Homemade Granola

I will never again buy store bought granola. Not only is the recipe super delicious but it's so easy to make and will last several weeks if stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.



Several months ago I read White Jacket Required which is written by the author of the blog Eat, Live, Run. It's a great book about her life after college and culinary journey. One of my favorite things about this book is the recipes that Jenna includes at the end of each chapter. While reading the book I began to dog ear different recipes that I wanted to try and this granola was one of them. I used her recipe as a guide but I chose to add dried fruit in place of some of the nuts and I only used 3/4 up of maple syrup instead of the full cup.

This granola is the perfect topping to a bowl of Greek yogurt or simply eaten by itself as a healthy snack.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of light maple syrup or honey
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- sprinkle of sea salt

- In a saucepan combine the syrup(or honey) and coconut oil and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, dried cherries, dried cranberries, cinnamon and sea salt. Pour in the hot syrup and stir well to coat.
- Spread granola mixture on a greased baking sheet and bake on 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

 

 - Store the granola in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a month.