kick start...

So the other day I made a huge batch of homemade granola. Im a big porridge fan, and fan of oats in general but I do want a change occasionally. What I love about granola is that its sticky and crunchy and sweet and also really filling. I would much rather have a bowl of that that a bowl of Frosties.

I was looking in the supermarket and all of the shop bought varieties seem to have loads of added sugars and were also really expensive, this all combined lead me to making my own so I thought I would share the recipe.

I made some flavoured oil while it baked

300g rolled oats (I like to use the big old fashioned ones)

50g sunflower

50g pumpkin seed

50g flaxseed

50g flaked almonds

50g chopped walnuts

50g desiccated coconut

100g dried berries (preferably no added sugar) I used cranberries and apricots

1tsp vanilla extract

3tbsp honey

125ml maple syrup or 75ml apple juice ***

Pre-heat your oven to 160 C and line a big baking tray with baking paper.

I personally find it easier to combine all of my dry ingredients (except coconut and fruit) together in one bowl and then my sticky ingredients in another. This enables me to make my granola pretty clumpy rather than little bits. Then gradually mix each bowl together so it all combines and there are no huge sections with none of the honey mixture (this happened to me before)

***If you want to use apple juice, I would suggest soaking the oats in it for an hour or two before baking or adding any other dry ingredients.

Pour the mixture into the tray and spread out in a thin layer so it goes crunchy. If the layer is too thick, the bottom half wont cook as much but that may be personal preference. Pop it in the oven for around 15 - 20 mins before taking out, adding in the coconut and fruit, mixing well and putting back in. At this point you may want to drizzle a bit more honey over the top, but i like to add mine after when im actually eating it. Bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden. Be careful not to over cook as the coconut tends to brown too much and not taste sweet.

Let cool on the side before breaking up into your granola pieces and store in an air tight container. It should last you 2 - 3 weeks and contain around 15-18 servings if you don't eat it all in one go... its pretty moreish.

I like to serve mine with a bit of natural yoghurt, honey and fresh fruit and it keeps me full until lunch.