Granola…so simple yet so nourishing, healthy and versatile… We love homemade granola at our house and we consume batches of it every month. I have tried and tested many recipes and feel that I now have the perfect recipe! Having said that, as with all my cooking, I modify and adapt according to personal tastes and what ingredients I have at hand and despite I bake a lot, I am not very strict with measurements…not to say that I completely ignore measurements either.
So, after extensive taste testing, our favorite granola recipe is light and crunchy, filled with nutrients, omega 3 oils, and not overly sweet (which in my opinion is a major issue with many recipes). My other dislike with granolas is the addition of dried fruits. Since I eat granola with yogurt, most of the dried fruit I’ve had in granolas turn into little stones when eaten with anything cold such as milk or yogurt and add unnecessary sweetness (sometimes plain added sugar). I prefer to have my granola with plain organic Greek yogurt and local honey and once in a while with fresh fruit but never dried fruit.
Super yummy and healthy granola recipe (yields 1 large rectangular baking tray)
- 4 cups of organic jumbo oats (I love Kilbeggan Irish organic jumbo oats but any brand will work)
- 3/4 cup of organic pure coconut oil (I sometimes use nut oils or linseed/flaxseed oil)
- 4 tablespoons of local honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of organic ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of golden linseed/flaxseed
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup of fresh rough grated coconut (you can use unsweetened rough shredded coconut if fresh is not available)
- 1/4 cup golden sesame seeds
- 1 cup of chopped raw nuts such as pecans, macadamia, pistachios, almonds, Brazil nuts and/or walnuts (I don’t like to mix too many types at once so usually stick with macadamia and almonds or Brazil nuts and pecans)
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds (optional)
* Please note that I have recently tweaked the recipe to a slightly smaller batch. Despite I am sure this is a crowd pleaser, I thought that maybe some people who are not serial granola consumers like our family, might find the initial recipe too large of a batch!
Preparation method:
Mix all dry ingredients in an extra large mixing bowl. Mix the oil and honey in a separate bowl. Or to save on dirtying another container, I mix them up in the measuring cup itself. Hint: once you pour the oil in the measuring cup, coat the measuring tablespoon in oil and pour the honey onto this oil coated spoon. This will ensure that the honey doesn’t get stuck to the spoon and makes it easier for the washing up!
Mix the honey and oil together and pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix everything very well so that the dry ingredients are coated in the oil/honey mixture. Pour the mixture into a large rimmed rectangular baking sheet. Make sure you have a uniform layer so that one side doesn’t bake faster than the other. Bake at 160C for 15-20 minutes mixing the granola every 5 minutes until the whole batch is golden brown.
Remove the baked granola from the oven and let it cool stove top until ready to be tasted and stored. This recipe keeps very well in a well sealed container for up to a month despite I doubt that it will last more than 1-2 weeks…
Enjoy!