My favorite granola, three ways

Ah homemade granola. It's a tough one to get exactly how you want it. There a million recipes out there on the web and in cookbooks, and many great options in the stores. I've tried different toasting times and temperatures, varied the ingredients, and I think I've finally found a recipe that I love, and three ways to tweak it!

I like granola that is a little more chunky, that has some clusters to it, not just loose oats. These recipes have that. They are pretty dang tasty!
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Basic granola recipe
3 cups rolled oats (gluten free if you need)
3 Tbsp ground flax seeds
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
pinch of sea salt, colored if you've got it

Method

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a large bowl combine oats, flax, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, salt, nuts or seeds and wet ingredients, inlcuding essential oils
  • Reserve any dried fruit add-ins until after toasting
  • For stronger flavor, reserve essential oils until after toasted granola has cooled. Add then stir to combine
• Use your hands or a large spoon to mix until well-coated and clumpy 
• Spread out the mixture onto a large baking sheet and place on the middle rack. Bake for 15-20, stirring at 10 minutes
• When toasted to your preference, remove and allow to cool. Add in dried fruit and store in an air-tight container

Tweak #1: Apple Spice Granola
To the basic recipe above add: 

• 2/3 cup unsweented chunky applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apples
• 1 drop each Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Cardamom and Black Pepper essential oil

Tweak #2: Pumpkin Spice Granola (PSG)
To the basic recipe above add: 

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries, or both
• 1 drop each Cinnamon and Ginger essential oil

Tweak #3 Banana Granola

• To the basic recipe above add: 
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 drop each Cardamom & Wild Orange essential oil

I think my new favorite way to eat granola is with a simple chia pudding and vanilla whole milk yogurt, sometime I add some fresh fruit as well. It is just as tasty with milk or any nut milk! I can pop this in a snack bag and munch on it when we're out and about, and I'm thinking it could even be  combined with dates to create a nice bar, though I haven't tried that yet. I will have to keep you posted! 

How do you do your granola?