Homemade Granola

When my school has inservice days, we do a breakfast potluck. I usually bring fruit, but I knew others would bring fruit, and I wanted to do something different for a change. I’m dairy free because I’m nursing Eleanor who has a milk protein allergy, so that really narrowed things down. I also wanted something quick and easy that I could make ahead of time and just bring in on the day of the meeting. So I thought I’d make some homemade granola and bring a big vat of yogurt for others to mix it with. I remembered seeing Alton Brown’s recipe somewhere on the internet, and he’s so solid I figured it must be good. I decided to do a quick search and see what I came up with, and I found his recipe that got five star reviews. Any recipe that gets that great of reviews (from over 400 reviewers, not just a few!) has to be good, so I stopped my search there and decided to give it a try.

I highly recommend this granola! I absolutely love it! It has such a great toasty, nutty flavor, just the right mix of sweet and salty, crunchy, and just oh-so-delicious. It’s perfect for adding to yogurt (the only way I will eat yogurt) because it stays separated and does not clump up. It’s versatile, as you can add different nuts, dried fruits, spices, etc. Oh, and it’s really easy! I think I timed myself that it took 8 minutes to mix up and get in the oven. Not too bad.

Based on the reviews I read, I did alter Alton’s recipe just a tad. I reduced the amount of brown sugar and maple syrup because reviewers were saying it was too sweet. I also switched the vegetable oil out for coconut oil and the raisins for dried cranberries. In addition, I added cinnamon the second time I made it, and wow, it really adds great flavor! Now I always make it that way! I use different nuts depending on what I have and what sounds good. I always just make sure it adds up to two cups. I’m going to write the recipe below with my changes, but feel free to personalize it!

Homemade Granola

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 cup cashews, chopped
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a smaller bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, salt, and cinnamon.

Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans in an even layer. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Transfer to an air tight storage container. (I keep mine in a zip top bag.)  Add dried cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.

This will stay fresh in your pantry for a couple of weeks if stored in an air tight container.

Enjoy!