I've always wanted to make my own granola! Aside from the fact that store-bought granola can be pretty expensive, you can have more control over what you want to add to your granola. Also nuts can be quite expensive, which may be the reason why some granola tends to be more expensive.
With this recipe, I included PEANUTS as an inexpensive nut option. This recipe calls for 2 different nut ingredients, but if you want to keep it inexpensive, use only peanuts. The same goes for the syrup and the seed and/or nut butter. Date syrup and tahini can be quite expensive, so if you want, you can make your own syrup with just heating sugar in a pan or pot, and as for a tahini alternative, just use peanut butter, BUT MAKE SURE ITS RUNNY. To do so, place the peanut butter in the microwave for 30-second intervals, and stir in-between, until its runny.
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 Cup of Date Syrup (or any syrup of your choice)
1/3 Cup of Tahini (or any nut or seed butter of your choice)
1 Tsp of Vanilla Essense (or vanilla extract)
1/2 Tsp of Salt
1 Tbsp of Cinnamon
2 Cups of Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup of Sunflower Seeds (or any seed of choice)
1/2 Cup of Chopped Cashew Nuts (or any nut of choice)
1/2 Cup of Peanuts (or any other nut of choice)
1/3 Cup of Cranberries (or any dried fruit of choice)
1/2 Cup of Coconut Flakes or desiccated coconut
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 175C place your oven rack at the very bottom (this helps your granola to crisp up and cook faster as it's closer to the heating source)
Mix your wet ingredients and spices/seasoning in one large bowl. Add your nut/seed butter and syrup, vanilla essence/extract, salt, and cinnamon, and use a whisk or fork to mix it all together.
Note that the consistency of the mixture will thicken up, but that's fine.
Then add your oats, seeds, and nuts to the wet mixture and use a wooden spoon/spatula to mix it all together until the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the wet mixture.
Line your baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat and pour the wet granola into the lined baking tray and MAKE SURE TO PRESS THE MIXTURE FLAT with your spoon/spatula. (Pressing it flat into a thin, even layer will allow the ingredients to better stick together and will create large clusters)
Place the baking tray at the lowest inset in your oven and set a timer for 25 minutes, checking it at the 16th minute mark to make sure everything is still good.
After about 18-20 minutes, remove it from the oven and use your spatula to flip the granola. At this time you'll see the clusters forming. Once flipped and evenly spread, add the coconut flakes/desiccated coconut, and place it back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place the baking tray on a safe surface that can take the heat of the tray, and IMMEDIATELY add your dried fruit pieces. The heat of the granola will melt the sugar of the fruit and help it stick to the granola pieces.
Allow it to cool, as this helps with crisping the granola even more. Once cooled, place in a glass jar (for aesthetic purposes LOL) or in an airtight container.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Enjoy the granola as a complete breakfast with vegan yogurt or plant milk, and topped with fresh fruit.
Use it as a topping for smoothie or oat bowls.
Chow it as a snack in between meals.
ENJOY!