With the first official boil in the books, we’re now busy replenishing our maple stores for the year. We use a LOT of maple syrup and honey at our house, primarily because we don’t use artificial sweeteners. We stopped buying processed cereal years ago and replaced it with granola. We eat granola with milk for breakfast or as a simple snack.
Granola– a healthy breakfast and snack option.
This recipe is pretty versatile– we typically add whatever we have on hand and don’t worry about it too much.
Maple Granola
- 3 cups rolled oats (NOT the instant kind)
- 1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries or blueberries– you get the picture!)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup black walnuts (or whatever kind of nuts you like– almonds are great, too!)
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup pure maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 dash salt
Preheat oven to 250ºF.
In a large bowl, stir to combine rolled oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes. In a separate bowl, stir to combine maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, and salt. Pour wet ingredients over the oats, and mix well.
Pour the granola onto a rimmed sheet pan and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring halfway through the baking process. The granola is done cooking when it turns medium brown, so your cooking time may vary a bit. Let the granola cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. (It NEVER lasts that long at our house.) This recipe can be doubled if you want to make more.
Happy baking!
(Adapted from Homemade Pantry and Food to Live By)
Tarheelbilly Farm 