It’s time to say goodbye to wintery bowls of steamy hot oatmeal. The time has arrived for it’s lighter, more playful cousin to take the breakfast stage. For many years now, I’ve that granola was a gimmick food. How could something be considered so healthy, and good for you when it’s laden with sugar, additives and preservatives? I’ve tried every brand out there – and still, no love. In fact, I’m usually left with a somewhat unhealthy feeling. Similar to that feeling you get when half a box of Sour Patch Kids are devoured at the cinema, even before the previews are through. Really happy, then really tired. Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I was beginning to feel rather left out.
All of this changed the day I made my first batch of homemade granola. Nutty, hearty, sweet (but not overly sweet), tangy and filled with nutrition. Fully customizable to fit your heart’s desire. Everything comes together in one big bowl. Then laid to bake on one big sheet pan. This recipe could not be easier and the results could not be more amazing. If I ever run my own B&B, this would be part of the breakfast menu. I love buying all the dry ingredients in the bulk section of the market – you can buy as much or as little as you need, plus it’s much more economical and less wasteful (no packaging). Serve with plain yogurt and fresh fruit, or just milk.
Best Homemade Granola
Tweaked from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, yields 7-8 cups
Music Pairing: Chiquitita, ABBA (come on, just admit it, you know you love ABBA)
Ingredients
- 4 cups organic rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup veggie or olive oil (or 1/3 cup applesauce)
- 1/3 cup good honey
- 1/3 cup apple juice or apple cider
- 1 cup dried cranberries, or favorite dried chopped fruit
Method
Heat oven to 350º. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the oil, honey, and apple juice in measuring cup.
Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Spread onto a large sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, around 30-40 minutes, depending on oven.
Remove granola from the oven and allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries. Store cooled granola in an airtight container.
This is very tasty. I love that it is all natural foods and in the end is much cheaper than processed granola. I only had to cook for 20 minutes or so though, otherwise it got burnt. Maybe it’s my oven. Thanks for the recipe!!
hi gaby – glad you enjoyed it and yes, it’s so much more economical than the packaged stuff (and so much tastier)! hmm, yes, it sounds like your oven is far superior to mine as i usually have to bake it over 45 minutes!
Homemade granola, that looks really tasty! I love granola with honey and nuts, especially with ABBA playing in the background! ;)
Homemade granola is the best, and yours sounds yummy!
[...] granola over the weekend. I found this recipe on a great cooking blog I recently came across—Kiss My Spatula. The author tweaked the recipe from one found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Great recipe. I [...]
I love home made granola and just made a big batch last night – The house always smells so incredible!! Your recipe is wonderful!
[...] Homemade Granola from Kiss My [...]
Sounds great; I plan to make some soon. Hubby will love it! Is the flaxseed ground or whole?
hi renae – the flaxseed is whole and adds an additional layer of nuttiness (and healthiness too)! would love to know how it turns out for you and hope your hubby enjoys it!
I can’t wait to try this. I have been thinking of making my own granola to go with all the fresh berries that are coming into season.
xo
hello mon ami – it’s my favorite breakfast in the summer…outside in the morning sun, with gorgeous plain yogurt and fresh blueberries. ever since my first batch, there has been no turning back! would love to know how it turns out for you! keep me posted.
Oh, my! I can hardly wait for this to come out of the oven. It smells heavenly and the little taste I had before the oven was wonderful. I’ve tweaked and tweaked a couple of recipes, but was never totally happy. I did leave out the coconut as I’m allergic, but added extra oats, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in its place. I am so glad I found your blog this week!
There is something awesome about “customizing” and making your own granola. The store bought ones are way too sweet for me. This recipe looks great, love all the nuts and coconut!
This is so yummy! I have to put the rest away before the kids and I keep munching on it and it’s gone.
I made a couple of modifications…
I used agave nectar instead of honey (it’s what I had on hand)
I also reduced the cooking temperature to 250 after the first 10 minutes, it was burning around the edges at the higher temp.
I have just recently started changing our foods to whole foods and I can say I don’t think I will ever buy a box of cereal, granola or granola bars (that’s my next project) again!
Thanks so much for sharing your delicious recipe!
so happy you enjoyed it, stephanie! and kudos to you for changing over to whole foods and not having to rely on processed foods from the store any longer! it’s a great feeling, isn’t it?
[...] inspired by Kiss My Spatula’s recipe [...]
thank u for such a tasty recipe!! i am definitely making this tomorrow for my constant… what should i have for breakfast dilemma! what are some variations on breakfast for this granola besides with cold milk? can u use this recipe to make granola bars too?
Hi Alsina – Yogurt with the granola topped with fresh berries is our household favorite. And yes, you can definitely use this recipe for granola bars (recipe available under ‘homemade pantry’). Enjoy!
I keep finding recipe after recipe to read about here on your blog. I have been looking for one for homemade granola. Glad to find this one to try. I’ve signed up to receive your recipes via email. Now I really need to go clean my house! But I’ll be back. Your site is wonderful!
Kate
Hello,
In the Best Homemade Granola recipe on your site, I do not see when to add the coconut flakes. Is it with the oats mixture, or after the oat mixture is cooled at the same time one adds the dried fruit?
Hi Marianna – Thanks for catching that! I just updated the recipe to include the coconut with the oats mixture.
Yum! I made this yesterday as shown with dried cranberries. It just feels healthy and tastes delicious. Thanks for sharing!