Bella Bites: Crunchy Homemade Granola

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe post – I love throwing a little food into the mix once in a while. The treat I’m going to share with you today has been one I’ve been itching to make for years!

My Aunt Annette made the yummiest granola a few years ago and I was immediately inspired me to try and make my own. Well, 5 years later, here we are LOL! I never realized how simple it was to whip up a batch of granola and I am so glad I finally did. I worked off of this recipe, but made a few of my own tweaks. Take a look…

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 1cup sliced, chopped, or slivered, almonds 
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₃ cup oil (I used melted coconut oil, but I know it can be controversial. Vegetable should work too!)
• ²⁄₃ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1-2 handfuls of craisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl: oats, almonds, salt, and cinnamon
3. Mix wet ingredient together in a separate bowl: coconut oil, honey and vanilla
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients (I used a spatula to evenly mix)
5. Line two baking sheets with foil (or parchment paper) and spread a single layer of granola onto each
6. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and stir the mixture
7. Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden (about 12-15 more for me!)
8. Remove from oven and cool completely.
9. Add raisins, craisins, or any other faves!

How delicious does this look?! I swear it tastes even better! Even my chihuahua was trying to get her paws on some. 😉

Once the trays have cooled, the granola will be perfectly crisp! You can put it on top of yogurt, cereal, ice cream, or eat it on its own! You could even package some into cute little mason jars and gift it to friends, family, or co-workers. 🙂

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Have you ever made your own granola before? How do you do it and what ingredients do you use?

XOXO