This is my favourite granola recipe. It is easy to follow and you can customize the ingredients to your liking. I have tried many different combinations of fruit, nut and seed ratios and this one comes out on top. You can enjoy the granola on it’s own as a snack, have it as a cereal or use it to top off a yogurt parfait with fruit. The latter is my favourite way! I like to store my granola in and airtight container or mason jar to keep it fresh.
*Edit: I have decided to remove the goji berries from recipe and replace them with golden (yellow) raisins instead. The goji berries tend to cook faster than the rest of the ingredients and in turn, burn. If you would still like to use goji berries, I would suggest adding them in to the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent burning.
Ingredients:
Dry:
- 1 cup of your choice of nut – I rotate between pecans, slivered almonds and walnuts
- 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 cups large flake oats
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- 1/4 cup golden (yellow) raisins (can also substitute for goji berries, dried cranberries, mulberries, cherries, or any other dried fruit)
- 1/2 cup large coconut flakes (optional) – my favourite are the large ones from Trader Joes
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Wet:
- 3 tablespoons 100% virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup 100% maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Makes about 4.5 cups of granola
- Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper and evenly distribute the pecans (or nut of your choice) and pumpkin seeds into a single layer
- Bake the nuts/seeds for 10-12 minutes until lightly toasted, they should appear a light-golden colour
- In the meantime, in a saucepan over medium-low heat – melt the coconut oil and peanut butter until smooth
- Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients, including the toasted nuts/seeds
- Add the wet mixture (still warm) to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.The mixture will be very thick, so you want to make sure that all of the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the wet mixture.
- Evenly distribute the granola onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and mix the granola on the pan and then cook for an additional 12 minutes. Keep a close watch on the second half of baking to ensure the fruit isn’t getting burnt.
- Let cool completely to set. Store in an air tight container.
Yogurt Parfait:
Start with your favourite yogurt (thick Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt is my favourite). Since I like to use unsweetened yogurt I usually add some honey to sweeten. Next, I add a few of my favourite fruits, top it off with my Blueberry Goji Granola, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Bon Appetite!