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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.
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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.
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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.
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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…
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I always admire my brown sugar when it comes out of the measuring cup like that!
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Stir well in a saucepan.
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Heat over medium.
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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.
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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.
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Mix all of the dry ingredients together…
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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!
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Now we’re talking!
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Grab a spoon and shove into mouth.
That is some good granola.
Spread onto a baking sheet…
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Bake for 45 minutes at 300F, stirring every 10-15 minutes to ensure even baking.
Voila!
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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.
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Lovely.
Just lovely.
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Grab a 2 litre bell jar.
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That’ll do.
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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?
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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.
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It is just the perfect winter breakfast.
I LOVE your powerhouse granola, I couldn’t have imagined it getting ANY better!! Can’t wait to try this =]
I was just saying to my boyfriend (He of the “Garbanzo” nickname, hahaha) that we need to make some granola! He loves granola but has never made it from scratch… sounds like this recipe is now on our to-do list. And BTW, if he made me granola for Valentine’s Day I would fall even more in love. Granted, he did buy me the CUTEST apron (brown with pink polka dots!) for Christmas, so he’s already a keeper. ;-)
Oh those nicknames toy with my heart ;)
Your apron sounds alot like the new one my sis got me for Xmas…
Is it like this one? http://ohsheglows.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_45081.jpg
That looks so yummy! I’m usually lazy and buy granola, but you’ve given me faith in doing it myself!
looks beautiful! reminds me how the first thing i ever “cooked” after moving out of home was homemade granola!
Mmmm…I have everything to make this with, granola time!
Beautiful! I’ve never had luck with homemade granola but it might be time to give it another go. I think it would make a lovely gift indeed!
Yum! How can you go wrong with granola when it’s just so darn good, nutritious, and delicious?
Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
Oh how yummy!!! I have never thought to make my own granola. What a great idea! Plus, it would be a great gift idea as well :)
Happy New Year!
I’m so jealous of the clumps!! I guess I will need to buy brown rice syrup?
I do think BRS has something to do with clumping. In my old Glonola recipe I used a lot of BRS and I had TONS of clumps- too many though and it was much too hard. I need to find that perfect balance!
Next time I will use 4 tbsp instead of 3 I think :)
That looks incredible!
Unfortunately I am not allowed to make homemade granola in my house because that is one food that I have no control around. I could eat a whole batch and be sick for a week. Throw some granola in front of me and my willpower goes out the window!
I love that “shove into mouth” is included in the recipe. Now I can say I’m just following directions :)
haha yes indeed! Ihad to throw that in there b/c I can’t imagine not testing it!
Hahaa! I actually did make granola for my boyfriend last Valentines day! :-) Yours looks amazing so I may have to surprise him with some this year too! Great work. I can’t wait to try this x x
Yum! Angela, your photos look more gorgeous every day! I love the brown sugar one. Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
I think this is going to be my weekend project! I actually just bought a new bag of rolled oats to use to make homemade granola. It’s fate! ;)
That looks SO good! I like how you pretty it up with the ribbon, too. :)
Gosh I need to make some granola stat!! I usually always have it around for the winter – but haven’t made any in MONTHS!
Wow! That looks so good. I am now inspired to make granola :)
Thanks for sharing!
I love the colors, that looks amazing.
Mmmm!
I make my own granola too! For wet, I use a combination of maple syrup and applesauce (higher ratio of applesauce). I never thought of coconut oil!
Why do you not add the pepitas with the dry ingredients and then bake them?
Also, where do you get those AWESOME bell jars? (I’m located in Toronto). I’ll feel sheepish if you say… Canadian Tire. ;-)
oh my goodness!!1 That granola looks divine!!!