YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT'S HOMEMADE GRANOLA
I am a HUGE fan of granola. I almost have it every morning, whether it be on top of greek yogurt, on toast with peanut butter, or cereal-style with milk. For the most part I buy store bought, but I decided recently that I wanted to try a little experimenting. The first time I tried making granola I completely messed it up somehow and it ended up burning to a crisp. This granola was the definition of a Pinterest fail. But alas, I did not give up right then and there! I realized I needed to do a little more research. I found out that I just hadn't put enough oil which explains why the oats cooked super fast! Now that I rooted out the problem I decided to try again, and I am so happy with my outcome.
Gather up all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Measure out the oats, nuts, chia seeds, salt, and cinnamon into a large bowl.
Next with a large spoon, stir in the canola oil, maple syrup, and honey.
Spread your granola mixture onto a lined sheet pan. I personally prefer using a Silpat mat instead of wax paper, but whatever you have on hand works.
Place the pan in the oven and bake the granola for 30-35 minutes. Check on it half way through and shake the pan. Granola browns really quickly so you may end up taking it out earlier.
When the granola looks medium brown take out the pan and let it cool for 15 minutes. Then scrape the granola back into the large bowl and add the cranberries and apricots.
Toss the granola around a bit to make sure that everything got all mixed together. It's best to store it in some kind of an air-tight container, and mason jars just so happen to be perfect for the job. I stored all of the granola I made into the two jars you see above. One is a quart and the other is a pint. I seriously try to find any excuse to use mason jars because they are just that amazing. And don't they look so cute with the chalkboard labels and ribbon? The correct answer is yes. ;)
Now here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
3 cups of rolled oats
1/4 cup + a handful of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup silvered almonds
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 cup good honey (sorry cute bear bottle, you don't make the cut)
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup diced dried apricots
Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) In large bowl combine the oats, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
3) Measure out the canola oil, honey, and maple syrup. Add all three to the oat mixture. Then mix this all around with your spoon until everything seems well-coated.
4) Line a pan with a Silpat mat or wax paper and spread out the granola across it evenly.
5) Bake the granola for 30-35 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, open the oven and shake the pan.
6) After the granola looks medium brown, take the pan out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes.
7) Scrape the granola back into the large bowl and add the cranberries and diced apricots to the mix. Stir around the granola until it looks well mixed.
8) Store the granola in an air tight container (mason jars) and keep for up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 6 cups.
This granola is the perfect topping for any of your go-to breakfasts or even on-the-go snacking. I'm currently eating some with almond milk while writing this post, and let me tell you, this stuff is good. I'm trying to brainstorm more ways I can incorporate granola into every one of my meals. Let me know if you come up with any ideas. I'll just be over here munching on some granola. ;)
xoxo,
Emma