Granola

Good Morning Sunshine 

I love breakfast. Fervently. I go to bed excited about breakfast, and the thought of breakfast is often what motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. What do I like to eat for breakfast? Well most days, I like something simple. I like cereal. Lots of it. Bowls of crunchy goodness. But sadly, most cereals are A.) not super healthy (did anyone else LOVE Cornpops as a kid?) B.) Don't sit well. Or if A and B are not the case, they are typically C.) very expensive. 

So what's a girl to do? Well, I noticed that one of my favorite blogs, A Peony for Your Thoughts, has posted several granola recipes lately. I am no master chef, but I wanted to try it. And it tastes... MARVELOUS. 

I'll share the recipe with you, in case you'd like your own batch of morning goodness. 

I got this recipe from Peony for Your Thoughts, and just adapted it a little bit. It's really easy to make- even if you're a novice in the kitchen like I am!

Ingredients 

5 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup wheatgerm

3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut 

3/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used honey roasted because that's all I could find!)

1/2 cup of flax seeds

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup of almond slivers. I really like almonds. 

1 cup hazelnuts, skinned (or any other nut variation you prefer)

4 tablespoons coconut oil. 

4 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons quality maple syrup 

And then dried fruit if you want it: 

1 3/4 cups sultanas, currants, or raisins (or a combination) 

1/2 cup chopped, dried dates or figs 

makes 12 cups

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

I used foil because I didn't have any parchment paper. It worked okay, but some of it stuck to the foil! Whoops. 

Combine the oats, wheatgerm, coconut, seeds, and nuts in a large bowl, then divide this mixture in half, leaving half in the large bowl and setting aside the other half, covered, in a small bowl.

Heat the oil, honey, and maple syrup in a saucepan over low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the mixture is thin and runny, then pour it over the oat mixture in the large bowl. Mix really well with a spoon until well-coated but not too clumped together; if the mixture looks a bit wet, mix in some of the reserved dry oat mixture.

Divide the wet oat mixture between the prepared sheets then bake for about 1 hour, stirring the granola occasionally to make sure the mixture cooks evenly. 

It should be a luscious golden color when it's done - take care not to let it darken too much. I advise checking it 10-20 minutes before it's done, just in case!

Remove the sheets from the oven and let the mixture cool completely, then tip it into a large bowl and combine with the reserved dry oat mixture and the dried fruit. 

Serve with milk and additional honey drizzled on top, on top of your yogurt of choice with fresh fruit, or plain, as a snack. 

For the record- I like it all three ways. I tried it with coconut yogurt. Yum. Perfect snack. I cuddled up with a blanket, my granola + yogurt snack, and a book. And I loved every minute. 

It is also great with milk! This morning I ate granola + blueberries + almond milk and it was delish. And it's really filling. In the past, I even eaten bowls (as in multiple) of cereal for breakfast, but I only needed one bowl of granola to fill me up this morning. 

And there you have it! My new favorite breakfast food, snack food, anytime food. If you have tried any winning rcecipes recently, share them with us! We are always looking to expand our repertoire. 

Much Love, 
xo The Attic