Granola: A Perfect Fall Treat
Maybe you're planning on a family hike before the weather gets cold or maybe you’re looking for a healthy after-school snack. No matter the reason, if you're in the market for a break from chips and candy, healthy homemade granola is a delicious snack! While many store-bought granola varieties can be too sugary, making your own granola eliminates this issue. This is because you can control all of the ingredients that go into homemade granola.
The great thing about using a homemade granola recipe is that you can make it in so many ways and with different flavors! Whether you like your granola sugary sweet or filled with nuts, custom granola is practical because you can add as many or as few extra ingredients as you like.
Start with this recipe for the granola base:
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup honey
- Pinch of salt
- Toppings (dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)
Directions
Combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds, and salt in a large bowl. In a saucepan, combine the honey with a bit of water and heat until thin. Stir the mixture into the granola base. Then, spread the whole mixture on a large cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from clumping too much. Let the granola cool and dry for about another 30 minutes. Then, stir in whatever tasty toppings you enjoy, such as dried cranberries, golden raisins, semi-sweet chocolate chips and cashews. This will be perfect with yogurt or cereal in the mornings!
You can also use granola to make your own homemade trail mix. This sweet and salty treat is another delicious and wholesome snack that is especially good for long hikes. To make homemade trail mix, simply make the granola base without any additional toppings. Then, break it up into pieces and mix it with any trail mix toppings. These can be more nuts, seeds, or a variety of dried fruits. The key difference between this recipe and just plain granola is the ratio. Here, you’ll want to make sure you have a lot of extras! Want a trail mix recipe for kids? Add more of the sweet toppings such as dark chocolate chips, yogurt chips, and yogurt covered raisins.
Store your granola or trail mix in a large plastic container. Then, put some in a small, resealable bag whenever you need a snack on the go. Yum!
Love this article?Find vendors
