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This Homemade Granola is dangerously good. Testing the recipe was like a dream come true for my husband & kids.
While testing, there were a few main things I was looking for in the “perfect” granola recipe. First, texture. It needs to be chunky & crisp, but not crunchy or flaky. I love those big granola clusters & want as many as possible in a homemade version.
Some recipes call for an egg white or two to be whisked & added in. This adds stickiness to get big clusters. My goal was to make this recipe easy enough for kids to help cook, so I decided to skip the egg white. You still get those big chunky clusters though by tamping it down twice while cooking.
Taste was, of course, a big factor too. It’s a simple recipe, which means the flavor matters even more than usual. I increased the amount of salt, cinnamon, & vanilla as much as possible without letting them become overwhelming.
Final consideration: how healthy is it? Granola generally calls for a 1:1 ratio of fat & sugar, but I’ve seen many recipes that double the sugar needed. This is a recipe for my kids (and me!) to make & eat so I didn’t want to pump it full of processed sugar. The sweetness in this recipe mainly comes from Pure Maple Syrup, with a small amount of brown sugar to get those yummy chunks.
If you’re looking to lower the sugar even further, I would leave the brown sugar out, but do not add more syrup. In one of my tests, I replaced some of the brown sugar with maple syrup. The end result was a pool of extra syrup that the oats couldn’t absorb. It ended up being a big sticky mess when I tried to store it & use it the next day.
Speaking of storage … Homemade Granola can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry for up to a month. You can also freeze it for a longer shelf-life. But I highly doubt it will last long enough to need that!
We eat granola with Greek yogurt & berries almost every morning. How do you like to eat it?
Chunky Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
- 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 1/2 T Light Brown Sugar
- 1 t Salt
- 1 t Cinnamon
- 2 t Vanilla Extract
- 3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Slivered Almonds *see note
- 1/2 Chopped Pecans *see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 F. Prepare a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Put coconut oil in a medium bowl. If your coconut oil is not fully liquid, microwave it by itself in 20 second increments until it is fully melted. Add the syrup, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, & vanilla extract to the oil. Mix well.
- Add the oats & nuts to the syrup mixture. Gently mix, turning upside-down to evenly coat all pieces.
- Dump granola onto your prepared baking sheet. Spread into a thick layer, using the back of a spoon or a spatula to compress it down.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of oven & use a spoon to flip the granola. Once it is all flipped, compress it down again. Bake for 20 more minutes.
- Remove from oven & set pan on cooling rack until it is cool enough to handle. Flip the granola over to expose the sticky side & let cool completely. I let it sit for an least an hour.
- Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in your pantry for up to a month.
Notes
- Sugar substitutes: follow package instructions for brown sugar substitute ratios. If you wish to eliminate the brown sugar, do not replace it with maple syrup.
- Nuts: you do not have to use these exact nuts/measurements. If you love pecans, do 1.5 cups of pecans. Ratio is really up to you, but this is what I like & what I tested. I do recommend keeping the pieces small to keep the recipe kid-friendly.
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