When I’m craving something sweet, especially during the summer months, I typically try to reach for something a little healthier than usual. I recently discovered that I may have a slight intolerance to gluten, so I was thinking of all the wonderful uses for naturally gluten-free oats. I usually purchase a small little bag of expensive gourmet granola from certain specialty stores and love munching on it as a snack. Then I realized, why don’t I just make my own granola? At least this way I will know exactly what is going into it, therefore avoiding any unnecessarily processed sugars and hidden not-so-good-for-you ingredients, as well as cutting the cost. I developed this recipe to be healthy, but still just as delicious as any gourmet granola. This is easy adaptable to fit your tastes, meaning you can swap out or omit any ingredients you aren’t too fond of, making this a wonderful and easy recipe. So if you’d like to make this addictively delicious, healthy, and easy chunky granola recipe, please follow along with me in my latest video found HERE, or continue to read along…
Granola Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups Oats (I used quick oats)
1 Cup Nuts (I used 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 Cup slivered almonds)
1/4 Cup Flaxseed (ground/milled)
1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes (Unsweetened)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Melted Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Sweetener of Choice (I used 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup + 2 Tbsp Honey)
2 Tbsp Nut Butter (I used Almond Butter)
Mix In:
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins (Added after baking)*
*Can add any dried fruits, chocolate, etc as a mix-in after baking.
*Can also omit or replace certain ingredients. Good swaps are for different nuts, seeds, nut butters, spices, sweeteners, etc…
Granola Instructions:
Set your oven to 300F as this comes together quite quickly.
To a large bowl add the dry ingredients (oats, nuts, flax, flakes, spices, salt), and give them a good mix to incorporate.
Next, in the same large bowl add your wet ingredients (oil, sweetener, nut butter), and give this another good mix to incorporate. You can mix this in with a spatula, or even your clean hands to really get in there.
Once your granola base is made we can get ready to bake this.
On a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, simply pour your granola onto the sheet and begin to spread it out, and at the same time pat it down. You are looking to bake it, at this stage, nicely packed down, in almost a round, flat mound. You can see me do this HERE for a better visual. This is the secret to chunky granola, so don’t skip this step. We want our mix spread out, yet packed together tightly to ensure chunks.
Bake this at 300F for 15 minutes for the first bake, on the middle rack of your oven. After the first 15 minutes, take out your granola and with a spatula or fork, start to separate, spread out your granola, and form chunks in this granola mix. Once everything is separated yet still chunky, rotate your pan and place it back into the oven. Bake the granola for an additional 15 minutes, always at 300F. You can watch me do this HERE.
After the second bake, for a total of 30 minutes baking time, your granola is ready for any mix-in you would like to add. I add, at this stage with my granola hot out of the oven, 1/2 cup of golden raisins, but you can add any dried fruit of your choice. Simply add your ingredient/s and mix everything to incorporate. You can even add chocolate, but let the granola cool for about 2 minutes in the pan first so that your chocolate doesn’t melt too much. After your mix-in you can let the granola cool on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Now your granola is ready to eat or simply place in the container of your choice. You can store your granola in an air-tight container for up to two weeks, but it’s never lasted for longer than a few days in my house.
After you make this and see how easy it is, yet how absolutely delicious this guilt-free granola is, you’ll never buy store bought again. I have been making this for a few months now and have seriously NEVER purchased granola from the store since. This is so versatile, with ingredients being easy to swap out, or substitute, the flavours and combinations are endless. I love that I know exactly what is going into my granola, making me feel better about eating this than any other snack or meal replacement.
I also really love this granola as a yogurt parfait. I simply layer my favourite yogurt (a nice fruity Greek yogurt is usually my go-to), topped with this delicious chunky granola. Delicious!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe, and again, if you would like to see me make this in a quick video tutorial you can find that video on my YouTube channel HERE. Enjoy and happy baking 🙂
Love: Lisa (@ladolcelisa)
ladolcelisa 