Baked Honey and Nut Granola

This recipe is shared by a friend. Jodie gifted me some of her healthy golden honey and nut granola at the end of last year.

I am not a huge fan of breakfast cereal. I prefer to eat a quick piece of toast and move onto the more interesting meals of the day!  The granola that Jodie gifted me did not actually make it to breakfast because I ate it ALL out of the jar with a spoon in a couple of days!! As a result, I was on the phone not long after to invite her to share her gorgeous recipe here with you. She graciously agreed.

In addition to her recipe, Jodie has also put together some interesting notes about the ingredients. One of the things that I love most about cooking is the discovery and enjoyment of new ingredients. There is always a new flavor combination or ingredient to try. Thank you Jodie for introducing me to groats – such a funny name for a healthy, wonderful addition to granola. The other thing that I discovered was the difference between granola and muesli, they look similar and may use similar ingredients. The main difference being that granola is toasted/baked and muesli is not. Making your own, rather than purchasing it also means that you get to select high quality (organic if you choose) ingredients and keep processed sugars and other additives out of the mix.

This recipe is healthy and so very fragrant, my house smelt amazing the day I prepared it and now every time I open the jar to try “just one” more spoonful….wow the fragrance is gorgeously sweet, nutty and inviting. It makes me want to eat breakfast all day long and that is really saying something for me!  Here is Jodie’s fab healthy granola recipe:

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Healthy Granola Recipe

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

A healthy granola recipe, full of honey, nuts, seeds and unprocessed grains. Skip the supermarket and don't save it just for breakfast!

Course: Breakfast

Author: Jodie Ringin

Ingredients

• 100 grams honey
• 40 grams coconut oil
• 2 cinnamon sticks (or 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon powder)
• 1 nutmeg (or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground)
• 200 grams almonds
• 100 grams walnuts
• 400 grams rolled oats
• 50 grams groats (steel cut oats) *Optional
• 50 grams sunflower seeds
• 100 grams pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 50 grams shredded dried coconut
• 100 grams raisins
• 100 grams cranberries
• 50 grams currants

Instructions

1. Commence the recipe the day prior if you wish to activate your nuts.
2. Set the oven to heat to 120 degrees celcius (fan forced)
3. Add the honey and coconut oil to a heavy based saucepan and heat on a low temperature until they melt together then remove from the heat.
4. While the honey and oil are melting, grind the spices. You may use pre-ground if you wish.
5. Combine the nuts, oats, groats and spices and then add them to the melted honey and oil mixture and stir well to coat.
6. Line two baking trays with baking paper and spread the mixture evenly across the trays
7. Bake for 15 minutes, check and toss and return for 5 - 10 minutes depending on your oven. Be careful not to over cook the mixture.
8. Once the mixture has baked in the oven remove from the trays and add to a large wide bowl to cool, add the dried fruits and then once it has cooled completely add to storage jars/containers.
9. Serve with milk, yogurt and fruit or to top a crumble or dessert at the end of the day.

Recipe Notes

If you do not have coconut oil use an alternate oil - butter or olive oil

Jodie’s Notes:

Spices:

If you have a machine that will grind your spices I highly recommend it. I have been reading about vibrational frequency of foods and I am sure that the freshly ground spices do make a healthy difference. Find a basic introduction to this topic here.

Activating Nuts:

I activate my almonds and other nuts before I use them. I find with almonds that it does make them sweeter and the process of activation washes away the phylates. These are no so great for you anyway, so win-win. I always use filtered water as part of my process and rinse the nuts after. You can find out if you should be activating your food here.  After activating, you may choose to leave the nuts whole.  In our house we have three small children so I blitz the nuts briefly in my food processor, or you may chop them roughly to the desired size.

Groats:

I don’t always use groats but when I do they really change the texture of the mix. I buy them online from a wholefood supplier. They are simply oats that have not been rolled flat. Once they are coated and toasted in this mix they really add extra texture that I enjoy – although be careful of tipping in too many as they can be quite laborious to eat on mass!

This healthy baked honey and nut granola made a great Christmas gift, tied with a simple bow and presented in a jar to the children’s teachers. Easy! Since I began making this granola I no longer need to buy boxed cereals that we had in the past, and I know that this food is better for my family. I hope that you enjoy it.