This morning I woke up craving granola. There was none in my pantry, since I don’t buy ready-made granola nor cereal just because they usually contain too many unnecessary ingredients that are not particularly good for health, and a lot of them contain palm oil. I’m personally against buying any product containing palm oil due to the destruction and burning of rainforests it causes. Having lived in a part of the world where this is a primary industry I witnessed the rainforest devastation first hand. The fires destroy wildlife killing endangered species and cause further damage to our environment by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. I feel my personal boycott is justified.
So, I was making this granola in my head even before I got out of bed. Like many of my recipes, this one as well is easy to make. You will end up with delicious granola in less than an hour.
It keeps well in an airtight container, in a cool dry place for up to two months, but I believe there will be none left by that time.
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups traditional or rolled oats
1 cup mixed seeds such as pepitas ( pumpkin seeds ) and sunflower seeds
1 cup mixed nuts roughly chopped
1 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup almond flakes
1/8 cup chia seeds
4-5 tbsp butter
4-6 tbsp honey ( depending on how sweet you like it, I love it sweet 😉 )
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2-1 tbsp cinnamon
1-2 egg whites lightly beaten ( egg whites will give you nice crunchy chunks of granola, but they are optional )
Method
Preheat oven to 170C.
Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Place butter and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or till butter has melted. Mix in the maple syrup.
In a large bowl mix rest of the ingredients together. Pour melted butter, honey and maple syrup mixture in, add egg white and mix till combined.
Spread granola on prepared baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes or to your liking, stir two or three times after every 7-8 minutes, then press back into the tray.
Let it cool before serving. Store in an airtight jar or a container. Stores well in a cool, dry place ( not fridge ) for up to 2 month
Enjoy for breakfast with Greek or plain yogurt topped with fresh fruit or berries
Best start to the day!
