Granola Recipe:

This quick and easy Granola Recipe is a huge hit in our house, at work and with all our visitors and friends.  Surprisingly enough, our teenagers and their friends completely love it and even better, its the healthiest thing they eat!!   We have seen the trend for adding crystals to smoothies – and whilst we can’t say we fancy it, we do have a whole host of beauties for you to browse (FossilandCrystalShop.Com) once your cooking is done and you are enjoying a bowl of freshly baked Granola!

It is much cheaper to make your own cereal and I make it in batches which lasts a week – or more  – depending who’s home!   During the exam season and holidays, we get through a whole lot more.

It will keep for a good while in an airtight container in a cupboard, as long as you let it cool completely before storing.

As you gain confidence you will alter amounts and ingredients to suit yourself and ring the changes.  It never ceases to amaze me how much people adore this Granola – Happy Eating!

Granola Recipe: here we go…

• Preparation time 5 minutes
• Cooking time:  30 minutes

Granola Recipe: Gather together:

1.     Oven-sized baking tray
2.     1 kg.(2 lb) Oats: jumbo can work well and we prefer organic at home
3.     Seeds:  pumpkin, sunflower .. whatever you have or like
4.     Dried fruit:  sultanas, or raisins, Goji berries, chopped dates or apricots, whatever you like…
5.    Agave syrup, Xylitol, coconut sugar, honey or brown sugar
6.    Coconut, sunflower or other bland vegetable oil
7.    Cinnamon powder, optional but recommended – adds sweetness without the calories!

Granola Recipe:  Optional extras

•   handful of nuts: walnuts are good for the heart apparently.  Almonds, brazils, hazlenuts all work well.   Roughly chopped.  Recommended unless you have allergies or other reasons for avoiding.
•   2 dessert spoonfuls of unsweetened dried coconut
•    Anything else you like in your favourite brands of cereals.  Dark chocolate, chopped, would work – but add after cooking and cooling!!
  

  Granola: a firm fossil favourite!

Granola Recipe:  Before you start:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees C or 300 F.  Gas mark 2.

Granola Recipe: Method 1:

use this if you are using either coconut oil, honey or both.  Otherwise skip this stage and continue with Method 2.

1.    Spread the oats evenly on the baking tray
2.   Add 2 big dessert spoonfuls of coconut oil
3.    Add 2 desset spoonfuls of honey.
4.    Place into the oven for 4 minutes to melt these 2 ingredients.
5. Mix well with 2 spoons or clean hands.  Proceed at step 4 below:

Granola recipe Method 2:

1.  Spread the oats evenly on the baking tray
2.   Add 2 good tablespoons of your chosen oil
3.   up to 2 dessert spoonfuls of your sweetener if you have not previously used honey at method 1.  Less to taste and also if you add cinnamon 🙂
4.   Scatter in:
5.    1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
6.    up to 2 handfuls of seeds to taste (go easy on sesame for this recipe)
7.    2 dessert spoonfuls of dessicated coconut, if desired
8.    1 good handful of optional chopped nuts
9.    Do not put in dried fruit or chocolate at this stage
10.   Bake for 1/2 an hour, or until the mix is ever so slightly toasted.  NB: Mix briefly  every 10 minutes with 2 spoons to uncover the oats underneath
11.   Whilst still warm: mix in  2 handfuls of your chosen dried fruit.
12.   NB: If you are in a hurry and if it seems a lttle underdone – ie the oats are still soft and whitish, just turn off the oven and leave in there to cool.
13.  Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container

Don’t worry, you will eat it before it goes off – maybe even before its cold 😉

Enjoy!   We write regular fun blogs for fun families.    And have a Facebook Magazine, also about parenting, kids activities, days out, fitness, lifestyle, homes and gardens, high days and holidays, collecting , crystals and fossils…. and so much more …. why not check us out and follow?  We love to hear from you – post a photo of your granola?