A Good Start to Any Morning: Homemade Granola

With the base recipe, you can customize your morning granola in any number of ways. My favorite is with fresh, homegrown berries, a few nuts, and a bit of vanilla yogurt.

Mornings…sometimes you stumble out of bed and just want an auto-pilot breakfast that’s quick, healthy and gets you through the busy hours ahead.  Other days, you may be feeling you have all the time in the world and want to enjoy a leisurely, muesli-inspired warm breakfast with fruits and nuts.  Or, perhaps you need to feed several hungry kids or guests at once, all with different taste preferences.  Whichever way the morning greets you, this base recipe for granola has you covered. 

With only 4 ingredients, it’s easily made in about 15 minutes.  It’s pretty darn healthy, relying on high fiber oatmeal and maple syrup for a lower glycemic load than most store-bought granola cereals, which rely on cane sugar or brown rice syrup.  It can be made gluten free (I like Bob’s Red MIll). Best of all, you can amend and personalize each serving to your hearts’ content with a variety of additional ingredients. Think fresh or dried fruits; plain or flavored yogurts; toasted &/or chopped nuts; spices; coconut; crystallized ginger; chocolate chips – you get the idea. If you don’t like nuts, skip ‘em! Feeling tropical? Add some coconut, dried pineapple, and macadamia nuts. Got a hankering for peanut butter and chocolate? Add ‘em in!

Whether it’s served warm out of the oven, or scooped into bowls days later, this homemade granola is a staple in our house, and a favorite among family and friends.  Here’s how to make it:

Base Recipe for Homemade Granola

Heat oven to 425 F (or 400 F convection if you’ve got it).  While oven is heating, mix together in a large bowl:

All 4 ingredients mixed together thoroughly.

• 6 cups of rolled oats (Gluten Free if you prefer)

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup of canola oil (coconut oil works, too)

• 1/2 cup of maple syrup

Divide the mixture on to two silicone or parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheets, spreading evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring half way through. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. That’s it!

Mixture divided and spread on to two lined, rimmed baking sheets, ready to turn into golden goodness!

Just out of the oven, warm, toasted and tasty!

Some day, I’ll learn how to take more professional photos ;)

Got a favorite combo for your morning granola? Let me know what your favorite additions are to your base recipe!