We’re a family that’s big on breakfast but not big on cooking overwhelm. Simmering stovetop oatmeal every morning is simply too much, working from home or not. That’s why we make granola on the weekends - it’s a delicious, homemade breakfast as easy as cereal on the weekdays.
This granola recipe has been with us for years, but we’ve recently started playing with it. Alexandra Stafford from Alexandra’s Kitchen has a coconut oil granola recipe we adore with millet, so we added millet to our own. We added a little salt and vanilla, we tasted, we took notes, and what has resulted from our research is delicious, chewy and sweet, with a slight tang from the vanilla. If you love homemade granola and are looking for a tried-and-true recipe, look no further.
Homemade Granola
3/4 cup oil (half vegetable oil and half coconut oil, or all of whichever you have)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon (scant) kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup millet (optional)
2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened, if you prefer a sweeter granola)
2 cups sliced almonds
1 to 1 1/2 cups dried fruit (we like diced apricots, golden raisins, sour cherries, figs, or diced apples)
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat the honey, salt, and oil together in the microwave on high for 1 minute, or on the stove top until thin and small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, and optional millet together in a large bowl. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated.
Pour onto a sheet pan (13 x 18 inch) and bake, stirring halfway through with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Immediately pour the granola back into the mixing bowl and stir. Stir again after 10 minutes, then again. This granola likes to stick together; if you leave it in the pan to cool, it will stick to the pan. Once it has cooled, add the dried fruit. Freeze half and store the rest in an airtight container. We like to eat this with Greek Gods honey, vanilla, or plain yogurt. It’s especially tasty with homemade.
Warning: If you use two sheet pans for this recipe, it will burn.
We’ve been roasting our strawberries lately - it makes them extra flavorful