Another season, another granola recipe… but this one is so good! It’s quick, easy, healthful, delicious, and full of ingredients you already have in your cupboard. What more could you want? Pretty. It’s also pretty. Who wouldn’t want to scatter jewel-hued cranberries and dried oranges on top of their yogurt? I definitely do.
I have a confession to make: this granola recipe came from another granola recipe that was supposed to have chocolate chips in it. I intended to make it as written. With chocolate.
I couldn’t do it, though. While I do love chocolate, I do not generally approve of it for breakfast, except topping homemade Chocolate Danishes to celebrate the kids’ name days. Even for lunch, chocolate in granola just seems a little too decadent.
And by the time the pans of granola were in the oven, I looked back over the list of ingredients and realized I had made so many changes to the original recipe that I might as well write a new one. So here you go!
Ingredients
Oats
You know this one. Granola essential.
Rye flour
I find that adding a bit of flour helps the granola to clump together better. And surely I’m not the only one who picks the clumps out to eat them first? You are welcome to substitute any whole grain flour. I just like the nuttiness of rye.
Wheat bran
Fiber is good for you. Most of you. If you don’t need any extra in your diet, replace it with wheat germ.
Salt
Who doesn’t like a sweet-and-salty mix? (If you don’t, reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon.)
Cinnamon
Because I cannot cook or bake anything without opening my spice drawer…
Desiccated Coconut
I love coconut in granola. You probably know that by now.
Sliced almonds
Use any nuts you like. Chop them roughly if they’re large, like walnuts.
Flax Seeds
Seeds are pretty and crunchy. Use whatever you have. Sometimes I substitute sesame seeds here.
Butter
Everything is better with butter! And browned butter is best of all. But if dairy is a problem, use all coconut oil.
Coconut oil
I really like coconut oil in granola, but you can substitute avocado oil if you like. Or more butter, of course.
Honey
It really doesn’t matter whether or not you use raw honey in this recipe, as the granola is baked in the oven anyway. But I generally only have raw honey around, so that’s what I use.
Date syrup
This one is optional. Use all honey or all date syrup, or just leave the date syrup out if you want a less sweet granola. I like to use date syrup as a sweetener when I don’t desire a strong flavor of honey or maple syrup. You could also use brown sugar.
Vanilla and Almond extract
For a delightful aroma and flavor! Also optional.
Dried Cranberries
Some day I want to dry my own cranberries, but that day has not come yet. Until then, I use apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries.
Dried Orange slices
You can make your own here, or buy them from a bulk food store or specialty shop. I buy mine from Azure Standard. My kids call them “candied oranges.” If they only knew…
Method
You will need a large mixing bowl and a small skillet or saucepan, plus two large rimmed baking sheets or 9×13″ pans.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line the pans with parchment paper, if you like, to prevent the granola from sticking. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t bother. It does make cleanup a lot easier.
In the skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the coconut oil and honey, and stir to combine.
Measure the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl: everything except the dried fruit. Mix it up, then drizzle the butter mixture over the dry grains and nuts. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Make sure you incorporate all the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl.
Divide the granola mixture evenly between the two pans, and spread it out to the edges. Place the pans in the oven, as close to the center as possible.
Bake for about 1 hour, stirring the granola and rotating the pans every 15 minutes. Be gentle when you stir it, to keep some clumps intact. Those are the best parts!
The granola is done when it turns golden brown and smells delicious!
Stir the granola one more time (gently!) when you remove it from the oven, then let it cool on the pans.
When it is cool, pour the granola into a large, clean bowl. Mix in the dried cranberries and dried orange slices. Pour into an airtight container. This granola will keep happily in your pantry for a week or two.
Cranberry Orange Granola
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup date syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 1/3 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds or other nuts
- 2 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup dried orange slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets or 13×9" pans with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and coconut oil over low heat.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, date syrup, vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, rye flour, wheat bran, coconut, almonds, flax seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Give it a stir.
- Pour the butter mixture over the dry oat mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for about 1 hour, removing the pans every 15 minutes to stir gently and rotate pans in the oven.
- The granola is done when it is golden brown and smells delicious. Remove from the oven, stir gently, and let it cool on the pans.
- When the granola is cool, mix in the dried cranberries and dried orange slices. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
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