My Favorite Homemade Granola

Admittedly, I have been holding off on posting this recipe for some time now, first wanting to legitimize my site and display my culinary chops before subjecting myself to the inevitable onslaught of snickers and comments that this post is likely to inspire. So, yes, the cliche of a granola recipe from a Seattle-based food blog is not lost on me.

And while since moving to Seattle, I have started recycling, composting, eating only local, organic, non-GMO produce, fallen in love with kale, become vegan, reduced my glycemic index by switching to agave, discarded toxin-riddled commercial peanut butter in favor of raw sunflower butter, purchased an almond milk bag, and gained “awareness” of my carbon footprint (while wearing high heeled designer shoes, does that still count?), I can still safely say that this granola recipe will transcend regional biases. It is just that good! One bite and you will be looking for that Patagonia fleece and the tie dye t-shirt you wore back in the 80s.

The reality is that granola is one of my most favorite foods. It’s amazing eaten as a parfait with yogurt and fresh fruit, in a bowl with milk (love it with homemade almond milk…made with my own almond milk bag, of course), or just straight from the jar on its own (my favorite). If you haven’t tried it on ice cream you are seriously missing out. Homemade granola is so easy to make and tastes so much better than store bought that you will never bring home a box of it again.

On a nutritional note, whole oats are an excellent source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber. They are the only source of antioxidant compounds known as “avenanthramides” which are believed to have properties that help protect the circulatory system from arteriosclerosis. Oats also contain beta-glucan, which help to control blood glucose levels and stimulate the immune system to fight off bacterial infections. Not to mention, they taste oh so good.

In this easy to make recipe a mixture of rolled oats, nuts, shredded coconut, brown sugar and maple syrup is spread onto a baking sheet and 75 minutes later mixed with your favorite dried fruit. The result is a tasty combination of sweet, savory, crunchy and chewy all in one bite. Delicious and dangerously addictive!

Yield: approx. 8 servings

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)
3/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I prefer coconut oil but canola also works just fine)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures.

Pour onto 2 sheet pans evenly.

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 raisins/dry fruit and mix until evenly distributed.

Let cool before serving.

The granola will keep a couple of weeks in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown