Homemade Granola

This homemade granola is really tasty and so much better than store-bought, in my opinion. For this recipe, I added in pecans, coconut, and dried cranberries. Besides cranberries, you can use raisins, dried apricots, pineapple or papaya, or any other type of dried fruit. For the nuts, use almonds, pecans, or walnuts. You can leave off the coconut if you prefer. There are so many possibilities with this recipe.

You’re going to need to stir the granola every 15 minutes during the 1-hour baking process. It also bakes slowly at a low temperature so as not to burn.

Have you ever made homemade granola before? Did you try other add-ins to the recipe? Let me know what you think.

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Added in the cranberries after baking

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Homemade granola - great for anytime

Author: Karen - Oventry.com

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Homemade Granola

Once you make this homemade granola, you won't ever want store-bought again!

Prep time: 16 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 16 M

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup nuts (almonds, walnuts or pecans)
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut - unsweetened (optional)
• 1/2 cup oil (avocado oil, vegetable oil)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250° F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, flax seed, and coconut. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, heat and stir together the oil, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and salt only until creamy and melted. Do not boil. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla and stir until combined.
4. Pour brown sugar/honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Spread the mixture over the parchment paper and bake for about 1 hour, stirring the mixture around every 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and stir in the dried cranberries while the mixture is still warm.
7. Once the granola cools completely, it will harden. Break the granola into chunks and store in airtight container at room temperature. The granola should last for about 2 - 3 weeks. The granola can also be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months.

Notes

You can substitute other dried fruit for cranberries such as dried blueberries or apricots.