I’m standing in my kitchen surrounded by the intoxicating aroma of baking granola. The sweet, spicy smells and the anticipation of the perfect crunchy satisfaction are almost driving my bonkers, and my stomach is growling insistently.
There is almost nothing better than baking a batch of fresh, homemade granola. It is so incredibly simple to throw together, and the scent of granola in the oven is just plain heaven. The sweet, nutty, cozy aroma just screams fall!
Have you ever made homemade granola? If you haven’t, now’s the time! Making granola is about the easiest thing you can do in your kitchen. (And it’s an easy hands-on project for the kids too, if that’s your sort of thing!)
With less than 5 minutes of prep, and into the oven, sometimes I think I could make granola every day. We snack on it by the handful and enjoy it on our morning bowls of yogurt.
Of course, I rarely seem to be able to make the same recipe twice (there are just too many fun variations of granola to enjoy!) but this spiced, nutty version is definitely one of my favorites.
And really, what’s better than a quick bowl of homemade granola and yogurt on a busy fall morning?!
Ingredients
- 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
- 2 cups sliced almonds, or other chopped nuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, spices and salt.
(I like my granola pretty mild since we usually eat it with yogurt and jam. If you want a sweeter granola, increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup!)
In a small bowl, melt together the coconut oil and the honey in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted (you can also do this in a small pan on the stove).
Stir the honey mixture into the oat mixture until well coated. Spread evenly onto a large, rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir in the nuts, and then bake another 15-20 minutes, until the granola is golden.
Remove from the oven and cool completely, stirring occasionally as it cools to prevent big clumps (unless you like big clumps, then by all means, leave it be!)
http://sweetannas.com/2014/10/spiced-honey-nut-granola.html—–
What’s your favorite way to eat granola? On yogurt? With milk? Just plain??
