Granola: The Addiction

 Granola: The Addiction

If any of you know me well, you know I like to try new recipes! A few months ago I decided to try and make some Granola because Josh and I love to eat it and it seemed so easy. You could look up any recipe on Pinterest, but some of those granola recipes get rather tedious, so I found the simplest recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it for what I wanted! Underneath this paragraph is the image that I follow off of Pinterest. After you look at the image, check out the other renditions/add ins that I put into my granola! BTW: No one has tried my granola and said that it was not good! Let me know if you try the recipe and what variations you do!

My Changes

Oil Base: I have tried this recipe using butter/coconut oil and both are fabulous! It is definitely not as healthy with butter, but if you like the rich flavor that butter gives, then you will love it as your oil base. When you use butter the granola seriously tastes like pie crust! I like the coconut oil a little bit more though because it isn't as strong and you really can't taste it. Depending on what type of granola you want to make, one option may be better than another!

Sweetness: For my 1/2 cup of sweetness, I switch it around a lot! I really like doing 1/4 of one sweetener and 1/4 of another. My favorite natural sweeteners are pure maple syrup, agave nectar, and honey! Obviously honey and maple syrup are much stronger flavors so I tend to mix 1/4 of maple syrup or honey along with 1/4 of agave. I feel like this amount of sweetness is perfect. If you want to make it even sweeter, Josh and I will sometimes add 4 tbsp of Nutella. You could also put in some almond butter or peanut butter as well and it would probably be delicious. The only thing with adding more wet ingredients is that it will take longer to cook.

Oats: I think the recipe calls for traditional oats, but I'm lazy, so I just use the quick cooking oats (plus that's what I have at home, so I'm not going to go out and buy other oats just for just granola!). At first I thought that the quick cooking oats would affect the texture, but it really doesn't! Just let the granola sit and cool after you take it out of the oven and it will create the little clusters that you are normally used to.

Nuts/Seeds: I go crazy with this section! My favorite nuts/seeds are pecans, cashews, and pumpkin seeds! I love adding nuts and I think they really add a lot to the granola and they help me stay full longer for sure. If you don't like nuts as much as me, you could totally omit all of them.. I probably put like a 1/2 cup of pecans, 1/2 of cashews, and 1/4 of pumpkin seeds normally in each batch. One time I made a dark chocolate pumpkin spice granola and I only put in pumpkin seeds and pecans. I have never really measured the amount of nuts I put in, but it is really up to you and your taste. As long as everything is evenly dispersed, I don't think you should have any problems. The only thing I'm not familiar with is adding dried fruit. I do add dried/unsweetened coconut flakes though from Trader Joes (I add a ton... I have a problem). Other than the coconut, I do not add any other dried goods because Josh and I aren't the biggest fans of dried fruit. The picture located above is actually in my kitchen!!! Look at me... I'm pretty much a food blogger/photographer (not... haha).

Oven Time: Baking is another beast of its own! I do initially follow the guidelines for cooking by preheating to 375 degrees and cooking for 10 minutes..... but my granola normally takes at least 20-30 minutes to bake the way I like it. Depending on the amount of add ins and how much I have, it will determine the cook time. Make sure to take the pan out often and mix it because some of the nuts and the coconut can burn very quickly! Just keep a good eye on it! Don't start making your granola and then go to the shower!!! Trust me... it will burn...... and you will be very sad.

Josh and I love to put granola on our smoothie bowls and yogurt.. honestly it is good on anything! Just writing about it is making me want to eat it right now! You could probably eat this as a cereal as well, but then I think I would probably want to double the batch! This recipe makes about 2 mason jars full and a little extra. For two people it lasts a while, but for a larger group or family, this will go quickly!

Let me know if you try this granola recipe and what add ins you would put in!? Do you have a favorite granola recipe? Let me know! Follow the blog and let me know what you think/what you want to see!!

Thank you!

~Anna Wilson