I wanted to share a lovely Maple Nut Granola recipe with you today for a delicious breakfast or snack option that is not only very easy to make, but I am thinking you probably have everything you need in your home to make it right now!
This is exactly what it says it is, a crunchy golden granola that you can make in the comfort of your own home, using all-natural and healthy ingredients.
It’s also a very adaptable recipe so if you don’t have exactly what the recipe asks for, I will give you suggestions that you can use in their place. Not only is this incredibly tasty, but it is also relatively low in fat and sugar compared to the ready-made varieties you can buy at the shops.
We enjoy it as an option for breakfast topped with a dollop of thick yogurt and a drizzle of honey, but it is also very nice eaten out of hand as a nutritious snack.
Its also a great example of something nutritious and healthy which you can make for your family using store cupboard ingredients, which is really important at the moment.
I always have everything I need to make this in my cupboard. Old fashioned oats, a variety of nuts and seeds, maple syrup, vegetable oil, salt, ground cinnamon, and vanilla.
Normally I would make it with all vanilla, but I am trying to make my vanilla stretch and last, so, for now, I have cut down on the vanilla and added ground cinnamon for more flavor!
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I always use large flaked old fashioned oats for this recipe. Do not be tempted to use instant oats or stone ground. The large flaked old fashioned oats will give you the best results.
I like to use a nice variety of raw, unsalted nuts and seeds for this. I normally use cashews, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
Today I did not have any pecans or sunflower seeds, so I just upped the quantities of the other nuts. Feel free to use whatever nuts you prefer or have on hand, just not chocolate-coated or salted, please.
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I used vegetable oil today, pure sunflower oil. The recipe makes 3 quarts of granola and there is only 2/3 of a cup of oil in this recipe, making it relatively low fat. You could also use light olive oil or coconut oil but do be aware that if you use coconut oil, your granola will have a definite coconut flavor.
Speaking of coconut, I like to use large unsweetened flakes of raw coconut. These get all nice and toasty and make a great addition. I don’t really recommend sweetened flaked coconut, as it might burn in the baking, and I think it is far too sweet for this.
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How To Make Maple Nut Granola
I use pure maple syrup, sea salt, and pure vanilla. If you don’t have maple syrup, you can use liquid honey, or agave syrup if you want with no discernible difference. Personally, I like the flavor of maple syrup. I have added ground cinnamon today, but normally I would use a full tablespoon of vanilla, and yes, I do use pure vanilla, not artificial. I also like to use fine sea salt.
The first thing you will need to do is to measure all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl and then toss them together to combine.
You can then mix together the oil, syrup, vanilla, salt and ground cinnamon. I use a tiny whisk for this. It does the job beautifully so that the cinnamon evenly disperses and doesn’t clump together.
Once you have all your dry ingredients combined, as well as your wet, it is time to combine the two together with each other. You can use your hands for this (they do a great job) but if you don’t want to get your hands all sticky and dirty, use a large rubber spatula. I find one of those works great, and then it also makes sure that you can scrape everything out of the bowl without any waste.
You will need two large rimmed baking sheets. I spray them first with some non-stick low-fat cooking spray, and then just spread the granola out onto them in a single layer, dividing the mixture evenly between both baking sheets.
The maple nut granola is cooked at a fairly low temperature over a period of about 45 minutes. I like to give it a good stir every fifteen minutes or so, stirring it into the middle from the outside edges so that they don’t get overly dark and the granola stays fairly evenly colored. It is done when it is crisp and golden brown.
The maple nut granola smells incredibly delicious while it is baking. You have been warned. I, myself, can never resist the temptation to nibble on a few bits while it is cooling.
See how lovely and golden brown the maple nut granola is. Nice and crisp and beautifully flavored. Not too sweet at all. You can, of course, enjoy it as it is, but I like to add some dried fruit to mine. My favorite add-ins are dried blueberries, dried sour cherries, craisins, and raisins. Banana chips are also nice, and if you really wanted to be a bit hedonistic you could add some chocolate chips when it has completely cooled.
This stores very easily in airtight containers for several weeks and it also freezes very well. I have never had a problem in using it all up!
As I said, we really enjoy it served in small bowls with dollops of thick yogurt and a light drizzle of honey. It’s also very good drizzled with date syrup. If you have left it plain without adding any dried fruit, you can also serve it with yogurt and fresh berries.
One thing is for certain, at the end of the day, this granola is a delicious option and sure to become a real favorite with your family!
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MAPLE NUT GRANOLA
This is the BEST granola recipe. It is highly adaptable to what you have available and is great served for breakfast with milk or yogurt and fruit or eaten out of hand as a nutritious snack.
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 3 quarts 1x
Ingredients
- 6 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (large flake)
- 2 to 3 loose cups of flaked coconut chips
- 3 to 4 cups of raw nuts (I like to use cashews, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup of pure Maple syrup
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 TBS vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160*C. Position your oven racks to the upper and lower third of your oven. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper, or spray lightly with low-fat cooking spray.
Mix the oats, coconut, and nuts together in a large bowl. Whisk together the maple syrup, oil, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour this over the oat and nut mixture. Stir well to coat the dry ingredients as much as you can with the liquid. Divide the mixture between the two pans, spreading it out as evenly as possible.
Bake in the preheated oven stirring every fifteen minutes for about 45 minutes until golden brown and rotating the pans halfway through the bake time, moving the top pan to the bottom and the bottom to the top. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Once your granola has baked and is cooled you can add a quantity of dried fruit. Raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc. All work very well.
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Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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