I think Mother Nature was reading my blog post yesterday and decided to play a trick on me.
I woke up to a fresh blanket of snow this morning. It is gorgeous out there right now! No more grass for this town.
Eric has been asking me to make homemade granola for a few weeks now, and I finally got around to it. I always forget how much I love making granola.
The smell of the fresh granola coming out of the oven is intoxicating, as I sneak bites knowing full well that I am going to burn my tongue, but it tastes too good to wait for it to cool.
And that first bowl of granola with almond milk poured over top…well nothing beats it.
I’ve made Power House Glonola before, but I wanted to improve upon the recipe and see what I could come up with. I doubt I will ever make the same recipe twice!
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My Favourite Granola (to date!)
This granola is crisp, flavourful, and addicting. Have fun mixing up the nuts and seeds. Enjoy it with your favourite milk poured over top for a delicious breakfast. Next time, I might try adding an extra 1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup to help it clump up a bit more as this granola was not as clumpy as I wanted it to be. It will keep for about 1 month refrigerated in an air-tight container.
Yield: ~6 cups
Ingredients:
Dry:
- 2.5 cups rolled oats (regular not instant)
- 1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 2 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
Wet: (See note below)
- 3-4 tbsp brown rice syrup (I used 3 tbsp, but next time I will use 4 tbsp so it clumps more)
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Add-ins:
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup raisins
- handful pepita seeds
Directions: preheat oven to 300F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the wet ingredients. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
In a very large mixing bowl, Mix together the dry ingredients.
Add the wet mixture (while still warm!) over top the dry mixture and stir well. It will be very thick and hard to stir, but keep at it until everything is thoroughly combined.
Spread onto a pan lined with parchment paper or a non-stick mat and bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 300F. Remove the pan from the oven every 15 minutes and give the granola a good stir to ensure even baking.
Allow to cool for 20-25 minutes on the pan before serving. The granola will stiffen up as it cools. Makes about 6 cups and will keep for 1 month in the fridge in an air-tight container.
Note: You can probably substitute the brown rice syrup and agave nectar for other liquid sweeteners, although please note that the flavour and crispness will change.
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The first thing you do is gather your wet ingredients…
I always admire my brown sugar when it comes out of the measuring cup like that!
Stir well in a saucepan.
Heat over medium.
Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the wet mixture is simmering, grab your dry ingredients.
For the nuts and seeds, I used 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup walnuts, and 1 cup of almonds. All raw. I roughly chopped the walnuts and almonds, but you still want mostly large pieces.
Oats, sweetened coconut flakes, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground flax.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together…
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. It will be very thick and sticky, but keep at it until it is thoroughly mixed. You can do this!
Now we’re talking!
Grab a spoon and shove into mouth.
That is some good granola.
Spread onto a baking sheet…
Bake for 45 minutes at 300F, stirring every 10-15 minutes to ensure even baking.
Voila!
As the granola cools it will firm up. The result is a crisp granola, but the clumps did not hold together. Next time, I will add another tablespoon of brown rice syrup in hopes of increasing the clump factor!
Allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Now stir in your dried fruit. I added 1/3 cup raisins and 1/3 cup dried cranberries. I also decided to toss in some pepita seeds for colour.
Lovely.
Just lovely.
Grab a 2 litre bell jar.
That’ll do.
It fits perfectly!
This granola makes a wonderful gift too. Valentine’s Day, perhaps? Maybe there are some men reading whose girlfriends/wives would like some…
That would be so romantic, wouldn’t it?
I’m here for you girls.
Now pour yourself a bowl and enjoy with some of your favourite milk. I love it with Vanilla Almond Milk and a tablespoon of hemp seeds tossed in for some protein.
It is just the perfect winter breakfast.
this looks delicious! i love the color detail in all the photos, i haven’t made granola in soo long.. might have to change that :)
That looks SO GOOD! I’ve never made granola before…maybe it’s time to start ;)
I recently found out I have a nut allergy, so I’ve veered away from granola in general. I guess I could just boost up the berries/seeds in the recipe. Any other suggestions on what else could replace the nuts in this recipe?
hmmm…What about puffed cereal or a gluten free cereal from nature’s path?
