Easy Homemade Granola Recipe

Lately, we’ve been talking a lot in the store about things we spend money on, that we could make cheaper at home. Chicken stock comes up a lot. I know Phyllis and her husband, Mike, make a lot of soups, and they always have homemade chicken stock on hand. Ask her about Mike’s Chicken and Dumpling Soup sometime, it sounds delicious.

Another one, that we eat a lot of in my household, is granola. I do purchase granola, but I’m pretty picky about what I like in it. I like dried fruit, but I don’t want raisins, and I don’t want so much dried fruit that my jaw feels like it’s had a workout after each bite. I like nuts and seeds, because I like it crunchy. My biggest issue is that I don’t want it to taste like it’s trying to be something else—like dessert. I just want a crunchy, nutty topping for my yogurt in the morning. Is that so much to ask? Sometimes it seems like it is, so I turn to my own pantry!

Making homemade granola is actually a great way to clear out the remnants of my baking supplies. I do follow a recipe (I’m one of those), but I am learning to relax, and allow myself to make substitutions and even omit ingredients if I don’t have them or don’t like them. (I know that sounds basic, but for some of us sticklers for a recipe, it’s an accomplishment)! If you really want to get into customizing your granola, check out this blog on Bon Appetit's test kitchen to avoid some common mistakes.

I love Tom Douglas’ The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. There are so many great recipes in here from the muffins and scones to a killer strata that makes a great breakfast for a crowd. Someday, I’m going to tackle the English Muffins—I’ll let you know how that goes. He’s also got a great granola recipe. Here’s my version:

3 Cups rolled oats

½ cup steel-cut oats (if you don’t have any, just use another ½ cup rolled oats)

½ cup sweetened coconut (you could also use unsweetened)

½ cup chopped, nuts. I used almonds, he calls for hazelnuts.

¼ cup sesame seeds (for some reason, I only had black sesame seeds, so I used them!)

¼ cup pumpkin seeds (this isn’t actually listed in the original recipe, but I had them, so…)!

½ cup honey

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil (or another neutral tasting oil)

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I left this out, because we have an allergy in my house, but it would be good if you’ve got it).

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dried mango (he actually calls for apricots, but I had mango. Use what you have)!

½ cup dried cranberry (or cherries, or whatever…even raisins).

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray, or use parchment.
2. Combine the rolled and steel-cut oats, coconut, nuts and sesame and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, (or 2 cup, glass measuring cup) combine the honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, oil sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Pour this honey mixture over the dry ingredients and toss with a rubber spatula to coat evenly.
3. Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread it out evenly. Bake until it’s a deep, golden brown—about an hour. Check it every 20 minutes or so, and stir with a wooden spoon so the granola browns evenly. Remove the baking sheet and let the granola cool. It may seem wet when it comes out, but it will get crunchy once it cools.
4. When the granola is completely cool, transfer it to a large, clean bowl, and mix in the dried fruit. You can store the granola in air tight containers at room temperature or freeze it.