Greetings, from Tennessee! After a longgggg car ride me and my family, and my older brother’s family arrived here, in Gatlinburg early this morning –So beautiful here—We’re renting a very spaciuous log cabin out in the Smokey Mountains, a few miles away from town, so it is quite peaceful out here!
Now, enough of my gabbing and on to other business….such as this incredible granola….
I’ve been hiding this granola from you for nearly 6 months….I seriously do not know why it took me so long to share it with you, since I make it All. The. Time. It’s literally, that amazing. The best granola of all time. Up until now, you have never tasted a better homemade granola.
Or an easier granola—From start to finish, this granola takes precisely 45 minutes…5 minutes of prep time. 30 minutes of bake time. And 10 minutes of cool time…Yes, yes, and yes!!
My family is CRAZY about this granola—I get numerous recipe requests (and direct orders to make it!) I don’t mind 😉 I love this granola just as much as they do.
It’s so nice and crunchy, you won’t believe it’s homemade. (It’s also not tooth-shattering, like some granolas I’ve had– *shudder*) It’s chock-full of all sorts of goodies that compliment each other in amazing ways. Oats. Shredded coconut. Sliced almonds. Cinnamon. Maple syrup. Vanilla. And any add-ins you prefer!! {My personal favorite add-ins are dried blueberries or dried cranberries. yUm!}
As always, we have a few “secret” ingredients and few “special” methods–
Our secret ingredients……
- Secret ingredient number 1: Coconut oil. This is an absolute MUST ingredient if you want your granola to turn out crunchy.
- Secret ingredient number 2: Maple syrup. This ingredient also contributes to this granola’s awesome crunch, it also adds an amazing flavor.
- Secret ingredient number 3: Vanilla extract. Do NOT skip the vanilla!! It gives this granola a terrific boost of flavor and compliments the other ingredients perfectly.
And our special methods……
- Special method number 1: This granola takes approximately 30 minutes of bake time at 300°. During this time, you HAVE to stir the granola once every 10 minutes. Doing this will ensure that your granola will get that nice crunch.
- Special method number 2: Once your granola is done you must let it cool approximately 10 minutes. (Warning! You may think the granola is not done after 30 minutes of bake time, but trust me, as long as it’s golden brown, it is done) During these 10 minutes of cool time, the granola will crisp up and in turn, get an amazing crunch. You will be in awe of how much the texture will change in just that 10 minutes of cool time.
45 minutes later…..and you have the world’s most perfect granola right at your fingertips 🙂 Actually, perfection doesn’t even come close to describing this granola.
Maple-y, nutty, vanilla-y, and wonderfully crunchy, this granola beats all other granola recipes I’ve ever tasted. Including the store-bought variety.
I absolutely LOVE this granola for breakfast with vanilla yogurt and fresh blueberries 😀 But obviously, it can also be served the classic way with milk. Or the way that I usually end up eating it: Which is usually off the baking sheet before it’s even cooled. {guilty–haha 😉 }
Fair warning: Once you start eating this granola I guarantee you won’t be able to stop. I am living proof of this 😉
Maple Nut Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add-ins of your choice i.e: dried cranberries, dried blueberries, raisins, chocolate chips, ect.
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 300 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 2. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture and gently toss until combined. Divide granola between prepared baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving---it will crisp up during this time. Once granola is cooled, stir in optional add-ins.
- Yield: 9-10 cups granola.
- Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Cinnamon-Dipped Raisin Doughnuts.
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