Our little household has a borderline out-of-control granola obsession. Actually, my partner Mike has a borderline out-of-control granola obsession haha. I do have to admit, the smell of homemade granola wafting throughout the kitchen is pretty hard to beat. We eat it sprinkled on top of Coconut Yogurt, on our Acai Bowls, as a snack on it's own, or in a bowl with homemade almond milk & fresh fruit - anything goes really!
Most of the store bought stuff is high in sugar, contains unhealthy fats & oils, & is packed full of fillers & unnecessary ingredients. The "natural healthy" granola you buy can also be really really expensive. So for about a year now - we've been making our own! I tend to share little (actually, let's be honest, alot of) snippets of home life on our Insta, & always get so many DM's about recipe's (specifically our granola!) We don't tend to follow a recipe as such when cooking at home, so I find it hard to explain how we came up with the end result haha. So yesterday, we decided to sit down & write down exactly what we use to make our super delicious (in my un bias opinion, best in the biz) homemade healthy granola :)
Remember to bookmark this Recipe so you can come back to it each month if you need too. & tag us in your Instagram posts & stories so we can see your granola creations & re share the love xxx IG: @isla_samsara #islasamsara
This is our base recipe, you can play around with the mix-ins and
spices to make it your favourite granola :)
Ingredients
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4 cups Organic Rolled Oats
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3/4 cup Almonds
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1/2 cup Pepitas
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1/2 cup Cashew pieces
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1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
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20-25 Macadamias
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10 Walnuts
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1/2 cup Coconut Flakes
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1/3 cup Cacao Nibs
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1/2 cup Dried Fruit (i.e Dried Cranberries or Raisins)
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1/3 teaspoon Celtic Salt
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1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon (or more as desired)
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1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
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1/2 Maple Syrup (or Honey)
This recipe yields 8-10 cups of granola. It can be stored in an air tight container for up to a month :) We try to be as zero waste / zero plastic in our kitchen as possible so we use our Pantry Jar's to store our granola (pictured in all pics) They are the perfect addition to your pantry that beautifies & eco-fies! You don't need to be an eco warrior to enjoy these, just a lover of beautiful things, including our oceans - let's do this no-plastic thing.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 176 degrees Celsius ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit )
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, salt & cinnamon. Stir to blend
3. Pour in the coconut oil & maple syrup ( or honey )
Mix well, until every oat, nut & seed is lightly coated. Pour the
granola onto your baking tray & use a large spoon to spread
it in an even layer
4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway
At about 18-19 minutes in, sprinkle the coconut flakes on top -
be sure to watch the coconut doesn't burn
5. Let the granola cool completely (about 30-45mins)
It will further crisp up as it cools down :)
6. Once cool, break up the granola into a large bowl & top with
the cacao nibs & dried fruit
7. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature
for up to 1 month - if it lasts that long ;)
Granola Tips
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Make it Gluten Free - be sure to use certified gluten-free oats
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Make it Nut Free - use seeds like pepitas & sunflower seeds instead of the nuts
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The granola stores perfectly so it makes a beautiful homemade gift :)
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For fresh citrus flavour, stir fresh citrus zest (up to 2 teaspoons) into the mixture before baking. Orange zest is delish
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For maximum clumps, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the half-way baking point. Then put the pan back into the oven to finish baking
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If you don't want extra clumpy granola, stir it around with a spoon
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Don’t bake the granola too long — just until it’s lightly golden on top. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools
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Enjoy as a snack on it's own, with coconut yogurt, on Açai bowls, with fresh fruit & almond milk - the combinations are endless :)
- xxx -