I love a good granola! Sweet crunchy little clusters of oats, nuts, and spices are the perfect accessory for a yogurt parfait, a bowl of ice cream, or even a summer salad.
Granola can be customized a hundred different ways – you can add different types of nuts, dried pieces of fruit, or really play with the spices and flavors using different extracts and oils.
My favorite ‘everyday’ granola is my Cinnamon Vanilla Granola. I find that it just goes with everything.
For this sweet crunchy treat, you’ll need:
- old fashioned rolled oats
- chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans – I use walnuts in this version!)
- ground cinnamon
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- pure vanilla extract
One of my favorite brands of rolled oats is Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. (Whew! That was a mouthful!) You can buy these organic oats in a large bag and keep them in your pantry for all sorts of treats! I’ve got a ton of rolled oat recipes, check them out!
Can I use any type of oats for this recipe?
Although you can use quick oats to make granola, I really prefer rolled oats over any other type of oat for granola. Quick oats (that you’d use for a bowl of oatmeal) don’t really cook the same., they end up over processed and a bit dusty. I also wouldn’t recommend using the pre-packaged and seasoned oatmeal bags for your oats. The oats in these bags is ground too much for a granola recipe, and will again, leave you with a dusty mess.
Coconut Oil, huh? Can I just use any oil?
You can use other types of oil, yes. You just want to make sure it’s an oil with a high fat content like olive oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil. The “good-fats” in these oils help your granola from drying out in the oven. When choosing your oil you’ll want to consider the taste of the oil and the types of things you’ll be adding to your granola. For example, this is a cinnamon and nut based granola, it needs a light flavored oil like coconut. If I was making a granola that had pumpkin seeds, pecans, or other savory types of flavors I might go with olive oil, which tends to have a deeper more complex flavor.
Benefits of Organic Coconut Oil
Organic coconut oil is high in medium chain triglycerides, or MCT’s, as often referred to in the nutrition world. MCT’s are a type of saturated fat that may contribute to increased energy, weight loss, and cognitive function. Medium chain triglycerides are considered a “good” source of fat that has a shorter molecular structure (6-12 carbon atoms) in comparison to the more plentiful source of good fats, LCTs, or long chain triglycerides (13 + carbon atoms). The shorter chain length allows this type of fat to be sent directly to the liver, as it does not require bile to digest. This allows for an immediate production of stable energy in the form of ketones.
Common sources of medium chain triglycerides are coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and goat’s milk. How often do you ingest palm kernel oil or goat’s milk? Yeah, I thought so. So grab a jar of Organic MCT-Rich Coconut Oil and get to producing some energy right away!
So what’s the steps?
- To make this recipe you’ll need a large half-sheet cookie pan and some parchment. Parchment is imperative! You don’t want your granola sticking to the pan! That would be a sticky disaster!
- Grab yourself two bowls, 1 large and 1 small.
- Mix all of your dry ingredients; the oats, nuts, and cinnamon.
- In the smaller bowl, melt your coconut oil. Once melted, add in the maple syrup and heat it once more (about 45 seconds).
- Whisk in the vanilla extract, and you’re ready to pour!
- Add the wet to the dry, ensuring to mix well and get every last little oat.
- Move your prepared granola to the cookie sheet and quickly spread it into one thin layer.
- Bake at 300° for about 30 minutes, watching closely to make sure your oats don’t brown too quickly. They will continue to cook a little right when you pull them out of the oven.
- When your oats are glistening and your kitchen smells like you’re getting ready for an open house, pull them out and let them cool completely.
- When the oats have cooled, gently break them apart into clusters and store in an airtight container.
That’s it! Super easy!
How long will homemade granola last?
The best part about making granola at home, it lasts FOREVER! I mean really, I’ve kept this on my counter for like a month – no joke. As long as it’s properly stored in an air-tight container or jar and kept at room temperature, it will last for a couple of months. You won’t make it that long! Promise.
I’m a little creative, what types of other things can I add to this granola?
You can honestly add a hundred things! I’ve made this recipe for a friend and added almonds in addition to the walnuts – that was good! You can add dried cranberries or raisins when it cools. The cinnamon in this also makes for an awesome flavor combination with some pumpkin seeds and nutmeg in the fall.
I love to add this granola mix to some other nuts, seeds, and coconut to make a quick trail mix when I have guests over. I always like to have a bowl of some sort of grazing snack whenever I have someone come by.
Get creative, the sky is the limit!
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!
I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb!
Cinnamon Vanilla Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I like Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 cups Walnut Pieces chopped
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Oil
- 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°, and prepare a half cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients - the oats, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- In another bowl melt the coconut oil in the microwave (about 45 seconds). Add the maple syrup and heat up another 45 seconds.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Add the wet to the dry, pouring the oil mixture over the oats. Mix well.
- Move your granola to the prepared cookie sheet, spreading into one thin layer.
- Bake at 300° for about 30 minutes, making sure to watch that your oats don't brown too quickly.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely.
- Gently break granola into clusters and store in an air tight container or jar.
