix until evenly distributed. Store in an air-tight container.

Healthier Homemade Granola

3 organic old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup organic sliced almonds (or any nut of your choice)
1 cup organic pecans, roughly chopped (or any nut of your choice)
1 cup organic, unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup organic raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic pure maple syrup
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil, melted 
3/4 teaspoon ground Himalayan pink salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds and coconut.
In another bowl or measuring cup, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating the pans half way through. (You can stir it every 15 minutes if you want it broken up, or just leave it if you want clusters/chunks.)
Remove from oven and let cool. You can transfer it to a large bowl, and stir in 1 cup of organic dried fruit, but I never do. Store in an air-tight container.