Simple granola recipe?

[moroccangirl]

Anyone have one? Everything I'm finding has crazy ingredients or seems like tons of sugar/syrup. I want to try to make some because it's so expensive in the store.

[Run Amok]

This is my go- to. I love it! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vanilla-Scented-Granola-106306

Easy to change up the nuts (or leave them out) and you can mix in dried fruit or whatever you want. The only problem is that it's SO good you will probably sit down and eat the whole batch in a single sitting. I think I've messed around with less oil and sugar but I think it works best as written.

[moroccangirl]

Thanks!

[moroccangirl]

Girl! You weren't lying about that recipe. I made it tonite and it is so good. I made the recipe as is and added dried cranberries at DH's request. I think next time I'll split the recipe and add cranberries to his half and chocolate chips and other stuff to my half. It is so good, did I already say that?

[Run Amok]

IKR?! Granola is one of those things that's sooooooo much better from scratch. I like this recipe because it doesn't have a bunch of weird stuff in it!

[triciaflower]

I watched Ina Garten's show the other day and she did a very simple granola with roasted hazelnuts. It looked so good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-hazelnut-granola-recipe/index.html

[moroccangirl]

RA - yes. Plus you can control the sweetness and ingredients yourself.

triciaflower - That looks good too!


On the epicurious one I saw that a lot of people used coconut oil instead of
Vegetable oil. The only coconut oil I remember seeing was solid. How do you measure that? Like if it calls for one cup of oil do you ise one cup of the solid? Or is there a liquid coconut oil?

[Run Amok]

Nope, it's solid. It weighs/measures the same. So, you can just scoop it into a measuring cup and it will be the same. Coconut oil is the new "in" thing. I'm kind of "meh" on it, but it's a good alternative to shortening for vegan pastries (still not as good as butter!!!)

[moroccangirl]

Thanks. A lot of the reviewers used it for the flavor. Some said they used butter instead of oil. DH would not touch it if I used butter, he hated the taste of it. Crazy man.

[Run Amok]

Oh, I wouldn't use butter in granola, the smoke point is too low. =) Yes, it does have a bit of a flavor. Not enough that I'd go out of my way for it. Regular vegetable oil works fine in this recipe, IMO. I think the flavor of coconut oil is pretty mild, myself. But, YMMV, of course.

[moroccangirl]

Yeah, I think it was fine just as it was.

[witchypoo]

Oh, I wouldn't use butter in granola, the smoke point is too low. =) Yes, it does have a bit of a flavor. Not enough that I'd go out of my way for it. Regular vegetable oil works fine in this recipe, IMO. I think the flavor of coconut oil is pretty mild, myself. But, YMMV, of course.

1.  i use corn oil.

[Natasha]

Yum. This was easy and gratifying, thanks for posting it:) Made the house smell good too. And a good way to use up the little bits of dried fruit and nuts I always seem to have in the pantry.

[GreenMan]

Coconut oil is solid or liquid depending on the temperature of your kitchen. I was confused when a friend showed me how to cook with it in its liquid form, but when I went to the heavily air-conditioned store it was all solid. Nowadays I can measure the seasons by whether my coconut oil has congealed or not. 

As for recipes, I love this one. I bake it for 10 minutes, stir, 10 minutes, stir, 10 minutes, done. One big advantage: NO OIL. Not as calorie-laden as most kinds. It calls for cinnamon, but I like to vary the flavorings from time to time.

[omega lambda]

Thanks guys!  I'm a recent convert to granola as well and yes, it's expensive in the stores and very often too laden with a bunch of stuff I don't want.  I'm going to try making my own today.

[Eco Ellen]

Thanks RA - I'm going to use this.  I will use cashews instead of almonds because of allergy, though.

[Run Amok]

Thanks RA - I'm going to use this.  I will use cashews instead of almonds because of allergy, though.

You can use whatever combo of nuts/fruit you want. Or, none at all. I've made it with almonds, cashews, and hazlenuts... or skipped the nuts. I think hazlenuts are my fav though. You mentioned leaving out the sugar in another post. I've messed around with the proportions a bit and, honestly, this one is best "as-is". Granola gets a lot of its texture and toasty goodness from the combo of sugar oil. You can use whatever oats you have on hand. I've made it with instant an with the really thick kind and it works with both. Just keep an eye on it and stir it periodically so it doesn't burn.

[Eco Ellen]

Thanks, RA.  It looks great.  The no sugar things was for somebody with diabetes.  That's not me. 

[badger]

This is my go- to. I love it! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vanilla-Scented-Granola-106306

Eating some now. Yum!

[Eco Ellen]

This has quickly become an absolute necessity in my house.

[moroccangirl]

This has quickly become an absolute necessity in my house.

Us too. Every time my mom comes over she has a bowl. Then I just give her whatever I have and make another batch.

[Eco Ellen]

There is very little that sRah eats willingly.

[Run Amok]

Us too. Every time my mom comes over she has a bowl. Then I just give her whatever I have and make another batch.

