Healthy and Easy Homemade Granola
- 5 cups of Quick oats
- 1 stick of Butter or substitute coconut oil
- 1/4 cup of Honey
- 1 cup of Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Pecans or your choice of nuts-I like to crush them, but you can leave them whole.
- 1 cup Coconut
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup Chocolate or butterscotch chips- I like to use the mini version. Add after it has been cooked.
- Any “extras” you want to add to sneak past your kids! Some of my favorites are chia seeds, dried dates, crushed cereal, flax seed, dried herbs, raisins, or other dried fruit. I usually add 1/4-1/2 cup of the extras. If you add many extras you may have to adjust some of the other ingredients to have the consistency that you desire.
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Pour onto a baking sheet or shallow dish and bake for 30 minutes on 300 degrees turning or stirring every 5 minutes. If you like it really toasted, you may need to leave it longer. Again, this is such a versatile recipe, you can make it however you like.
I started making this recipe several years ago and my kids love it! I’ve tried to buy store bought granola, but it’s always hit or miss whether it has all the goodies in it that we like. I like to make a really big batch and then have it on hand for yogurt parfaits or just to eat as cereal. I also use this on top of my apple pie crisp if I don’t have time to make a topping. The great thing about this recipe is that you really can’t mess it up! Too sticky? Add a little more oats and some crushed cereal that’s about to go stale. Too sweet? Add a little more crushed nuts. You can tweek it however you like it and make it as healthy as you choose. Our favorite way to eat homemade granola is layered with frozen fruit and yogurt as an afternoon snack. You can make these ahead of time and they will last for several days in the refrigerator.
