Maple almond granola recipe
Granola is one of my favorite versatile foods — you can add it to fruit and yogurt for a delicious breakfast, or grab it by the handful for a snack any time of day. It seems to disappear pretty quickly from my kitchen, no matter which brand I buy.
By making granola at home, you can customize not only the flavor, but also the amount of added fat and sugar in your recipe. If you buy certified gluten free oats, this recipe can be gluten free — since millet and quinoa are naturally gluten free (and high protein) grains. The addition of egg whites to this recipe makes the final product full of big clusters of granola, but they are optional.
Although many of the ingredients are interchangeable (for example, you can use a puffed rice cereal for the puffed millet or honey for the maple syrup), make sure you end up with the same total volume of wet and dry ingredients.
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups puffed millet
- ¼ cup raw quinoa
- ½ cup raw almonds, chopped
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- ¼ tsp. almond extract
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 egg whites, beaten
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Over medium heat, combine maple syrup, sugar, and oil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in extracts.
4. Pour syrup mixture over dry ingredients, and mix well to coat. Stir in egg whites, if using.
5. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Gently turn large sections of granola (being careful not to break the clusters) and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Let cool completely (about 30 minutes) before breaking into pieces and storing in an airtight container.
Makes 8 servings.
Approximate nutrition information (per serving): 225 calories, 8 grams fat, 32 grams carbohydrate, 6.5 grams protein.
If you’d like to add in dried fruit or flaked coconut, do so only for the last 10 minutes of baking.
What’s your favorite granola flavor combination?
