This Homemade Granola is packed with healthy ingredients and natural sugars becoming a great breakfast or snack food.
Granola is one of those ingredients that has so many variations and uses that the possibilities are endless. It can be eaten as a cereal, as a topping for yogurt or even mixed into cookies!
What You'll Need
The base for this Homemade Granola begins with oats. You'll want to use old fashioned oats as they have a more "rough" texture with bigger pieces that will bake up well.
For the add-ins, this recipe uses coconut, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and wheat bran. Other nuts such as walnuts or pecans could also be used. The sesame seeds add a unique bit of crunch to the granola, while the shredded coconut adds a tad of sweetness.
If you are looking for wheat bran at the grocery store, I find it in the baking aisle next to the flour substitutes. So what exactly is wheat bran? Essentially it is the outer shell of the wheat kernel that is loaded with fiber, magnesium and other nutrients.
The only sweetener in this Homemade Granola is honey. It adds just the right amount of sweetness in addition to the natural sugars found in the dried fruit. Apricots and raisins are a great choice for fruit in the granola, but feel free to mix it up with dried cranberries or blueberries or even banana chips.
You will combine the honey with oil to mix into your granola mixture. The oil helps give the granola its signature crunch and prevents it from turning into a sticky mess. A neutral oil like vegetable or canola works great.
Making the Homemade Granola
This Fruit & Nut Granola is so easy to make. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, sunflower & sesame seeds and wheat germ. In a smaller bowl, whisk together honey and oil. Stir the wet mixture into the oat mixture and mix well.
Pour onto a large baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake 30-35 minutes until the granola is golden brown, stirring it every 10 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly and gets nice and crunchy.
Remove from oven and stir in the dried apricots and raisins. Allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping. Store the Homemade Granola in an airtight container or jar.
I love having this Homemade Granola on hand in my pantry. It makes the perfect topping for a bowl of yogurt with fresh berries or on it's own with milk. Imagine how cute mason jars filled with this granola and tied with a festive ribbon would be for an easy gift for a neighbor or friend this holiday season. Include a recipe card so they could make it themselves!
Other popular breakfast ideas:
Everything Bagel Pull Apart Bread
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut flakes
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup shelled sunflower seeds unsalted
- ½ cup wheat bran
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup dried apricots chopped
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds & wheat germ.
- In a small bowl whisk together honey and oil. Add to oat mixture and mix well.
- Spread out onto large baking sheet. Bake 30-35 until light golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stir in dried apricots & raisins. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent lumping. When cool, store in airtight container, jar or plastic bag.
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