The Quest to Learn how to make granola
My journey towards learning how to make granola began with my increased understanding of the importance of fueling your body properly. This is especially true in the land of 3 kids. If I don’t fuel myself with at least a reasonably healthy high energy diet then those little rascals are going to overwhelm me. Admittedly, I still don’t have the best eating habits, but I’m working on it and trying to improve.
One key to eating healthier is replacing junky snacks that don’t help my energy level with healthy snacks that are going to help me power through the day. When mid morning or mid afternoon rolls around the HUNGER BEAST awakens I need something to keep him at bay otherwise he will gobble up my focus and productivity.
For a while one of my go to snacks has been Greek yogurt as it has a number of health benefits. But being a bit of a finicky eater, I wanted a little something extra to top my yogurt. Fresh fruit was a good option, but my favorite choice quickly became granola. Still, I hadn’t yet accepted the need to learn how to make granola. You can just get great granola at the store, right?
I tried getting granola at the store, however, I soon found that I had a really tough time finding quality granola that I liked. This brand was bland. That brand only comes honey flavored. Why are so many granola options vanilla flavored? To compound the problem, we live in a small town and the options at the local supermarket are much more limited than you might find in a booming metroplis. Eventually I did finally hit on a granola I enjoyed, the Wegmans brand granola. The problem is the nearest Wegmans is a few hours away (insert teardrops here) and, well, that’s a long way to travel for granola. My solution for months was to have my mother-in-law bring a boat load of Wegmans granola every time she came down from New York, but invariably I would still run out at times. Finally I decided “Enough is enough!”, “I HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE GRANOLA!”. Okay, to be fair, my wife learned how to make granola, but rest easy ladies, I believe guys are equally suited for the kitchen realm and so Melissa has since taught me her granola secrets and I am now making regular batches of coconut pecan homemade granola! And it’s amazing! And now it’s time to share that deliciousness with you!
Stop your store search! Here’s how you make amazing homemade granola!
Ingredients
- 2 c . oats
- 1/3 c . sliced almonds
- 1/2 c . pecans
- 1/2 c . sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/3 c olive oil
- 1/3 c maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together dry ingredients.
- Mix in oil and syrup.
- Pour on parchment paper lined baking tray. Pack flat for crispy granola!
- Bake for 14 minutes then rotate 180 degrees and bake for another 14 minutes.
- Pull out. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!
No Comments