Homemade Granola Recipe

Homemade granola is one of my favorite things ever.

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This is going to sound weird, but granola has sentimental feelings attached to it for me.  When I was a kid we were really poor and so things like granola just weren’t in the family budget.  I’ve heard some people say they can buy granola for cheap, but in our area it’s pretty expensive in my opinion.

Anyways, every year I used to go to summer camp, and then later years I worked there.  Every week there was a day that was “cereal day” and they would put granola out so you could top your cereal with it.

I remember that being my favorite breakfast day at camp. 🙂  I also remember wishing I could fill my whole bowl up with the granola instead of just topping the cereal with it.  But the rule was it was just a topping, and as a huge rule follower I didn’t dare try and sneak more than I was supposed to. 🙂

So, I imagine granola has sentimental value for me for two reasons.  One is that summer camp days were some of the best days of my life.  The second is, maybe this is just true for me, but when you grow up poor and you go to someone’s house or summer camp you really, really appreciate the food.

Seriously, when I recall memories from my childhood, a lot of them include food.  All the amazing summer camp meals.  My friends giving me their fruit cup or pudding cup every day at school at lunch time.  My best friend in high school sharing with me her cafeteria purchased food every single day.

It’s probably why I am so much of a foodie now.  I love food.  Good, homemade, filling food.  I love the relationships built around a table.  I love hanging with others over a meal.  I love cooking for my family.

I guess it’s one of my love languages. 🙂

This homemade granola recipe I am sharing is very basic.  The reason for that is because I wanted to do a recipe that was extremely cheap to make, and also I wanted a recipe that you most likely had all the ingredients in your cupboard.

Granola tends to be pretty versatile.  You can add things like flax, wheat germ, coconut, and whatever else you want.  But my goal was the ultimate frugal recipe that is still so delicious it doesn’t make you feel deprived.

We love to add this granola to some homemade yogurt that we’ve mixed our homemade jam in. 🙂  Or, if I am really feeling rebellious, I’ll eat a whole bowl of this granola, instead of just topping my cereal with it. 🙂

Now, before I get into the granola recipe, I want to stress a very important point in this recipe.  WATCH IT VERY CLOSELY WHEN COOKING.  Granola burns extremely fast in the oven, so don’t walk away from it or you will be so disappointed.  There’s nothing worse than burnt granola.  Okay, obviously there are worse things than burnt granola, but nonetheless, it’s still a very, very sad moment when you ruin it.

Also, I love to store my homemade granola in these big half gallon mason jars.  Actually, I like store just about anything in these jars.  They are so, so handy!

Let’s make granola!

EASY HOMEMADE GRANOLA RECIPE

Preheat your oven to 300 F.

Combine your melted butter, canola oil, vanilla, and brown sugar in a bowl and mix it well.

In a separate, bigger bowl mix together your oats, salt, and cinnamon.

Now add your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix super super well.  Make sure ALL your dry ingredients are coated by the wet ingredients.

Spread out on cookie trays in a thin layer.  Don’t spread it out in a thick layer because it won’t cook through.  I used three cookie trays for this recipe, though my cookie trays are a little bigger than standard cookie trays, so depending on your size more than likely you’ll be using 3-4 cookie trays.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring or flipping over about half way through.

Once finished take the granola out of the oven, let it cool then add any add-ins that you want.  We add raisins but you could add chocolate chips, any type of dried fruit, or nuts.  However, you don’t have to add in anything if you don’t want to.  This granola is delicious all on it’s own.

Try to not eat it all at once. The kids prefer that I share with them, so I try to control myself a little bit. 🙂

I love that this recipe is so simple to make and is a better option for breakfast than cereal.  We buy a lot of cereal because unfortunately I am not one of those moms who hops out of bed singing and everything is a little blurry and foggy so the mornings fare better around here when the kids grab their cereal while I drink my coffee. 🙂

But, when I make granola, it’s like the best of both worlds.  They get something a little healthier and heartier, and it’s as simple as pouring cereal in the morning.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Recipe

Delicious granola recipe that is easy to whip together and super cheap to make!

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Ingredients

  

• 12 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Optional add-ins

• raisins
• chocolate chips
• nuts
• coconut

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 300 F
• Mix melted butter, canola oil, vanilla, and brown sugar together in a bowl.
• In a separate, bigger bowl mix the oats, salt, and cinnamon together.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well. You want all the dry ingredients to be coated by the wet ingredients.
• Spread in thin layers on 3-4 cookie trays.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Be sure to watch the granola carefully as it can burn quickly!
• Take out of the oven and let cool. Mix in any add-ins.
• Store in airtight jars or containers.