Homemade Granola

I am not a big breakfast person. Give me a glass of water, a nice cup of coffee, a piece of toast and I am satisfied. But lately I discovered homemade granola and it has become a game changer. It is my go-to breakfast. Trust me, homemade granola is so much better than the store bought kind. For me, the store bought ones are too sweet and often have things added that I don’t like. With homemade granola, you can choose your own nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sweetener and flavoring. You are able to control whatever you want to add. Once you make it, it lasts for weeks in the pantry. I have been playing with various ingredients for a couple of months. Every homemade granola recipe I have come across uses coconut flakes. But I don’t like coconut.I recommend adding them if you like them. If you have the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perlman, check out her granola recipe. She likes her granola in clusters and adds a whipped egg white to the granola mixture before she spreads it out on the baking sheet. I have not done that. Whatever you do, you will end up with a jar of crunchy, chewy, and lightly sweetened granola. This is also a wonderful project to do with children, that way they can create their own breakfast.

Life at Sunny Cove has had its ups and downs. I find solace in the kitchen as long as my husband cleans up my mess. I have slowed down tremendously. I need breaks now, so no more multi-tasking. I am fortunate that I have family and friends who support me.

Be creative and design your own granola: add your favorite nuts and seeds, but remember that they need to be roasted before adding them. Use a sweetener if you like, and however much you like. My preferred choice for sweeteners are honey and maple syrup. For dried fruits I use raisins, cranberries, cherries or a mixture of all. Deb Perlman from Smitten Kitchen adds roasted wheat germ. For fats, I use sunflower oil but you may also use olive oil, coconut-, or canola oil. Some recipes call for melted butter. 

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
This recipe makes about 4-5 cups of granola

3 ½ cups old fashioned oats
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
¼ cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp.salt
½ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds  
⅓ cup sunflower oil
⅓ cup honey
2  TBS maple syrup
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (or more) dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, or other fruit

Directions:
Preheat the to 300˚ F (150˚C)
Cover the baking sheet with waxed paper
Combine the oats, hazelnuts, and flax seeds in a large bowl. 
Combine the wet ingredients and spices in another bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ones. Spread them out on the cookie sheet covered with wax paper and bake until golden, approximately 40-45 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add the dried fruits and store in an airtight container.
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Guten Appetit!
Recipe from the sunnycovechef.com
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Here are some more recipes for breakfast or brunch. 

These  healthy savory  muffins will give you energy for a long time.
Click here for the recipe

Avocado toast with homemade preserved lemons. 
​Click here for the recipe

Healthy banana pancakes
​Click here for the recipe.