Something we’ve gotten into the habit of doing since we moved to Seattle is making our own granola from scratch. We were inconsistent for a while, but lately have been making a batch every week. It’s delicious and easy to make, and so much healthier and cheaper than store bought. Tastier, too – I can only think of one store-bought granola that even comes close (and we can’t get it on the west coast anyway). One batch lasts us about a week, give or take depending on how much we gorge ourselves. We eat it with almond milk, or sometimes just grab a handful as a snack. For the past couple weeks I’ve been tossing a handful of organic Thompson’s raisins on top of each serving since I’m trying to keep my iron levels up (no sign that they’re dropping, but this is around the time in my pregnancy that they would be likely to, as the baby takes more and more for himself).
Note that this recipe doesn’t make chunky granola. I still haven’t figured out how to modify it to make the chunks, but it is crunchy and holds up well in milk. Feel free to halve the recipe to make a smaller batch, or use all honey instead of a mix of maple syrup and honey. You can also modify the nuts and seeds you use, but I highly recommend trying this combination before you go crazy – it really works well in terms of flavor and texture. Yum!
GRANOLA
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup raw walnuts (chopped)
3/4 cup raw pecans (chopped)
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Set out two large rimmed baking sheets.
Roughly measure out the coconut oil and melt almost completely in microwave (in glass measure). Use whisk to stir in small lumps so that the oil is completely liquid. The amount when melted should be 2/3 cup or slightly less. Add honey & maple syrup to glass measure and whisk to combine with coconut oil (this takes a few minutes). Add vanilla to liquid ingredients and whisk to combine. Make sure that the mixture is completely uniform, especially at the bottom of the measuring cup.
Measure dry ingredients into large bowl and stir to combine. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir THOROUGHLY. This takes a while but it is very important that all of the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the wet ingredients. Divide mixture between two baking sheets making sure the layer of granola on both sheets is pretty uniform.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring and turning every 10 minutes until toasted. Switch the position of the two baking sheets each time you stir the granola. If granola is not uniformly reddish-brown after 20 minutes, put one or both sheets back in the oven for as many 3-5 minute increments as necessary, being careful not to burn the granola.
After baking, allow to cool on sheets thoroughly. Loosen granola from pan with a spatula, breaking it into small chunks as you go. Store in airtight container.
