I've never been a big breakfast person as a rule, and with my dumb little cinnamon allergy, I generally have to avoid store bought granolas and cereal for fear of going into anaphylactic shock. (Really puts a damper on the day.) That being said, in my quest to eat more whole, natural foods, I have stumbled upon deliciousness. Homemade granola. Its good with milk. It's good with yogurt. It's good by the handful. It's just plain good y'all.
Now this recipe can be loosely adapted to include your favorite dried fruits and nuts, (I'm thinking about adding yogurt chips next time,) but for general nuts and bolts of delicious granola, I think I've got it. Get ready for a mouth full of yum.
Honey Granola
Makes: About 12 cupsTime: 1 hour total...most of which you can be reading a magazine or staring out the window...whichever floats your boat.
1½ cups whole or sliced almonds
1 cup walnut pieces or halves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil or peanut oil
½ cup raisins
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
Milk or yogurt for serving (optional)
One 16- to 18-ounce container rolled oats
1/2 cup dried coconut
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add oats, coconut, almonds, walnuts, & salt to large bowl and stir to combine.
3. Drizzle olive oil and honey over mixture evenly and stir until mixture is evenly coated.
4. Transfer mixture to a rimmed baking sheet into an even layer and bake, stirring every 15 min or so until the mix has begun to crisp and turn brown. (About 45 minutes.)
5. Take out of oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. (Mixture will continue to crisp as it cools.) Stir in raisins and cranberries. (Note: I have also added in my cranberries and raisins about 3/4 through the baking process before as well, which works, but you have to be super careful to not burn them. Totally a personal preference!) Eat up y'all!
* This masking tape art is so pretty.
