Coconut oil granola with flaked coconut, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon

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Homemade granola with coconut oil

I should have thought of this one. But when I asked over on Facebook about making homemade granola, Jenna chimed in and suggested using coconut oil for homemade granola – so glad she did. It’s amazing. I paired it with some of my favorite yogurt and ate it for dinner last night, don’t tell anyone.

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups old-fashioned oats

1 Cup flaked unsweetened coconut

1/2 Cup pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 Cup melted coconut oil
Amazon often offers great discounts on this brand – Nature’s Way Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce. Costco also has a great deal on it.

1/3 Cup maple syrup

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

Optional – add a pinch of nutmeg to dry ingredients, if you like

Optional – dried cranberries, when served
Amazon has these, which are delicious: Traverse Bay Fruit Co. Dried Cranberries, 4-Pound Box

These ingredients are merely suggestions. Granola is one of those beautiful things that you can add pretty much anything to – cashews, almonds, dried fruits, quinoa (I want to try this), seeds, and more.

HOW TO PREPARE

1.) Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Grab a large baking sheet and cover it with a Silpat or parchment paper. (Silpats is a brand of non-stick baking sheets. They make your life easier because they rinse off easily and keep things from sticking to your baking sheets. Amazon carries them here: Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, 11 5/8 x 16 1/2-inches, Half Sheet Size. Any brand will do.)

2.) In a large bowl, mix together all your dry ingredients. Oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, brown sugar and salt.

3.) In another bowl whisk together your melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. If your coconut oil isn’t melted, you can either heat on the stove top or microwave for a few seconds until it’s in liquid form. Whisk it all together.

4.) Pour liquid ingredients into your bowl of dry ingredients. Stir it well. My hands were cleaned and I just used them to mash and mix it all together. You want your liquid to coat your dry ingredients.

5.) Spread out on a baking sheet (pictured above is before baking). If you need, spread it across two baking sheets. You want it spread out evenly. Pop it into oven and bake for 40 minutes, stirring and turning every 10 minutes or so. The pumpkin seeds ended up with the perfect crunch for my liking – but if you think it’s getting too toasty, you can always take it out after 30 minutes.

6.) Let granola cool. Then store it in an airtight container!

I like to have my granola over yogurt. I added dried cranberries to the granola when I served it. I had read somewhere that adding the dried cranberries (or other berries) could add moisture to your granola, which isn’t necessary good for storage. So I’ve opted to leave them out and just toss them in when I’m eating it. To be honest, I don’t think the granola will be “stored” for long, so I might just toss them in next time I make a batch.

Tell me – do you use coconut oil for making homemade granola? What do you like to put into your granola?

I got the inspiration for this recipe from: Jenna, Bon Appetit and Two Peas and Their Pod