Homemade Granola

I haven't done a recipe for you in a LONG TIME! Largely because I haven't cooked a normal meal in a LONG TIME! But today, as you kick back and snack on your holiday treats, I bring you the healthy stuff. :)

I adore granola. Granola bars, granola bites, granola cereal, just plain granola...yes please! And when Lynne taught me to like yogurt, she did so through a delightful parfait bathed in fresh fruit and heaps of granola. I struggle to eat yogurt without granola because it gets to be too creepy a texture for me. I need the crunch and the interruption of granola to get through the yogurt.

But I'm also cheap, and granola is expensive. Ryan and I were buying a bag every week to the tune of five or more dollars, and I couldn't justify it anymore! Plus when I accidentally looked at the nutrition information one day, I realized not all granola is healthy! A lot of it tastes so good because it is loaded with sugar.

So....I set out to make my own in hopes that I could find something that was good and yet a little more cost effective and a little less pricey. I found this post, which offered a "build your own" granola bar, and I liked that. I liked being able to swap in and out the things I like, and changing up the taste as needed!

Below is the recipe I used, with the options listed, and my choice for each one in bold.

Homemade Granola

4 cups oats 
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon (pumpkin pie spice, cloves, or whatever spice you love)
1 cup raw walnuts (pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
1 cup slivered almonds (coconut, more oats, another nut or seed choice)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (other dried fruit choice)
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (canola oil or butter)
1/4 cup maple syrup (honey, brown sugar, agave or other sweetener)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (other flavored extract)

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Combine the three wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients; mix well. Spread out on large cookie sheet {with sides} and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Stir and store in airtight container.

A Few Tips:

* I won't lie: if you don't have this stuff on hand, it can be kind of pricey to get all the ingredients to start. Nuts and coconut oil are not cheap. But if you have some of it on hand already, buying some more won't be too bad, and most of my bags of ingredients lasted long enough to make two batches at least. Some made more.

* The raw walnuts and the slivered almonds were among the cheaper raw nuts at the store. {I love salt as much as the next girl but they say to use raw ones for a healthier option.} I LOVE pecans in granola but could not afford them the day we were making our purchases.

* I HATE RAISINS - and most dried fruit, actually. It kind of freaks me out. So I got an all-natural version of dried cranberries, and they were pretty good! You have to be careful with dried fruit too, because some of THOSE are covered in sugar as well, making them taste delicious but defeating your get-healthy purposes.

* I used cinnamon because it's my favorite, but if I were making this in the fall, I would think pumpkin pie spice would be just heavenly.

* I melted some coconut oil for our granola, because I bought a jar of it to use in some of my other DIY projects, and because I know it's good for you. A jar really does last for a while, so it makes the price tag worth it, in my opinion.

* I used maple syrup in ours because honey seemed too messy to deal with and my father-in-law makes his own maple syrup, so I get it for free!

* This granola recipe isn't super crunchy like what you buy in the store. The original post said if you add more of the fat {butter or oil}, it will get crunchier, but it will also add calories. So pick your poison!

* We really like this granola and it makes the house smell delicious when it bakes!