My Favorite Granola

Granola is one of those foods I often see on lists with titles like, “Foods you Thought Were Good for You!”  And I guess it’s true that many store bought granolas are full of sugar and other not-too-healthy ingredients.  But if you make your own, then you have control over what goes into it.  I’m not saying this is perfect health food or that it is “good for you”.  But I do know that it is delicious.

This is my favorite granola.  I brought a bag of it to Christmas with my family this year and everyone loved it.  I’m pretty sure it was gone in just a couple of days.  You can change the nuts and fruits in this to personalize it to your taste.  If you like chocolate in yours, I’d suggest dark or semi sweet chips.  My favorite combination is pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, cherries and blueberries.

granola

I like to eat this granola on top of some plain yogurt.  Or I’ll mix a couple spoonfuls of it in with my Kashi cereal to make things a little more interesting.

This recipe came from a Bon Appetit magazine, probably 5 or 6 years ago.  Since I started making it I’ve changed some things, but one thing I haven’t changed is the special instruction to store it in the freezer.  By doing this the moisture from the fruit doesn’t soften the granola.  I’ve never not done this.  When I’m bringing the granola somewhere I keep the granola and the fruit separate until I find a freezer.  If you’re brave enough to try storing it at room temp, let me know how it goes.  Enjoy!

My Favorite Granola

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Stir together oats, coconut, oil, sugar, honey,  cinnamon, salt and nuts in a large bowl.
  3. Spread mixture evenly on a large rimmed baking pan.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden, between 25 and 30 minutes.  Watch carefully after 20 minutes.  You do not want it to get too dark.
  4. Remove the granola from the oven and set the pan on a rack to cool, the granola will be soft.  It will harden up as it cools.
  5. After it is cool, stir in the fruit.  Store in a sealed container in the freezer.