By Sarah Beleski, a recent ASU Nutrition Student
I have loved granola since I was a little girl. I would eat it plain, in yogurt, in milk, on ice cream- you name it. We always had the store-bought bags in our pantry, and in my little girl’s naivety, the thought never even crossed my mind that you could make granola at home.
Imagine my surprise when I was visiting my cousins from out-of-state and I saw a huge glass jar full of granola sitting on their countertop. It shouldn’t seem like a big deal, because it was just granola after all, but I really was shocked! My aunt explained that she made a big batch and then she offered me some with milk. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it was the best granola I have ever had.
When I got older and started experimenting with things in the kitchen, I came up with my own granola recipe. It is a very simple recipe and it resembles my aunt’s original recipe very closely.
Need any more reasons to try this extremely easy recipe? Here you go!
- Makes your kitchen smell like a delicious, fall candle
- More economical than store-bought (most items are found in your pantry)
- Can be customizable (change out the almonds or walnuts for any type of nut that you prefer
- Makes for a healthy snack on-the-go
Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup raw almonds (or walnuts), chopped
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut flakes
- 2 tsp melted coconut oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix oats, nuts, and coconut flakes in a glass baking dish and toast them for 10-15 minutes in the oven. Stir occasionally.
- While the oats are in the oven, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and coconut oil in a smaller mixing bowl
- Take the oats out of the oven and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Spread the oats out so that it covers the entire baking sheet and pour the wet ingredients mixture over the oats
- Stir the oats around on the baking sheet until it is all combined and transfer back to the oven
- Once the oats are back in the oven, immediately turn off the oven and let the oats finish toasting for another 6-8 minutes. (They will burn if you leave the oven on)
- Take them out of the oven after the 6-8 minutes and let it cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container and enjoy!
