Yaaay, granola! This is more of a how-to post than a recipe. Granola is surprisingly easy and totally customizable!
Plus, store-bought granola can be deceptively unhealthy – full of fat from oils and loads of sugar. Mine is deceptively healthy – all the fat from this is from nuts, chia seeds, and coconut. And the only sugar is natural – maple syrup and dried cherries! Which is awesome because I like gigantic servings of granola.
So here’s the general how-to: start with a pretty good amount of oats – you want those to be the backbone of any granola. Then add your favorite nuts seeds, extracts, spices – anything you like! Add enough of a natural liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup are all good options) to very lightly coat your granola. Anything more than a light coating is just adding unnecessary sugar. This is a great use-up for random stuff in your pantry – at the last minute I threw in leftover walnuts from a recipe and wheat germ that I never seem to use.
Here’s what I made:
serves 6-8 (6 for generous servings)
1 1/2 C rolled oats
1/3 C wheat germ
1/3 C shredded coconut
1/4 C sliced raw almonds
1/4 C chopped walnuts
2 T chia seeds
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t maple extract
1/2 C unsweetened dried cherries
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except cherries in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake for about 45 minutes or until dark golden brown, stirring two or three times while it’s baking.
Nutrition facts per serving (based on this making 6 servings): Calories: 305; Calories from Fat: 91; Total Fat: 10.1g; Saturated Fat: 2.0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 5mg; Total Carbohydrates: 47.3g; Dietary Fiber: 6.8g; Sugars: 22.4g; Protein: 8.3g
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