Of course, puffed cereal would be a perfect substitute. Just looking for that crunch- THANKS
Yummy Yummy Yummy!! Your blog posts just brighten up my day! :)
You make it look so easy! There’s more ingredients than I would have imagined in there, but they’re all so tasty!
I LOVE making granola too! It’s so soothing and rewarding. Have you tried making it with mashed banana or applesauce yet for nice clumps?
I used applesauce in this one, but only 2 tbsp. I used 1/2 cup in a previous trial and it was much too wet and wouldnt crisp up. Any ideas?
Oops I missed that, haha! 2 tbsp is too little for the clump effect I think, yes. I once dumped 50 grams of applesauce (prob also ½ cup) and it DID crisp up (I let it firm up in the fridge for 2 hours after baking), but it sortof got ranchid after storing! I couldn’t quite pinpoint it, it just smelled a bit off. Maybe somewhere in between we might find the answer ;)
hmm that is interesting…Im going to add to my recipe to store it in the fridge just in case.
Your recipe sounds great, but I love just looking at your recipes. Beautiful, like always!
nom nom. granola is one of my favorite things to bake – smells so so good! i made 18 cups of ‘christmas crunch granola’ for holiday gifts this year :)
I love granola but my problem is once I start I can’t stop. That 6 cup recipe would be gone in one day. As much as I love it I have found that it is best for me to not have it in the house. Sad, huh? But at least I know that much about myself. One day I hope to have a better relationship with granola as it is the only food that tempts my self control. But yours looks amazing…I can only imagine how fabulous it must taste!
I LOVE granola! I can just munch away happily for hours! Must try this!
And this WOULD be a great present! Thanks for the idea Angela :)
The pictures of setting out and combining the ingredients are so beautiful. I’ve never made granola, but this definitely makes me want to try!
thanks hun!
I love clumpy granola! My boyfriend’s mom made a ton a few weeks ago with me in mind. It’s so good.
I love that you added peanut butter to the mix! And can you please send some of that snow to Georgia please? :)
I would absolutely love it if someone made me granola!!!
p.s. was that a hint to Eric!! lol
That granola looks so pretty! I know, pretty granola, wierd, but so true :) I think I will be making some of this for my ski trip in a couple weeks. Is there any substitute for brown rice syrup??
I LOVE homemade granola! Your recipe sounds fantastic – I will definitely try it within the week!
Cue…large amounts of drool! Looks fab! Can’t wait to make it!
Wow – I actually have all the ingredients for this except the applesauce and brown rice syrup. And suggestions for sub to the syrup? More agave?
This looks so good! I bet it would be yummy with a big dollop of natural yogurt too.
I absolutely LOVED your Powerhouse Glonola and I bet this is just as good!! I love all the photos – so fresh and colourful!
I have a favorite granola recipe too, but your beautiful photos and awesome ingredient list makes me definitely want to try yours! The only thing I would need to alter is the coconut oil. Can you recommend a substitute? Thanks!
I think any light tasting oil would work…!
LOVING the color in this one! So pretty! My husband has been on a granola kick lately (I love, LOVE, it when he eats healthy), maybe I’ll make him some home made to keep him going!
Happy New Year to you Angela!
I think I’ll make this as a gift for my mom’s birthday coming up next week! Thanks for the great recipe Angela!
PS. If I only have unsweetened coconut, is there a specific amount of sugar or something else I should add in to make up for the sweetness? I don’t looooove coconut so I’d rather not go buy another bag!
This sounds delicious and especially comforting on a cold, winter day like this one!
What a beautiful gift idea! I love the packaging!
Oh yum. I’d probably leave out the raisins and cranberries because I hate those in granola, but the rest looks so good!
