Berry Nutty and Crunchy Granola

OK, so the title is corny, but there's no corn in this granola! There is, however, tasty dried berries along with walnuts and sliced almonds.

Making granola is pretty freaking easy—I kind of can't get over how much money I've spent on granola in the past when I figured out what it cost me to make about 6 cups of this compared to the organic stuff I've bought before (and I used all organic ingredients).

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats (regular, not quick cooking)
• 1 1/2 cups of nuts (as mentioned I used walnuts and sliced almonds, but you can use any combo you like)
• 1/2 cup of cranberry nectar or juice (you can also use apple juice or whatever fruit juice you prefer, just know it will likely add to the flavor of the granola.)
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup (agave and honey work, too)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (butter or canola oil can work here, too)
• 1/2 TB vanilla extract
• 1/2 TB almond extract (alternatively, you can use 1 TB of one extract instead of both)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp (scant) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup dried berries (I used cranberries and blueberries)

After I gathered the ingredients, I began by  preheating the oven to 325°.  I then combined the oats and nuts in a large bowl. Next, to a small/medium saucepan I added the juice, syrup, coconut oil, extracts, salt, and cinnamon and put it over a medium/low flame. I heated the  mixture until the coconut oil was all melted and it seemed hot enough to melt the salt (almost simmering). Once it looked ready, I poured it over the oats and nuts and mixed it so they were will coated.


Once it was evenly coated. I spread the granola mixture out on a cookie sheet I lined with parchment paper.*

Before Baking

Then I baked the granola in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes—stirring every 15 minutes or so. Once I took it out of the oven it was a nice golden brown.

After Baking

I let the granola cool completely (that took about 20 minutes) and poured it into the bowl of an air-tight container where I added the dried berries. Putting the top on and shaking it for about 20 seconds mixed the berries into the granola nicely.

The next morning (and subsequent mornings, since) I had some with the addition of fresh blueberries and almond milk, and I have to say, it's pretty darn good. Just the right sweetness and the lovely toasted flavor of the oats and nuts with the sweet and tart flavor of the berries.

If you make it, keep in mind that the sweetness level may vary if you use a juice or sweetener that tends to be more or less sweet. For example if you use apple juice and agave, it's likely to be on the sweeter side (plus the berry flavor won't be there, but you could, for example, use dried apricots and apples in it instead of berries). And as long as you use gluten free oats, this recipe is gluten free too. :)

*Using parchment is highly recommended since it prevents the granola from sticking to the pan and you can pick up the paper and pour the granola into a container once it's cooled.