I’m not very organized lately. Somehow, I ended up with four pounds of vanilla yogurt in my fridge, along with a lifetime supply of shredded coconut. My pantry is well-stocked with three different kinds of oatmeal. Not the little packet thingies. Irish oats. Steel cut oats. Some kind of organic oats from the bulk foods aisle at whole foods. Somewhere, a Scotsman is laughing himself silly knowing what I paid for, you know, horse feed.
I meant to do that.
There’s clearly only one solution to the problem: make granola. I’ve never made it before but I surfed around the net and found some recipes and discovered that not only is it laughably easy to make, it’s ideal for customizing.
So I made up my own recipe. It didn’t make big clumps of granola, but rather, a crunchy, flaky, brown-sugary cereal.
I’m sure it’s healthy. It must be. It’s homemade and there are oats involved.
Anyway. Enjoy.
Brown Sugar Granola
2 cups oats (the quick cooking kind. Not instant)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
3 tbsp flaxseed
6 tbsp butter (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix oats, cranberries, almonds, coconut, and flaxseed in a large bowl.
In saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in vanilla.
Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and mix until evenly distributed.
Spread mixture in a buttered 13x 9 pan, don’t press down too much, you don’t want it very compact. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool completely – it will crisp up as it cools.
Serve over yogurt. Store in an airtight bag.
sure, if there are oats in it, it must be good for you..just ignore the butter and sugar…lol
sounds good though..
I like making granola and always imagine it’s more wholesome than store bought. Yours sounds delicious.
Mmm… that looks delicious. And I agree, it MUST be healthy. I mean, OATS. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I’m pinning this!
Thank you!
I am afraid I am just a coffee and toast girl. Your way must be healthier. Have a great week!
I’m going to try this. I need to make some granola for breakfast. I can’t believe how expensive it is in the store.
It’s crazy expensive! So cheap and easy to make at home … Unless you go crazy with the expensive ingredients, and honestly? No need to.
That looks so good. I’ve been meaning to make homemade granola forever, yet somehow never get around to it. I may have to try your recipe (although can’t find flaxseeds easily here–maybe I could use a substitution?)
You could easily add some other type of seed (pumpkin, sunflower), or just skip it. It’s just there for a bit of variety! The fun part of granola was improvising so don’t be afraid, it’s hard to mess up too badly.
The cranberries are the selling point for me. I keep meaning to make some granola for my husband who loves the stuff. This looks so good.