My Favorite Granola

I am not a morning person and having a family has made that fact painfully clear. The struggle is real on a school morning at 6:30 AM...and yes, I do cook my children hot breakfasts, but less so now that they can cook many for themselves. I’m all about empowerment and I’m not about to rob them of the skills to survive a morning. But I do love making up a batch of granola on any given day and stacking it in glass canisters in the pantry for a quick homemade breakfast -- just add yogurt or milk. 

DPK (as he shall otherwise be known in this space) has a habit of starting his day with plain yogurt, a drizzle of raw honey, and a scoop of granola. I like to add fresh fruit in season like berries, mango, or banana. 

This recipe has evolved over time -- I replaced wheat germ with flax meal to make it gluten free. I skipped nuts and added pepitas which made it nut free. I also decided I liked the oats toasted a bit longer. 

So here you are. With minimal effort, you can have a satisfying and healthy breakfast available for weeks. No excuses.

My Favorite Granola

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Recipe by Stephanie Kunstle

Note: This doesn’t spoil… as long as you’re eating it! I haven’t tested its durability beyond a month or so. Just keep it sealed in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups oats

• 2 cups unsweetened shredded dried coconut

• 1 and ½ cups flax meal

• 2 cups raw pepitas

• 1 and ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp vanilla

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup raw local honey

• Optional: 1 cup seed and/or ancient grain mix if you want to add even more nutritional value

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

2. In a large baking pan (I use a 10”x15” Pyrex), add the oats, coconut, flax meal, pepitas, cinnamon and mix well.

3. Measure olive oil into a liquid measuring cup, add vanilla, and whisk to combine. Drizzle over oat mixture and stir to incorporate and coat the oats. 

4. Bake granola for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. 

5. Remove granola from the oven, drizzle the honey over the granola, mix well, and return to the oven. 

6. Continue baking for 20-30 minutes longer, stirring once or twice along the way, until granola is desired golden to even a bit amber in color. 

7. Cool on a baking rack, stirring occasionally -- if you forget to do this, it will cool in one giant bar...and...pro-tip: you’ll need to use a metal spatula to chip it apart. Once it’s completely cool, store in airtight containers. Enjoy!