Autumn Granola

What is better than a bowl of granola as a late night snack? well, homemade healthy granola!

I love granola, I think it is one of my favorite cereals. Unfortunately, most of the versions you find at the grocery store have lots of sugar, sodium, fat, and, if it comes in a box, it doesn’t look as appetizing as the picture they show you.

I have tried making granola in the past and, although it was good, it was not as good as my mom’s version. I remember that she and my dad used to spend hours in the kitchen cooking together. My favorite days were when they were making snacks (obviously!), from french burnt peanuts to cakes to, yes, you guessed it, granola!

A few weeks ago my mom came over to visit and I asked her to show me how to make granola. I had to pay close attention to what she was doing because she rarely uses recipes. I kept asking “how much” and she kept saying “add more”. Luckily, I was able to write a recipe for you all.

One thing about granola is that you can use any seeds you want, just make sure to keep the ratios right. In this version I used pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, coconut and cranberries but you can substitute with any seeds  or dry fruit you want. For example, instead of pecans you can use walnuts, or raisins instead of cranberries or, you can even add dried pineapple and or mango to give it a tropical twist!

I always find it hard to figure out when the granola is ready, usually you remove it from oven and allow to cool but some times it is a little too late and you end with over roasted granola (not good!). What you can do is, place some granola in a bowl and put it in the freezer for a few minutes, I call it the speed test! If the granola is not ready or if you want more crunch, continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes and do the speed test again.

Autumn Granola

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

1 hour 45 mins

 

Author: Manuel Solis

Category: Breakfast

Servings: About 4 lb

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 Cup Pecan Pieces
• 1 Cup Slivered Almonds
• 1 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 1 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
• ¾ Cup Honey
• 2 oz Butter (melted)
• 1 Cup Shredded Coconut
• 1 Cup Dried Cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 215°F
2. Combine the oats, pecans, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a big bowl
3. Add the honey and melted butter and mix to combine. Make sure all the ingredients are wet
4. Spray two half sheet pans or cookie sheets with non-stick spray
5. Divide the granola mixture in half and bake for about 90 minutes stirring every 20 minutes until the granola looks toasted and does not feel sticky to the touch
6. About 15 minutes before taking the granola out of the oven toss in the coconut and continue to bake
7. Remove from oven and stir the dried cranberries. Store in an air-tight container

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