Homemade Granola...Heaven on Earth

I LOVE making things from scratch!! There is something so incredibly empowering in making something with your own hands and having it taste BETTER than something you'd buy at the store. I also take great pleasure in knowing exactly what's in my food.. and knowing that's it's healthy and void of chemicals and preservatives. Although, I have to admit... more times than not ~ I resort to fast food and quick fixes due to my schedule. My long term goal, however, is to make more things from scratch and one day (probably years from now), I would love to go organic. So for now, I squeeze in the homemade things when I can and continue to build my recipe collection.

So tonight, I tried my hand at GRANOLA. I found the absolute BEST granola recipe from a blog called A Beautiful Mess. WOW! I plan on using it in my yogurt every morning this week. It's sweet, and SO simple!

I used extra virgin olive oil, homemade vanilla extract, homemade maple syrup, almonds, cranberries and coconut! It's FANTASTIC! You just mix the dry ingredients (oats as a base + whatever nuts or dried fruits you like), then add olive oil or vegetable oil + honey or maple syrup. Add a few spices and bake, stirring every so often to keep it from sticking. HEAVEN ON EARTH.

Homemade Granola

2 cups of oats (old fashioned kind)
1 1/2 cups nuts/seeds of your choice
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl combine the oats and nuts/seeds. Pour in oil and honey (or maple syrup) and stir to combine. Add in seasonings and vanilla and mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 to make sure all pieces bake evenly. Add in dried fruit during the last 10 minutes of baking. If using coconut, add in during the last 5-6 minutes of baking so that they dont burn.

Store your granola in an air tight container or zip lock back for up to two weeks! Although I can guarantee that mine wont make it through ONE week.