Making my own granola always seemed like a bit much. Who really does that? I mean, I don’t own clogs or actually enjoy hiking. I confess that I do own Birkenstocks, but they are absolutely having a come back. Despite my lack of outdoorsiness – I decided to give making my own a try. The recipe turned out to be super easy, delicious and versatile. You can mix in dried fruit or chocolate to enhance the sweetness a bit. The recipe also allows you to substitute different types of nuts depending on what you have available. Maybe this whole granola thing has me rethinking clogs? J to the K.
Coconut Crunch Granola
- 1 Cup of Rolled Oats (Quaker Oats will do)
- 1 Cup of Coconut Flakes (sweetened or un)
- 1 Cup of Crushed Almonds or Slivered Almonds
- 1/2 Cup of Sunflower Seeds
- 1 Cup of Crushed Pecans
- 1 Tbsp Sugar (I used Splenda)
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2/3 Cup of Maple Syrup or Agave
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Mix the first 7 Ingredients in a big bowl. You can use any type of nut, just make sure to keep the general proportions the same.
- In a microwavable bowl or saucepan, combine coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Heat over medium whisking until combined and there is no visible separation of ingredients. If using microwave, place in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk until combined. Continue to microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well until fully coated.
- Arrange on a large baking sheet in a single layer. I used parchment paper to help prevent sticking.
- Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
- Do NOT stir. This keeps the granola chunky.
- Rotate pan in oven after 20 minutes.
- Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until granola is brown but not burned. Your kitchen (or entire 1 bedroom NYC apartment) should smell amazing.
- Remove from oven. At this point, you can sprinkle on dried fruit or chocolate. Let cool completely.
- After cooled, break up into chunks.
- Enjoy on own or with almond milk!
The Gramercy Fox 