Homemade Cinnamon Vanilla Granola
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For a while we were going through bags of Quaker Simply Granola from Costco like it was our job. Taste-wise, it’s great! Not a lot of frills so it’s pairs perfectly with flavored yogurts, plain yogurts, and all kinds of milk. However, one day I noticed that A) it’s SUPER caloric and B) there’s all sorts of unnecessary ingredients in there. I just couldn’t fathom spending any more money on junk granola.
I set off to perfect a go-to granola recipe. A recipe that would yield a slightly sweet, mildly spiced, texturally interesting, dried fruit studded granola.
Several batches later here we are with ONE GRANOLA TO RULE THEM ALL — in my book at least. I hope you enjoy it!
The Recipe
Makes 14 cups of granola
Ingredients
800 grams, or 9¾ cup, rolled oatmeal (🔥Instant Disaster)
250 grams, or 2½ cups, raw almonds (🔥Shapes and Sizes)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine salt (not table salt)
450 milliliters, or 1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons, maple syrup or honey (🔥Hot Honey)
200 milliliters, or ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons, melted coconut oil, or other neutral oil like vegetable or grapeseed
60 milliliters, or 1/4 cup, vanilla extract
350 - 475 milliliters, or 1½ - 2 cups, dried fruit, optional (🔥Fruit Forward)
Instructions
Combine dry ingredients
Set one baking rack in the top third position and another rack in the bottom third position. Preheat the oven to 300°F — bake setting, convection if you have that option. Line the bottom of two baking trays with parchment paper (🎩No Parchment, No Problem).
In a large bowl stir together the oatmeal, almonds, salt and cinnamon.
Add wet ingredients
In a medium bowl, stir together the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until everything is evenly coated.
Bake
Divide the granola into the two parchment-lined baking trays, then use a wooden spoon to spread the granola evenly over the trays.
Bake the trays for 25 minutes then remove from the oven. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the granola. Return the trays to the racks, swapping the positions (🎩Swap-a-roo). Bake for another 25 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Cool and add fruit
Allow the trays of granola to cool completely. Once cooled, add the dried fruit and mix until evenly distributed.
Enjoy!
Storage: Cooled granola will keep in an airtight container for about a month.
Hot Tips 🔥
INSTANT DISASTER — Stick to rolled oats. Do not use instant oats nor steel cup oats or it’ll be a disaster.
SHAPES AND SIZES — Sliced almonds are best here. If you only have whole almonds, be sure to chop or slice them to yield a better texture. Slivered almonds will likely burn in the oven.
HOT HONEY — If using honey, be sure to warm it up slightly so that’s not so thick. If the honey is too thick, it won’t even’t coat the granola and you’ll get clumps of granola (in a bad way).
FRUIT FORWARD — I love using dried cherries, cranberries, and raisins the most. You could also certainly swap in pieces of dried apple if you’d like!
Tricks 🎩
NO PARCHMENT, NO PROBLEM — Lining the trays will prevent any sticking to the bottom of the tray. You can skip this step but be sure to use hot water when you clean to melt any sugar crystals stuck to the pan.
SWAP-A-ROO — Make sure the tray that was in the top position returns to the oven on the bottom position. This way, each tray will be exposed to the heat in your oven evenly. Often times one part of your oven is hotter than the other, depending on where the heating element is in your oven. If you return the trays to their original positions, one tray will cook much hotter than the other, which will likely result in some undercooked and some overcooked granola.