I actually have all the ingredients on hand right now- that NEVER happens!! My boyfriend just broke his collarbone and I feel like he’d LOVE some of this :)
That looks fabulous!!!!
I’ve never actually made my own granola, but I loooove it!!!!
Looks delicious!
So, so pretty. I’ve been wanting to make homemade granola for a while now and haven’t gotten around to it. This might be the time, though, because this recipe sounds awesome.
i’ve been craving granola lately, i might have to make this asap seriously, it would taste so good as a snack after the gym or at work especially with hemp seeds mixed in! I just bought a huge thing of hemp hearts yesterday haha
I’m definitely going to have to forward this onto my mom! She’s been looking for a good granola recipe. I love how you put all the ingredients out with their labels! Its such a great visual.
Hi Angela!
Thanks for the recipe!
I was traveling in America during the holidays and ended up at Macy’s European Coffee House and Vegetarian Cafe in Flagstaff, AZ where I discovered the amazingness of Granola with warm, frothed soy milk! Incredible!
Have been looking to recreate this goodness and am happy for the timing of your granola post!
Cheers!
Jen (the one who cycled from Toronto to your market stand this summer!!! Thanks again for the treats!)
Nothing like granola for Valentines day! That was funny! He he!!!
Granola is my kryptonite!
The recipe looks great! I love granola, and I love making it. I’ll be sure to try this!
The last time I baked granola, my husband told me I should sell the smell to a candle company
Good to know it COULD last for a month if stored properly – but homemade granola never last more than a few days at my house! ☺
Looks delicious! :) I love that my eyes went straight for the dark brown sugar too haha. I love how well it sticks together!
Happy New Year!
Hello Angela. I was reading your blog today and got very hungry reading about your granola. A couple of questions…
1. What is the serving size for your granola?
2. What is the nutritional profile per serving?
3. How critical is the brown sugar? Can I eliminate that from the recipe? (I try to avoid sugar)
4. Any suggestions for making your granola lower calorie?
I am someone who lost over 131 lbs; hence I really watch what I eat. Your answers to the above question is appreciated.
Thanks, Howard
Hi Howard,
I’m afraid that I do not know the nutritional info, but you can calculate it for free at http://nutritiondata.self.com/ website. granola is quite energy dense thanks to the nuts, so it should be enjoyed in moderation.
Generally granola serving is 1/2 cup, but it varies widely. I’m not sure how it would taste with less brown sugar as it is not overly sweet as it stands.
One idea I have is that you could reduce the sugar in the recipe, and then sprinkle your own on before serving. This would give you a bit more control, but I cant promise it will turn out as tasty!
Best of luck! Angela
I saw your tweet about the snow earlier and got a little giggle bec I remembered your post yesterday. And granola has got to have the clump factor. Love the clumps!
This sounds (and looks) heavenly!
it seems so obvious now, but i never thought to heat the wet ingredients before mixing them in the oats/nuts! over christmas i moade some with PB for the first time and fell inlove.
great addition with the applesauce – granola one of thise where i am always looking for ways to cut back on the sugar. :)
Yum! I recently started making my own granola every week instead of buying it at the store and this looks great. I will definitely have to give your recipe a try :)
I love making granola…and usually tweak each batch a little bit! Yours looks super fabulous—I usually make one that has goji berries and acai pulp in it, and that’s pretty amazing too!
~Lisa
PB, Coconut Oil, Agave, Brown Rice, Brown Sugar…omg those are some of my fave things in all of life. There is no way this granola couldnt be amazing with all that included!
I think I could just drink that :)
Great work, Angela!
That granola looks PERFECT! and if it’s your favorite to date, it must be good! You would know good granola afterall. :P
I have never made granola either but this is so delicious looking. I really love granola and I am sure it is so much better homemade.
That looks so good. I can almost taste and smell it from the pictures
i’ve never had granola with peanut butter in it before…i’m thinking i need to hit that up ASAP!
Mmmm, I’ve never made my own granola! But I should after seeing this! :)