I sworn off from store-bought granola years ago when I started reading food labels on a regular basis. I do not like the fact that most commercial products contain coconut oil or palm oil. However, granola remains one of my favourite cereal. These two variations of homemade granola are made with tons of healthy goodness including flax seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, and almond. As an added bonus, my whole house smells great! Watch the granola carefully close to the end of baking if you prefer them more toasted. They burn easily, especially the bottom! I unwisely set off the smoke detector at my house at 2am once...needless to say, things got rather messy!
Ingredients
- 6 cups of old-fashion rolled oats
- 2 cups of sliced almond
- 1 cup of raw pumpkin seed
- 1/2 cup of raw sunflower seed
- 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal
- 1 tsp salt
Maple Granola variation
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup medium grade maple syrup
- 1 tsp maple extract (optional)
Apple Cinnamon variation
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped dried apple
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Mix rolled oats, almond, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed meal, and salt (optionally cinnamon too) in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl and toss with the dry ingredients until moistened.
- Divide the mixture between the two pans and bake for 30min until golden. Rotate the pans half way through to ensure even baking.
- For chunkier texture, leave the granola to cool completely in pan. Toss with chopped apples if using. Store in airtight container for up to a week.
