Granola can be as fancy as you want it to be, as well as a good way to turn small leftover amounts of nuts, seeds and dried fruits into your own artisinal breakfast. This three ingredient version is an easy base that can be multiplied and added to. The maple syrup can be swapped for honey and any nut or seed butter can be used, even the oats can be swapped for any rolled whole grains like barley, kamut or quinoa. Add in a couple dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger for some spice and finish it off with whatever extras you have laying around your pantry. With granola I like to add in any dried fruit I’m using at the end so it does not dry out more during the baking, and the high heat can destroy the delicate oils in the nuts and seeds so when possible I like to leave them raw.
I made this version with only the three original ingredients, using hazelnut butter, rolled oats and maple syrup, then had a small bowl of it with some unsweetened almond milk and a few chunks of dark chocolate for dessert. It was a lot healthier than a typical dessert and it had a rich nutella flavor, only with no chemicals and additives and a ton of extra fiber, protein and healthy fats.
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup nut butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix the ingredients together until thoroughly combined then lay the mixture out on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through so that it browns evenly.
- If you are multiplying the batch the cooking time stays the same, just be sure to use a large tray so it can all be spread out thinly.
- After removing from the oven, set the tray aside on a cooling rack until the granola is fully cooled then stir in any dried fruit, nuts, seeds or dark chocolate chunks as desired.
- Granola tastes best once cooled then it can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for a few weeks.
