Maple & Cherry Granola

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:

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