Good For You Granola
When I first made this I knew my search for the perfect granola recipe was over. Every recipe I came across had a hefty amount of sugar and oil. Isn’t granola supposed to be healthy!? Well, this one is!
This granola has some healthy fat from the nuts and seeds as well as a bit of sweetness from the honey.
This crunchy granola goes great over some yogurt for breakfast or just grab a handful for a snack on the go. My kids really enjoy this with milk. It is a much healthier cereal option than the other junk filled cereals out there.
It is super quick to put together and you will have enough to last a while, which is always great.
Healthy, Good For You Granola
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tb ground flax seed
1 Tb cinnamon
1 Tb cinnamon
Mix all dry together, then in separate bowl mix:
2 Tb water
1 Tb vanilla extract
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup honey
Pour wet into dry and mix till fully coated. Spread in a thin layer on baking sheet lined with baking paper that has been sprayed with oil. Bake at 300F for 20 minutes, remove and stir then bake for another 15-20 minutes. Be sure it does not get too brown or it will taste burnt. It will also get crunchier as it sits once out of the oven.
After it is done, you can add up to 1 cup of dried fruit of choice. I added about 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries.
Optional: Drizzle another tablespoon or two of honey over the already baked granola and stir.
Once cool, store in the freezer as this will keep it crunchy and it will last for a longer time.
There are so many variations you can do here. I love pumpkin seeds so I used more of those than the coconut and sunflower seeds, but feel free to add as much or as little of any ingredient you want.
To make pumpkin flavored granola: Use pumpkin puree in place of the applesauce, chopped pecans in place of some or all of the almonds, and maple syrup in place of the honey. You can also add 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
I had this yesterday….delish! Better than any store bought granola, and much healthier, for sure!
If you only mix it carefully from the ends to the middle you'll have big chunks. YUM
Rita
Looks yummy excited to try it! Do you know where you can buy ground flaxseed from?
Any health food store will have them. My supermarket even has a package of them and I grind them up using my magic bullet. You can also order them online from amazon or iherb.com
Can you write the calories?
A serving would be around 1/4 of a cup, but I am unsure of the calories. I do not always count calories, just eat nutrient dense foods with portion control. When I do count calories, I use http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Would these be good as bars? If yes, how long do you think i should bake it? I am looking for a good crunchy granola bar (similar to the kind from natures valley). Most recipes I have tried so far were too soft and chewy.
You would probably need to add some more applesauce to make them into bars as these do crumble, but that is a great idea to try!