Best Homemade Granola Recipe

There is a direct correlation in my house between cold weather and oven usage and one of my favorite things to make this time of year is homemade granola. Quite frankly, I have yet to meet a boxed granola that’s as lovely as homemade, and the good news is, it’s ridiculously easy to make granola. Like, 5 minutes of dumping ingredients into a bowl easy. In addition to this being a household staple, like my magic salt recipe, I love gifting jars of this during the holidays. Last year I made a quadruple (yes, quadruple) batch to gift for family and put them in recycled jam jars. It was a huge hit!

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups of your favorite nuts (I recommend including two varieties; my favorite combo is cashew + almond)
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup coconut
1 1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup dried cranberries

Your Next Read: Sweet Facts About Maple Syrup

Instructions

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

2. Mix oats, sunflower seeds, nuts, flax, and coconut in a bowl. Add maple syrup and oil and mix well.

3. Spread granola evenly on a jelly roll pan (I always use a Silpat mat to prevent sticking and for easier cleanup). Bake 25 minutes then stir to flip all the granola over. Continue to bake 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Over the holidays, I recycled jam jars to package this awesome granola for gifts!