For Breakfast or a Snack: Honey Granola with Dried Cranberries, Raisins, and Almonds

Who doesn’t like granola?  Even my nut-phobic kids love nut-filled granola.  They don’t even notice the nuts.  Read the label on store-bought granola cereal and you might say, oh my, how is this healthy with about 200 calories or more in a measly 1/2 cup of cereal?  And oh, the carbohydrates!  We are talking about over 30-40 grams per 1/2 cup serving.  Check out the information on the Quaker Oats website for the nutritional value of granola cereal.  Might as well drink a can of orange or cream soda.  What’s my solution?  Make it at home and skip the nutrition labels!

So is it good for you or not?!  Most of the components are healthy, like oats, nuts, and seeds, providing fiber, iron, magnesium, and other good things.  But it’s the added sugar and fat that causes a fair share of the trouble.  This CNN article says that 1/4 cup of granola is a reasonable amount if you need to count calories, not to mention carbs.  I’ll take that, especially sprinkled over plain yogurt!

Following is the printable recipe.  Step-by-step instructions with photos of how I prepared this batch of homemade granola come after the recipe.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe
Honey Granola Cereal with Dried Cranberries, Raisins, and Almonds
Course Breakfast, Snack
Keyword Breakfast, Snacks
Servings
cups
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup whole almonds
  • 4 cups old fashioned oats (not quick or steel cut oats)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil (e.g., canola, but not olive oil)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Course Breakfast, Snack
Keyword Breakfast, Snacks
Servings
cups
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup whole almonds
  • 4 cups old fashioned oats (not quick or steel cut oats)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil (e.g., canola, but not olive oil)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a 15 inch x 10 inch x 0.5 inch baking pan. Coarsely chop almonds. In a large bowl, toss together oats, chopped almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, cinnamon, and salt.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine oil, honey, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Mix honey mixture into oat mixture until oat mixture is evenly moistened.
  3. Press mixture with the back of a spatula into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, turning over with a spatula every 8 minutes to ensure even baking and to avoid burning dried fruits. Let cool completely in pan. Use spatula to remove from pan. Break up large pieces before serving or storing. Stores in air tight container 2-3 weeks at room temperature.
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Step-by-Step:  How to Make Homemade Granola with Dried Cranberries, Raisins, and Almonds

In a large bowl, combine most of the dry ingredients–chopped almonds, rolled old-fashioned oats, dried cranberries, raisins, and some cinnamon and salt.

Prepare the “wet” ingredients.  Stir together honey, brown sugar, and oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a boil.

Add in some vanilla extract off heat and then pour over the dry ingredients while still hot.

You need to then mix this until the oats are completely moistened with the syrup.  Immediately press it into a large, lightly oiled cookie sheet.

Keep pressing the sticky granola with the back of a spatula all around to get an even layer that covers the entire pan.

You need to bake the granola in a preheated oven at 325°F for about 25 minutes, but you need to turn the granola over a three or so times with a spatula to ensure even baking and so the dried fruits won’t burn!

Take it out of the oven and let it cool without touching it to let the granola harden in the pan.

When completely cool, use your spatula (and some force) to scoop the pieces up and transfer the granola to an airtight container for storage, or serve right away.  Some pieces will crumble into small pieces and some will stay as large chunks.

This recipe makes quite a bit of granola–over 5 cups, so this should last a while!

I’ve tried this granola served in a bowl with milk, sprinkled over yogurt, or just eaten as a snack with no other adornment.  Delicious!

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