This is cracking me up. It's like a granola stick-up. "give me all your granola and no one gets hurt!"

[moroccangirl]

This is cracking me up. It's like a granola stick-up. "give me all your granola and no one gets hurt!"

She'll come over and I'll say "do you want some soup?". Nah
"Do you want some fruit?" Nah
"Tea? Coffee?" Nah
"I have some granola." OK!!

[moroccangirl]

Oh, and no oatmeal in Saudi Arabia. I'm taking some with me from Costco, then I'll just order from amazon.

[leggova]

Oh, and no oatmeal in Saudi Arabia. I'm taking some with me from Costco, then I'll just order from amazon.

No oats??? That is strange.

[RioG]

I'm going to make this.  I have all the stuff.

How do you eat it?   I am envisioning mixing a small amount in with my yogurt.

[Eco Ellen]

I'm going to make this.  I have all the stuff.

How do you eat it?   I am envisioning mixing a small amount in with my yogurt.

I am eating some right now.

You can make it clumpier by smooshing it together while it's still warm and out of the oven and then when it's cool and you break it apart to put it in a nice pretty glass jar you can eat the clumps.  Sarah eats it out of a bowl with a spoon or her fingers.  I eat it in yogurt or coconut milk or plain, like I am right now.

[RioG]

So I made my first batch - I'll have to make another to redeem it.  It's delicious, but I added raisins and didn't realize they would burn (le duh) so it's not as delicious as it could be.

I didn't smoosh it to make it clumpy, but might try that next time. 

[moroccangirl]

So I made my first batch - I'll have to make another to redeem it.  It's delicious, but I added raisins and didn't realize they would burn (le duh) so it's not as delicious as it could be.

I didn't smoosh it to make it clumpy, but might try that next time. 

I read that if you want to ad dried fruit, mix it in after it has baked. I out cranberries in the first time but they made it too sweet. I just make it plain. But I use whole almonds though.

[Eco Ellen]

I don't use almonds at all because of allergy - I just make it without nuts.  I want to use sunflower seeds like I have used in granola bars, but Sarah won't eat it if I do that.   

[moroccangirl]

I don't use almonds at all because of allergy - I just make it without nuts.  I want to use sunflower seeds like I have used in granola bars, but Sarah won't eat it if I do that.   

Adam is crazy because he won't eat the granola period. He used to like it because they make yogurt parfaits at school and he always ate his. Not any more.

[diablita]

silly boy!  what is he eating these days other than bread dipped in olive oil?

[RioG]

So I am in love with this stuff!  I'm eating it mixed in with a bit of Greek yogurt, and it is very filling. 

Hello healthy me. 

I think next time I make it I'll play around with healthier sugars, see if I can cut the calories a bit that way.  I wonder if the white sugar is necessary?

[diablita]

made it this morning with Jessica.  delicious and kid friendly.  she mixed in a few chocolate chips just before spreading in the pan.  how could it be bad? 

[Eco Ellen]

So, I made another batch this morning and put in about a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips before mixing, and they promptly melted all over the batch.  Then I cooked it...and it tasted different...and I realized I forgot to put the brown sugar in.   On the other hand, it's actually not bad without it, and with the melted chocolate.  It's not as sweet, but it's still good - just different.

So, there you go.

Of course Sarah wants the "regular" kind....

[Eco Ellen]

Diablita, how did you do the chocolate chips so that they didn't melt?

[diablita]

First, I refrigerated them before we started.  This always helps. We kind of threw them in as I was pouring the mix into the pan to spread out and bake.  They melted a little but I was careful to barely mix after I added so they pretty much stayed where they were.

[RioG]

First, I refrigerated them before we started.  This always helps. We kind of threw them in as I was pouring the mix into the pan to spread out and bake.  They melted a little but I was careful to barely mix after I added so they pretty much stayed where they were.

you baked them and they didnt melt?

[Eco Ellen]

I poured mine in and then poured the oil mixture on and mixed it and it was like instant melty chocolate all over everything.

[diablita]

So where it reads:
Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.

We poured the hot liquid over the oats, stirred well, then threw in a handful of cold chocolate chips and mixed gently a tiny bit more.  And then I clumped the granola together a bit.

The chips got kind of melty in the oven but because we didn't mix them around with the warm liquid, they stayed put and didn't ooze or get very melty.  When they came out I didn't touch them and they cooled back into chunks of chocolate -- not all chip shape perse but not all over the place.

[Eco Ellen]

Thank you!

[onawhim]

I love granola but I don't make it because I would eat the entire batch in one sitting. 

[diablita]

welcome!

[Eco Ellen]

Worked perfect d. Used mini chips too.

[RioG]

I love granola but I don't make it because I would eat the entire batch in one sitting.

I would have thought that but it's pretty satisfying in small doses!

[diablita]

oh good!

[wherestheportojohn]

I love granola but I don't make it because I would eat the entire batch in one sitting. 

Ditto.