these are the basics for my go-to granola recipe. you can play with the add-ins!

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 cups rolled oats (whole)
  • 1 cup quinoa (any kind/color)
  • 1 cup seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, others)
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews)
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened, shredded or chunk)
  • 1 cup dried chopped fruit (dates, figs, cranberries, blueberries - NO sugar added, check the ingredients)
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup (REAL, NOT any high fructose corn syrup laden fake nonsensical syrup)
  • 1 cup olive or avocado oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (real, organic)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon (Saigon/Vietnamese is best if you can find it)
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 TB kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with a layer of parchment.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl: oats, quinoa, seeds, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. DO NOT ADD DRIED FRUIT!
  3. Mix oil, vanilla, maple syrup in a small bowl.
  4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir them together. Bake in the oven for 45-60 min**; keep an eye on it and bake until desired crispness. When the top is golden brown, the bottom will be more thoroughly browned, so be careful to not let it burn.

** if baking on 2 racks, switch the position of the sheets halfway through. consider taking pans out to mix the granola halfway through as well to prevent burning.

MY FAVORITE COMBINATIONS:

  • coconut / pecans / dates
  • dried cranberries / almond
  • dried blueberries / walnuts / sunflower seeds