Easy peasy, delicious, all-natural Homemade Granola is sweetened with pure maple syrup stirred into old-fashioned rolled oats, sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. Baked to perfection and ready in under an hour.
Making Granola from Scratch
There is something about a large pot of homemade bone broth simmering on the stove, soaked nuts dehydrating in the Excalibur, the washer and dryer going, refrigerator and pantry stocked with food and paper products from a trip to Costco, and a full jar of granola on the counter that makes me exhale and relax. All is well in the home. We are stocked and in working order. Peace and productivity have been established.
I love a scratch-made home. Organizing and caring for my home and family just lights me up, especially when everything around me is well-stocked. When I have a full jar of granola sitting on the counter, I know I have a few days of breakfast checked off my weekly menu completed and the family has a quick and nutritious meal ready for our busy mornings. I also know I have saved a pretty penny by making my homemade granola from scratch. Why pay $9 for two servings of granola at your local health food store, when you can make it at home and serve a whole tribe for the same price? Check out my post on how to Eat Real, Organic Food Without Breaking the Bank for more money-saving tips.
Add-ins
There are so many adjustments you can make to homemade granola such as adding orange zest and dried cranberries or banana chips and cocoa powder. But many add-ins need to be added after baking such as dried fruit or ground flax seeds. Personally, I don’t like dried fruit in my granola; I prefer fresh fruit on top. If I am going to add ground flax seed, I grind it fresh with every serving because ground flax rapidly starts to go rancid due to the delicate omega-3 fatty acids. As always, get creative and experiment. The kitchen is your laboratory!
The Recipe
Granola
Easy peasy, delicious, all-natural Homemade Granola is sweetened with pure maple syrup stirred into old-fashioned rolled oats, sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. Baked to perfection and ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 10 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup (216 g) coconut oil (melted)
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 T pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 T pumpkin pie spice (or 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. cloves)
- 1 T cinnamon (you could just do 2 T pumpkin pie spice but I like the cinnamon flavor to dominate)
Instructions
- Adjust the racks of your oven to be equally spaced in the middle to allow even baking.
- Preheat oven to 325° and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Chop nuts (to your liking) and add to oats, pumpkin seeds, and sliced almonds in a large bowl.
- Add salt and spices and give a good stir.
- Pour in melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and stir to coat.
- Evenly disperse between the two baking sheets and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring granola midway through as well as switching the trays between racks to evenly bake.
- When it comes out of the oven, do not be tempted to stir it. It will cool in clusters if you leave it until cooled.
- Store in a pretty glass jar on the counter or pantry and serve with milk, over yogurt, as a trail mix, or even with an acai bowl.
Notes
Make sure and add the hot coconut oil to the granola and stir before the maple syrup. Otherwise, the coconut oil will harden when it touches the cold maple syrup. Ask me how I know.
Acai Bowl’s with Granola
Homemade granola is great to have around for a quick breakfast served with milk, spooned over yogurt with fresh berries, as a quick snack on the go, or sprinkled over an Acai bowl. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Acai bowls, they are the newest rage. Basically, they are smoothies in a bowl made with the addition of a frozen acai puree you can find at most grocery stores. I purchase mine at Trader Joe’s in a package of 4.
The Acai berry grows in the rainforests of Central and South America and is loaded with almost three times the amount of antioxidants found in blueberries. Impressive! Due to their deep purple color, they also are amazing with inflammation. Studies have shown they may aid in cleaning up used or toxic brain cells to improve memory and communication between cells. Is anyone up for a brain sweep? Sign me up.
The puree comes unsweetened, but when sweetened and added to other frozen berries, it brings out its earthy, tart, chocolaty notes. To prepare, just slightly defrost an Acai packet, add it to a blender with three or more cups of frozen berries, sweeten it with a little honey, pour in about 1/2 cup nut milk, and blend until you reach a smooth consistency. Top with fresh fruit like sliced banana, strawberries, raspberries, granola, unsweetened shredded coconut, and whatever superfood boost you want to add. I like to add fresh bee pollen which is loaded with vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, bioflavonoids, phytosterols, amino acids, fatty acids, enzymes & more. Truly, this is a power-packed start to your day.
Great For Large Gatherings & Potluck Breakfasts
Potlucks bring people together and when people come together they like to eat. Granola is a great addition to any breakfast gathering especially when you bring along some fresh berries or bananas and yogurt. Additionally, displaying your granola in a beautiful glass jar makes quite the presentation. People will be asking for your recipe. It literally takes an hour to prepare something beautiful, healthy, and oh so tasty.
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I purchase my oats and nuts in bulk from Azure Standard
1 Gallon Heritage Hill Glass Jars with Lid (set of 2) – I use these jars for presenting fruit salad, pasta salad, granola, and even my homemade laundry detergent in the laundry room. At Christmas time I fill them with mandarines. They are beautiful jars you will find many uses for.
Sliced Almonds– Costco usually carries this two-pound bag of sliced almonds but it is also available in a pinch on Amazon. If I run out of sliced almonds then I just chop my soaked almonds from home. Sliced almonds are so good in granola, especially when they have been baked, but chopped almonds are good too.
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In everything you do -eat, play, and, love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!
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