When Nathan was little, he used to call granola “okranola.” I have no idea where that came from, and sadly, it didn’t last long. But when we think of granola, it brings back those fun memories, and we still call it okranola occasionally because it was just so darn cute.
I have a granola recipe that rocks my family’s socks off. In fact, my husband actually wants to eat it EVERY DAY. Sometimes he eats it for more than one meal, and also as a snack . I searched and experimented for a very long time, trying to find the best combination of ingredients to yield a delicious granola that is better than the ones in the store. I’ve actually been using this recipe for several years, and we have enjoyed it many times over. But recently, I made a few changes that I think put it over the top. What was good a year ago pales in comparison to what we are eating now. And I want to share this recipe with YOU 🙂
Now, let me say first of all, that I think one of the things that sets a great granola apart from a good granola is the texture. A really amazing granola has this light, crispiness that just makes your mouth sing. That is one of the things that was missing from my previous granola, and I have to tell you, I don’t think it was the recipe, even though I have made several changes to it; I think it was the pan. I started baking my granola on my Pampered Chef large stoneware bar pan and it has made a world of difference in the whole granola-making experience. It doesn’t burn like it used to around the edges, and it yields a fabulous texture that is just perfect.
There are some changes I’ve made in a few of the ingredients as well. I started using butter instead of coconut oil. Now, the coconut oil was good, don’t get me wrong. But butter just adds a depth of flavor you can’t get with oil. I cut out all wheat from the recipe, so it can be made gluten-free, as long as you use gluten-free oats and other ingredients. I added more flax. I started using slivered instead of sliced almonds. I switched from shredded to flaked coconut. And I changed the sweeteners up a bit. Man, it’s good.
You can tweak this recipe to suit your tastes. You can make it more or less sweet. You can add lots of dried fruit, or only a small amount. You can change up the nuts. You can even sub pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon. You can do whatever you want to it, but whatever you do, you need to bake it on stoneware to achieve the right texture. And let each batch cool on the pan every time. I think that is a big part of what crisps it up so nicely. It takes a little longer to bake it all that way, but it is well worth it. If you don’t have a stoneware pan, you should definitely get one! Mine is one of my favorite and most indispensable kitchen tools.
This granola is super yummy for breakfast or a snack – either plain or with milk, or stirred into yogurt (double yum!) I hope you enjoy it!
My Granola “Okranola” Recipe - No Gluten, No Refined Sugar, and Dairy-Free Option
Ingredients
- 8 cups rolled oats (use gluten free oats to make this recipe gluten free)
- 1/2 cup oat flour (or simply put rolled oats in a blender)
- 1 cup flax seed meal
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts or chia seeds (optional)
- 2 - 3 cups sliced or slivered almonds
- 2 - 3 cups coconut flakes (I use unsweetened)
- 1 cup butter (use coconut oil to make it dairy-free)
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped dates
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a LARGE bowl, put the oats, oat flour, flax, nuts and coconut. Mix thoroughly with your hands to get down to the bottom.
- Put in a saucepan the butter or oil, coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup, and the cinnamon. Heat thoroughly, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and add vanilla.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well to coat. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, finish mixing with your hands to ensure that it is well coated. You can squeeze some little clumps together if you like those in your granola.
- Spread a fairly thin layer of the mixture evenly on a large stoneware baking pan (a bar pan is ideal). I usually end up with 4 batches, cooking on my 11 x 17 pan, so I use about 1/4 of the mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes, stirring after each 5-minute increment. You want it to get toasted, but watch it closely to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely on the stone before baking another batch. Repeat until all granola is baked.
- After all granola is baked and cooled, add the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.
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