Decadent, nutty granola is perfectly toasted with the delicate balance of sweet and salty.
My husband is a granola addict and would eat it daily if possible. By making it at home, not only will you stretch your weekly food budget but you can also control the quality of ingredients. If you’ve ever purchased it at the grocery store, you’ve probably noticed how expensive it is and how ridiculously high the calories are per measly serving. Homemade granola is not only extremely easy to make but it is very versatile and easy to customize.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of dried fruit I didn’t add any. Want to throw in apricots, raisins or cranberries? Go crazy. We are a big walnut family but if you come from a long line of pecan lovers, go nuts! (Aren’t I funny?)
In my opinion, most store bought granola is too sweet and lacks any real texture and flavor. This easy granola recipe is the perfect balance of toasted, nutty perfection with the right amount of sweetness balanced out with a touch of salt and whole lot of omega-3 goodness.
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- 5 cups oats
- 4 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
- 4 tablespoons flax seed meal
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter creamy
- 1 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
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Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking pad.
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In a medium sauce pot, whisk together cider, honey, sugar, cocoa, peanut butter, butter, cinnamon and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and butter is melted; set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, flax seed meal and walnuts. Pour cocoa honey mixture on top and stir (or use hands!) until oats and nuts are evenly coated.
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Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until browned and toasty. Let cool then store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
If you don't have apple cider, you can substitute with orange juice.
Recipe is adapted from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock N' Roll
Kathie
I made this tonight and we loved it. I did add coconut, just because hey, coconut! My Mother makes granola and it’s okay, but she still makes the same recipe. I don’t think she ever varied it. I never thought about adding so many different things to it. I did searches on pinterest after I made yours and I think I could put almost anything I want into it. So thank you.
tijuana smith (po' man meals)
this granola looks amazing! my hubby lives off granola. he eats it everyday with vanilla yogurt. i WILL be making this for him! :)
The Lemon Bowl
Let me know what he thinks!!
Julia
I love the idea of homemade granola! I currently just buy it but am hoping to start making my own. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I like the way you used cider for a lot of the sweetener and peanut butter for most of the oil, keeping this much lower cal and healthier than store-bought granolas. You are right that store-bought granolas tend to be very expensive, especially considering the cheap ingredients that are in most– mostly oats, vegetable oil, and sugar.
The Lemon Bowl
Yes I tried to keep it as healthy as possible. Like you said – it’s far better than anything in a bag and certainly a lot more affordable! Let me know if you make it. :)
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
I love making my own granola! This chocolate variation sounds wonderful!
The Lemon Bowl
Let me know what other recipes you like! We love it here too!
Alyssa (Everyday Maven)
My husband is a granola and muesli addict. He would love this!
The Lemon Bowl
Mine too!! Definitely let me know what he thinks. We just made another batch for the week. :-)
The Squishy Monster
What a flavorful granola—I love how chocolate snuck into breakfast =)
The Lemon Bowl
Aren’t I sneaky?? I’ve been adding it to smoothies too. ;-)
Sandy @ RE
Love any kind of homemade granola. Thinking about making some for Christmas gifts this year! Yummy, Liz!
The Lemon Bowl
I was thinking the same!! My husband pretty much gobbled it all up so that must mean something. ;-)
Rachael {SimplyFreshCooking}
I’ve always wanted to make my own granola! This is most definitely doing to be my new addiction… I can tell by looking at the recipe already! :)
The Lemon Bowl
Let me know what you think! We made a huge batch and loved it!
Jen @ Creating Chaos Blog
This sounds delicious! I have to try it!
The Lemon Bowl
So easy and so much better than store bought! Let me know if you try!