Granola 101

Linsey Corbin’s Great-Granola

Inspiration:

There’s a million options for granola recipes out there and after trying a few different ones, here’s a great one I made over the weekend. As far as granola goes, this one is on the healthier side: keeping the sugar to a minimum, it’s loaded with heart-healthy Omega-3 fats found in nuts & seeds, and it’s a super adaptable recipe to what you may have on hand. This is a great pre- or -post workout snack to enjoy with fresh berries & a splash of milk or yogurt.

Ingredients:

3 c. oats
1 c. assorted nuts (I went 1/2 walnuts, 1/2 hazelnuts)
1 c. coconut flakes; unsweetened
1/4 c. seeds (chia, hemp, sesame, quinoa - not a seed, but also great!)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. maple syrup (use the real deal!)
3 Tbsp. Almond butter
1 c. dried fruit

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 325. Line a large baking pan in parchment.

Combine all the dry ingredients but dried fruit in a large mixing bowl.

Melt coconut oil in a dish and add: maple syrup & almond butter. Mix until combined.

Combine wet + dry ingredients. Mix well.

Press into pan, keep ingredients close together for a more “chunky” granola.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stirring at the 20-30’ mark.

Keep a close eye at the 45 minute mark as granola can go from perfect golden to too brown fast.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Toss in dried fruit.

Enjoy with your favorite yogurt, kefir or milk.

A few quick notes:

Makes 1 large baking sheet of granola. Enough to last a few days.

Let granola cool completely before putting into airtight storage container.

Everyone loves the chunky bits of granola, right? In order to achieve this, pack granola close together on the baking sheet and avoid over-stirring / breaking up the pieces until the granola has cooled completely. The longer it sits untouched, the more it will meld together, and we all know those are the best bits.

This recipe is 100% flexible - use whatever ingredients you have in the pantry.

Wait to add dried fruit (optional) until the very end, or else it will burn.