There’s Nothing Like Homemade Granola

One of my favorite snacks is yogurt and fruit with granola on top. I buy the big tubs of plain Greek yogurt so I can mix in my own frozen fruit, a way to keep costs down and avoid all those little plastic cups. But granola can be expensive and I’ve never really found a packaged one I love.

A while back, at a friend’s house for brunch, she served homemade granola and it was the best stuff! It was still warm from the oven and I was amazed that she had just whipped up a batch for us. 

The recipe is actually from the Food Network, their “basic granola recipe.” It’s the perfect combination of ingredients - crunchy, nutty, and not too sweet. Not only that, it’s  fast and easy to make. 

You can adapt it to fit your tastes and on-hand ingredients: you can use honey or maple syrup, walnuts or almonds, coconut or raisins, canola oil or coconut oil, cinnamon or nutmeg, vanilla extract or almond extract. 

What about cost? Granola can be pricey, that’s for sure. I crunched the numbers on this recipe and found that a batch - about 5 cups - cost about 5 bucks. That’s without hunting down sale prices or bulk packaging or generic brands. Even at $5 a batch, this granola is a bargain and better tasting than any packaged granola I’ve purchased.

It also makes the kitchen smell great when it’s baking! My kids (okay, they are grown adults) love it.

Best of all, I can whip up a batch in less than an hour (most of that is baking time). 

I store the granola in a tin with a ⅓ cup measuring scoop at the ready so we can all dish up our own yogurt with frozen mixed berries and a topping of granola. Granola is definitely not a low-cal snack, so the measuring cup helps me stick to a reasonable portion. Calories per serving varies based on the ingredients you use. I like mine with maple syrup and walnuts, so I estimate a ⅓ cup serving is about 144 calories. 

Once you’ve made your own granola, you won’t go back to buying the packaged stuff. I keep the ingredients on hand and make a batch about once every two weeks.

This is a great snack to bring to work. I use two Bonne Maman jam jars, fill one with yogurt and frozen fruit, the other with granola to mix up my snack at break time.  With the protein and fiber, it keeps me going until lunch or dinner.

Try it and enjoy!

Bakes at 300 for 20 minutes, then add things like nuts and coconut for another 10 minutes. And voila!