Granola Crunchers

Okay, so maybe we’re not really granola crunchers, but we’re definitely granola lovers.  The problem is that granola you buy at the store is filled with all kinds of sugar, sodium, and other things we don’t want Grae to eat. And since we picked up a bunch of delicious Liberté yogurt today, we needed a batch of homemade, healthy granola, pronto.  Of course my little sous chef was more than happy to help out in the kitchen.

IMG 5900First things first…  Gracen measured out our old-fashioned oats.

IMG 5903Then she added the almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax, wheatgerm, and quinoa flakes.

IMG 5908And enthusiastically shook in the unsweetened coconut.

IMG 5910That was it for dry ingredients.  Then it was time to stir, stir, stir.  (Don’t mind Grae’s bruised cheek – the poor little thing had a fall a couple of days back.)

IMG 5920On to the wet ingredients and spices!  In a separate bowl (or in our case, measuring cup), we added and mixed together our applesauce, pure maple syrup, olive oil, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

IMG 5924This part is the most fun.  We added the wet ingredients to the dry and Grae went on a stirring frenzy.

IMG 5929When everything was evenly coated, we dumped the mixture out on two large baking sheets, spread it out, and drizzled on just a touch more olive oil before popping both pans into the oven.

IMG 5930Gracen was our official granola watcher and I was the official granola flipper.  We make a pretty good team. :)

IMG 5934And after about 45 minutes in the oven, we took it out to cool on the counter. Voila!  Done.

IMG 5941Gracen patiently waited for dinner to be made, ate up her portion, and then moved on to her anxiously-awaited dessert course – yogurt with granola and dried fruit!

IMG 5943Apparently it was so good that it disappeared more quickly than she was prepared for.

IMG 5947Be warned – if you try this recipe, licking leftovers off of your sleeve is a total possibility.

Here’s the original recipe and here’s our slightly modified version:

  • 6 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 cups chopped raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 2 TBSP quinoa flakes
  • 2 individual cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup pure organic maple syrup
  • 3 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 TBSP ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl, and then add to dry ingredients.  Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture onto two baking dishes. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until evenly golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure even browning.

Enjoy!

6 thoughts on “Granola Crunchers

  1. Jen – This granola looks awesome! You know how I love to bake without sugar, so I will definitely be trying this recipe, especially because I just picked up some pure Canadian maple syrup at Lulu last week. Maybe Gracen could come help me out too! What a sweetheart. Her serious expressions always get me.

  2. I also have a recipe for homemade granola which only uses 2tbsp of oil and pure maple syrup (which we actually make each year)!

    1. Hmmm… I don’t know how you would make this same recipe chewy without adding quite a bit more oil or syrup, but I have seen some chewy healthy granola recipes in the past. Both of these use similar ingredients to the recipe we use and claim to make chewy bars:

      http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/super-healthy-chewy-granola-bars-157808
      http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/chewy-granola-bar-recipe

      They do both have quite a bit more oil and sweetener, but you could try to cut back a little without having them turn out crunchy.

      Let me know if you try one of them, Carrie! :)

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