Granola is an old friend of mine. We’ve been having breakfast together for the past, oh, 10 years or so. We usually invite yogurt to the party, and occasionally milk. Unfortunately, I only discovered making homemade granola within the past few years. Kind of ridiculous, considering how easy it is to make, and definitely a travesty when considering all of the delicious varieties of granola you can make it your own kitchen.
It was love at first bite with this granola. Sweet, chewy clusters with the crunch of whole nuts and dried fruit. Tastes amazing with plain yogurt or milk, and fantastic over ice cream. Yes, this granola doubles as dessert! You might even catch yourself eating handfuls of it as a snack! This recipe is doubled from the original because even with a double recipe, I can still eat my way through a batch of this in less than a week. Give it a try – granola loves to make new friends. Happy eating!
Favorite Granola (adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
4 cups oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup whole almonds (and/or hazelnuts)
2/3 cup raisins (and/or dried cherries)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined. Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them (oh yeah!).
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds (and/or hazelnuts) over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip again. Sprinkle the raisins over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven for another 5 minutes. Let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container.
Oh, you are a woman after my own heart! I love granola! I recently saw a version Melissa Clark posted that uses olive oil and was duly intrigued. Have you tried it?
Hello! No I haven’t tried it, but my aunt makes a granola with olive oil that is quite wonderful. It gives a very different flavor though, I found that the flavor of the olive oil was quite pronounced, whereas with this recipe the honey and cinnamon (and even nutmeg) really come through. So many recipes to try!