Chocolate Granola

Watch this tasty breakfast or snack disappear!

In large bowl mix together:
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4  c. coconut or light olive oil
6 TBS Cocoa powder (prefer High Fat Dutch)
1 tsp salt
Add and stir until evenly coated:
4 c. oats
1 c. coconut
1/2 c. chopped almonds
-Prepare 11x17 rimmed sheet pan by placing a piece of parchment inside.  Lightly spray with oil.  Press mixed granola mixture into pan.
-Bake 250 for 1 hour.  Let cool in pan if you want granola to stick together in clumps.

Granola Party Favors

It's all about the presentation!  These are cute little granola party favors or gifts.  I have many granola recipes such as the one HERE.  I also have a dedicated "granola" label since I have so many recipes and ways I use granola!  I used clear card sticker seal envelopes and then made a paper tag (think name card) to staple alone the top with a printed label.

Maple-Pecan Cluster Granola

I recently had my fifth baby.  While recovering in the hospital, a friend sent me a bag of this delicious granola.  I really dislike hospital food, so I really appreciated the food gift!  I just now may be addicted to this stuff!  My family will eat one batch of this in one sitting, so I now make it just for me :)  (although sometimes I give them the SPECIAL privilege of enjoying a bowl with me!)  It is always nice to switch up my granola recipes for a change.  This one is great for snacking and has more of a consistency similar to store bought granola.  My slightly altered recipe was originally from smittenkitchen.com.  YUM!!!

Granola with Crushed Banana Chips

My new favorite variation on homemade granola...is to add dehydrated UNSWEETENED banana chips. It gives a subtle banana taste and a crunch that I love! Just take a handful of banana chips, put in a plastic Ziploc bag, seal, then with a rolling pin or back of a spoon, break chips into smaller pieces. Stir into cooked granola.

For other granola recipes click here.

Yogurt with Granola

If you haven't had this in awhile, here's a reminder to try it again! Layer your favorite yogurt, homemade granola (you can also crush some granola bars), and fresh berries-Strawberry season is in FULL swing right now. This is delicious and pretty!

TIP: When your children are young, capitalize on their ignorance...by feeding them PLAIN yogurt. It doesn't have all of the added sugar. You could also take plain yogurt and add a little honey which is a natural sweetener. I eat this with plain yogurt sometimes, but my sweet tooth prefers the Stonyfield Vanilla or Strawberry (that brand doesn't use food dyes or high fructose corn syrup).

Homemade Granola Bars

I've tried a couple different recipes for homemade granola bars and this is the BEST in my opinion. It is another recipe from Barefoot Contessa (altered by me to my taste preferences). These are so much heartier and tastier than store bought granola bars, and if you like my granola recipe, you'll love these!

4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal 2 c. sliced almonds (can use pecans too) 1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional) 2 c. shredded coconut 1 cup wheat germ 6 TBS butter 1 c. honey 1/2 c. brown sugar 4 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 1-1 1/2 cups dried fruit (raisins, craisins, etc.) -Preheat oven to 350. -Toss oatmeal, nuts, wheat germ, and coconut together on 11x17 pan and bake 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl. -Butter 11x17 pan and line it with parchment paper. Reduce oven temperature to 300. -In saucepan combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute then pour over toasted oatmeal mixture. Add dried fruit and stir well. -Pour mixture into prepared pan. Wet fingers (or use spoon/spatula) and firmly press mixture evenly into pan. Bake 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool at least 3 hours before cutting into squares. -When cutting, I like to empty the granola sheet onto my granite counter top, peel off parchment then cut with my big butcher knife. Note: The dried fruit REALLY sweetens the granola bars up. I prefer to use less vs. more of the dried fruit for this reason...I also can't wait to experiment with different spices and ingredients like my granola to come up with some different granola bar versions!

Crunchy Granola Cookies

I had a granola cookie from Whole Foods about a month ago that was delicious...so I decided to try a granola cookie of my own. These are crunchy and chewy and delicious!

Cream:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Add:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granola
1/2 c. raisins (optional)

-Bake 350 for 9-10 minutes. Makes 16 small cookies.  For 8 big cookies bake 325 for 18-20 minutes.

Aunt Susan's Granola

This is another granola recipe adapted from my Aunt Susan. The main differences are it uses a bit more sweetener (honey) and powdered milk. Pictured is also a favor/gift idea for sharing this yummy recipe. I made a bunch of different kinds of granola, and packaged in clear cellophane bags, labeling each kind.

6 cups oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flax
1 cup coconut
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup powdered milk
1 TBS vanilla
1 cup honey, warmed
1 cup light olive oil
1 cup raisins or craisins*

-Mix ingredients all together until well coated (*can add raisins now or after you bake the granola). Divide mixture onto two 11x17 pans. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Pull pans out and stir granola mixture and respread. Bake anther 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer granola to bowl or storage container.
-See my other granola recipe HERE for additional variations...In above picture I added 2 cups of cornflakes.

Granola Banana Muffins

Here's a fun crunchy twist if you're a banana muffin fan...

For a Healthier Twist on your Favorite Banana Muffin Recipe:
1. Add 1 cup granola (see my granola recipe).
2. Also sprinkle the top of each muffin with granola before baking.
3. Also try using ALL white wheat flour, or half white/half wheat flour to make it healthier.
4. Reduce the sugar by 1/3 (for example if it calls for 1 1/2 cups sugar, just add 1 cup sugar)

Homemade Granola

This recipe is incredibly forgiving and is open to many variations, so don't be afraid to experiment with ratios/ingredients until you find your favorite combination! This is a wonderful healthy breakfast that stays with you MUCH longer than typical cold cereals. I also like to switch the recipe up sometimes just for a change. See possible variations below.

My Favorite Basic Combo:
Preheat oven to 350. On a large 11x 17 cookie sheet mix the following:
4 cups whole oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut (can use sweetened too, just not as healthy and only use 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups nuts (slivered almonds, chopped pecans, etc)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 tsp cinnamon (or more depending on preference)
1/2 cup light olive oil (can also use grapeseed oil)
1/2 cup honey, warmed
-Mix all ingredients together well. Spread out evenly on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and re-stir and re-spread. Bake another 10 minutes. Re-stir and re-spread and bake another 5-10 minutes (for a total of 25-30min). Immediately transfer to storing container because if you let it cool too long, it is hard to get off the cookie sheet!

Feel free to also add:
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/8 cup Flax seeds or ground flax flour
1 cup spelt (so three cups oats and 1 cup spelt)
1/2-1 cup dried fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raisins, papaya, mango, pineapple, etc.)

Maple Nut Granola:
Use pure maple syrup instead of honey
Coconut Granola:
Add to basic recipe 2 tsp coconut flavoring
Pumpkin Spice Granola:
Add 1 TBS pumpkin spice
Honey Bunches of Oats Granola:
Use maple syrup in place of honey and then add 3 cups of cornflakes after baking basic recipe.
Vanilla Oat Granola:
add 2 tsp vanilla to oil/honey mixture use 5 cups oats and no coconut