Vanilla Almond Granola

As I mentioned during the post on homemade yogurt, Robert and I have begun eating fruit and yogurt parfaits on a daily basis for both breakfast and dessert. One key component to these parfaits is the granola sprinkled on top to add crunch and flavor. Up until recently I would use store bought granola for our parfaits and it worked just fine. That was until I made homemade vanilla almond granola and we realized that the granola sold in the store isn't near as good.

In trying my hand at making my own granola I discovered that it's not as difficult as I had previously thought. Additionally, the benefits gained in both taste and control over the ingredients is such that I cannot think of any reason why I would ever switch back to purchasing granola ever again. I highly encourage you to give this recipe a try. You'll be glad that you did.

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Vanilla Almond Granola


Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil (or other flavorless oil such as canola)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, pour in the 2 cups of oats.

Add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

 Add the 3/4 cup of slivered almonds to the salt and oats, stir and set aside.

Pour the 1/4 cup of maple syrup into a small saucepan.

Add the 3 tablespoons of coconut oil.

And the tablespoon of water.

And the teaspoon of vanilla.

Stir and bring to a low boil over medium heat.

Pour the maple syrup mixture into the oat mixture.

Stir until thoroughly combined and the oats mixture begins to clump.

Begin to gather the oats in your hand forming clusters and placing them on a greased baking sheet.

Once all the oats are clustered and placed on the pan, sprinkle the dark brown sugar on top.

Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve on top of a yogurt parfait or with milk and eat as you would cereal.