Homemade granola
Making your own granola is really quick, easy and way cheaper than buying it off the shelf. You can also add the exact mix of ingredients that you like, so no more disappointing bits of dried pineapple to come across. I’m quite particular about the types of dried fruit I like in granola or muesli, I only really like sultanas, raisins and dates, I’ll tolerate a bit of apricot, but that’s about it! So it’s better to make my own, plus I can also add loads of nuts as they’re always a bit scarce in shop-bought packets.
With this recipe you can pick and choose the ingredients that you like to make your own ‘perfect granola’. Switch the nuts, seeds and fruit if there are others that you prefer; if you stick to these proportions you’ll still get a good balance. Same with the spices and vanilla extract, you don’t have to add them if they’re not your thing, the granola will still taste great.
Ingredients
Makes approx 1kg, or 20 servings
400g oats
200g raisins, or any dried fruit you prefer
100g almonds, hazelnuts, cashews or pecans
50g pumpkin seeds
50g sunflower seeds
40g flax seeds
½ tsp cinnamon, optional
1 tsp ground ginger, optional
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut oil
170g runny honey or maple syrup
50g desiccated coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 160ºc
Weigh out all the dry ingredients and put all of them, except the desiccated coconut, into a large bowl.
Put the coconut oil and honey into a pan and gently warm until melted then pour onto the dry ingredients, mix well.
Tip the granola onto one, or two baking trays so it is a max of about 2 cm deep and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Check and turn the mix and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes, keeping a careful eye on it as you don’t want it to turn too brown. You might need to put it back in for another 5 minutes or so, but watch like a hawk it will suddenly turn! The mix should turn a pale golden colour.
Serve with Greek yoghurt and homemade fruit compote. Or it work well sprinkled on top of overnight oats or muesli.
