RECIPE: This granola will get your day off to a good start
As we forge through this first month of 2023 feeling a sense of renewal and hope for the coming year, I find nothing feels more renewing than paring down some of my food choices and simplifying my pantry.
I go for simple egg dishes, comforting roasted veggies, and meals that pack a healthy punch. My breakfast staple during these January days: whole-fat Greek yogurt topped with this simple and satisfying classic granola and garnished with seasonal fruit and honey.
A good granola goes the distance: crunchy, sweet, a pinch salty, aromatic, comforting, light yet filling. As a baker, I don’t have a lot of time during workdays to sit down and enjoy any meals, but this granola is my daily go-to and the meal that packs enough energy to keep me going for eight-plus hours. Packed full of healthy fat nuts and seeds, maple, honey and coconut oil, this recipe is a lot lighter than ones you might see with butter or partially hydrogenated oils like canola oil or seed oils.
A few tips: First, go low and slow. Baking the granola at 300 degrees without your convection fan will ensure you won’t burn the expensive nuts and seeds. Give the mixture a stir when you rotate the baking sheet to help mitigate burning. Second, heat your sweeteners and fat together, whisking to make sure it’s homogenized before pouring it on your nuts and seeds to get equal flavor and crunchiness throughout. And finally, fold in your dried cranberries or other dried fruit while the granola is still warm. The heat allows that yummy dried cranberry flavor to melt into your warm granola mix, creating the most delightful aromatic experience.
Classic Granola
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups roughly chopped raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a half sheet tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, mix together oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring coconut oil, maple syrup and honey to a gentle boil and whisk together until homogenized. Pour oil mixture over oat mixture and use a large spatula to combine until all dry ingredients are evenly coated. You do not want any dry bits. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet tray.
- Bake 30 minutes, rotating sheet tray every 10 minutes and stirring from the corners so nothing burns. Let cool 5 minutes, then mix in dried cranberries and let cool another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Granola will keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 to 3 weeks.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per 1/2-cup serving: 497 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 10 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 32 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 102 milligrams sodium.Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
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