It’s dangerous to have crunchy, freshly baked granola sitting on the counter within arm’s reach. This is a small batch so exercise your willpower and appease your temptations with just one hot cluster.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Unit | Name | Link | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | cups | rolled oats | ||
| ½ | cup | wheat germ | ||
| 1 | tablespoon | dark brown sugar | ||
| ¼ | teaspoon | salt | ||
| ½ | cup | maple syrup | ||
| 3 | tablespoons | extra-virgin olive oil | ||
| 1 | tablespoon | water | ||
| ½ | teaspoon | vanilla extract | ||
| ½ | tablespoon | chia seeds or flaxseed (optional) | ||
| ½ | cup | pistachios, roughly chopped (optional) | ||
| ¼ | cup | raw almonds, roughly chopped (optional) | ||
| ½ | cup | unsweetened coconut flakes (optional) | ||
| ½ | cup | dried apricots or cranberries, chopped (optional) |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F. In a large bowl, mix the oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt, chia seeds, almonds, and coconut.
- Bring the syrup, oil, water, cinnamon, and vanilla to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Drizzle the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
- Working one handful at a time, squeeze the oats to form small clumps and transfer to a nonstick baking pan. It’s okay if some of the clumps fall apart.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then take the pan out and stir in the dried cranberries. Place back in the oven and continue to bake until the granola is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let it cool on the counter for 5 minutes or so; it’ll become crispier as it cools.
- Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes Serving Size: 1 quart
Where’s the cinnamon….
There is no cinnamon in this recipe, but you could add it as an optional ingredient if you like.