Oats are possibly the simplest and tastiest morning staple. I’m talking bulked-up smoothies, porridge, overnight oats, and now granola. This week I’ve been chowing down on my first batch of homemade granola, with every morning starting with a “Why didn’t I make this sooner?” question mark hanging in my head.
This homemade granola is a blend of two recipes, from two wonderful books by Deliciously Ella and Natasha Corrett (who I met last week!). I also ended up whizzing in hazelnuts because I had a bag rattling around in the back of my cupboard and thought it might make quite a nice addition. It turns out, I was right!
If you’re wondering why you should make your own granola, here are the things I have found: homemade granola is cheaper than shop bought. Homemade granola doesn’t use any packaging (especially if you can source the ingredients in jars or from a dispensary). Homemade granola can be made in bulk, to your taste, and you can have it with loads of fruit, little fruit, no fruit at all. Basically, what I’m trying to say is homemade granola rocks.
My favourite pairing of this granola is with yoghurt, though it works well with plant-based milks too. Having slowly started weaning myself away from dairy, I now only go organic, which is why I’ve been loving this cinnamon treat with Rachel’s Organic Vanilla Yoghurt**. Another delightful thing to learn is that this yoghurt only has three ingredients, and two percent fat.
Cinnamon granola recipe
Serves: Plenty
180g almonds
90g hazelnuts
60g sunflower seeds
60g flax seeds
200g oats
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tsp ground cinnamon
+
4 tbsp Rachel’s Organic Vanilla Yoghurt**
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C for fan ovens)
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment
- Pop the almonds and hazelnuts into a food processor and whizz up until partially crushed, or to your liking
- Add into the bowl your seeds and oats
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil, syrup, and cinnamon on a light heat, and stir until everything is evenly mixed
- Remove from the heat, and quickly add in the entire bowl of dry ingredients, stirring the syrupy mixture through everything quickly
- Pour the mixture onto the baking parchment, spread evenly, and slide into the oven. The mixture may be sat quite thickly on the tray – make sure you turn over the granola every five minutes while it’s cooking
- Cook for up to 45 minutes
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then place in a jar, and eat whenever you want!
