Homemade Autumnal Granola Recipe

Yesterday’s homemade granola mission was a wild success with my family!

As promised:

Autumnal Granola Recipe
Makes 6 cups of granola

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raw butternut squash seeds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, or canola oil
• 1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey, or maple syrup)

ON THE SIDE

• 1 cup dried cranberries

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with buttered foil (or parchment paper).
2. Mix all the dry ingredient.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until mixture is evenly coated.
5. Pour mixture evenly on lined baking sheet, and place in the center rack of oven.
   
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring the mix every 15 minutes.The browner the granola gets, the crunchier it will be.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack.
   
8. Once cooled, add the dried cranberries to the mix.
   

This recipe yields mildly sweet granola. If you prefer sweeter flavors, double the honey and/or the brown sugar amounts.
As soon as the granola came out the oven, I just HAD to sample it. The butternut squash seeds added complexity to the mixture of flavors, which I LOVED. And the cranberries gave it a sweet and tangy kick. Next time, I may reduce the sesame to 1/4 or 1/3 cup.

I foresee this paired with some Greek Yogurt in my near future (;