During my junior year at college, while I heated up frozen Boca Burgers and cooked frozen veggies in tabasco sauce nearly every day — don’t ask — my then-roommate was making Indian food, crepes and homemade yogurt in our meager kitchen. I was always blown away by what she’d whip up, but nothing lured me quite like the granola she made. Oh, that granola. I could eat it by the bowlfuls — with milk, without milk, when hungry, when not hungry.
I’ve since shared the recipe with plenty of my friends, and I feel like it’s reached cult status. It’s incredibly easy to make and much fresher and tastier than any store-bought variety. Plus, we eat so much Greek yogurt in our apartment, that it’s kind of a rule to always have fresh granola on hand. I’ve carried this recipe with me everywhere since those college days, so it holds a special place in my heart. As special as you can get for granola, I guess.
looks awesome! question–do you have a problem with the coconut burning/cooking faster than the rest of it? and if not what kind do you use? i’ve started leaving it out of the granola i make for this reason, but love coconut and would like to put it back in!
I’ve had success with Baker’s brand flake coconut (here’s a picture of the package: http://wkrfree.blogspot.com/2010/11/go-nuts-for-coconut-at-target.html). It never burns, and I always get nice, toasty coconut. I’d recommend that one!
Can you use coconut oil or olive oil in place of the vegetable oil?
I’ve used olive oil in the past and it hasn’t affected the flavor, but that was before I knew that extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point (the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke). If you’re going the olive route, try an extra light version. Coconut oil has an even lower smoke point FYI! Grapeseed oil (very high smoke point) is another good option!
Whats in this granola??? and how much of each ingredient do you put in? and how warm do you set the oven and for how long?? I couldn’t find that information
Hi, Katie! There’s a link to the recipe (see “this recipe”) in the second paragraph, and it links to the original recipe. Hope that helps!
Yum! As someone who continuously inhales Nature Valley granola bars, this recipe is right up my alley. I don’t want to use raisins or cranberries. Is there anything else you would suggest adding instead? And how sweet is the end product? I was considering using steel-cut oatmeal just because I have it on hand…I wonder if that would work? Can.t wait to thy this!
Without the raisins or cranberries, the granola isn’t super sweet. It’s certainly not like those super sugary store-bought brands, but it’s also not as austere as the very healthy versions. You can always add sweetened shredded coconut or more honey if you want it sweeter. And I’ve never made it with steel-cut oats, but I imagine it’d work just fine. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks, Pooja!