Healthy Homemade Granola - Made Simple

Kristen's All-Time Favorite Granola Recipe

Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make granola recipe that is sure to impress your family and friends? My mother-in-law was convinced it was Liz Taylor's recipe. While its origins may be shrouded in mystery, there is no denying that this granola recipe is a winner. Made with wholesome ingredients like rolled oats, nuts, and dried fruit, this recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a nutritious breakfast or snack. Plus, your house is going to smell amazing, and you’re sure to have everyone begging for a taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats (the kind you have to cook for five minutes) — it gives the granola a much better texture. If you are worried about glycophytes, check out the linked oats (they are glycophyte-free).
• 1 cup shredded coconut (you can skip this if you don’t have it)
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds (don’t skip on the sesame seeds as they are the perfect ratio of calcium to magnesium, plus they benefit your bone health) and a pinch or two of good Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey (local raw honey is my preference)
• 3 cups mixed nuts (my family likes the extra step of pan-toasting the nuts to deepen the flavor before starting the granola recipe)
• 2-3 cups of dried fruit (blueberries are my personal favorite with lots of almonds)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine the oats, coconut, sesame seeds, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a saucepan, warm the coconut oil and honey until bubbly.
4. Pour the honey and coconut mixture over the oat mixture and stir to coat. Add the nuts.
5. Spread the mixture in shallow cookie pans.
6. Bake, stirring frequently, for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then stir in dried fruit.
8. Store in an airtight container. When my kids were still at home, I would triple this recipe.

Flavor Combinations:

Cranberry + Orange: lots of flavor with orange zest, pecans, a little cinnamon, and dried cranberries. It’s a flavor combination that’s great for fall.

Apricot + Pistachio: using all pistachios and only apricots and subbing some of the coconut for olive oil gives the granola a grown-up kick.

Vanilla + Almond: This is a classic. Add some vanilla to the wet oat mixture, and use only almonds for the nuts.

Cinnamon + Walnut: sprinkle the wet oat mixture with cinnamon and use walnuts for the flavor profile in the nuts.

Almond Joy: add almonds for the nuts, and after it is cooled, throw on a handful of dark chocolate.

The sky is the limit on what you can combine. Just take notes, as sometimes the best flavor combos I have not been able to recreate after creating them.