Crunchy Clustered Granola

1 Recipe : 3 Variations

I’ll always remember breakfast at Grandma Leona’s house as a kid. Among other options, there was always a batch of her homemade granola stocked somewhere in the kitchen. I’ve carried on the granola tradition in our house, and it’s one of our favorite snacks, always on hand.

Grandma’s recipe was a little more fancy with quite a few ingredients, so I’ve altered it a bit, but it has a very similar nostalgic taste :)

Here’s why we love it:
-Just a handful of simple ingredients
-It’s super versatile so you can switch it up based on what you have on hand, and what your preferences are. I’ve listed my 3 favorite options below.
-It’s full of nutrient dense ingredients to power your body with fiber, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
-It makes great clusters, which in my opinion is critical!

Crunchy Clustered Granola
1 Recipe : Multiple Variations

Ingredients:
-1/4 Cup nut butter (almond butter, sun butter, or peanut butter)
-1/4 Cup honey (or maple syrup)
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
-1 teaspoon cinnamon (can be omitted)
-2 Cups rolled oats
*optional add ins: vanilla, raw coconut flakes, hemp seeds, chocolate chunks, raw nuts, chopped dates, sunflower seeds…)

Multiple Flavor Variations:
Choose your nut butter, liquid sweetener, and add-ins to make a combination you enjoy. These are my favorites:
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola: peanut butter, honey, and dairy-free dark chocolate chips
2. Maple Almond Granola: almond butter, maple syrup, chopped dates
3. Sweet Coconut Granola: sun butter, honey, raw coconut flakes, sunflower seeds

Directions:
-Add nut butter, liquid sweetener, salt, coconut sugar, and cinnamon to a large bowl.
-Mix until well combined.
-Stir in the oats until thoroughly coated, then add any extra mix-ins you’d like (vanilla, raw coconut flakes, hemp seeds, chocolate chunks, raw nuts, chopped dates, sunflower seeds, etc)
-Lightly oil a large baking sheet and spread the granola mixture onto the pan, pressing it down firmly with your hands or the back of an oiled metal spatula.
-Bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
-Remove from the oven and mix the granola on the pan so the outer edges are evenly distributed through the middle (this keeps the edges from burning). Then using the back of an oiled metal spatula, press the mixture down firmly again (it’s important to press it down for the clusters to form).
-Put back in the oven and cook for 5-7 more minutes until golden brown.
-Let cool completely, and then use a large flat spatula to remove from the pan and into a storage container. Be sure to pick up large pieces with the spatula so you get those big yummy clusters.
-Store in the freezer. This will keep the granola super crispy and brings out the sweet and salty flavor, but it won’t actually “freeze” it.
-Eat it as a cereal, add it to a trail-mix, put it on top of yogurt or ice cream, or (my favorite) munch on it straight out of the freezer!