Is there ANYTHING better than homemade granola? The answer is NO! There is NOTHING BETTER! Sprinkled on yogurt or ice cream … or just by the handful!
I always crave granola, but with my nut and seed allergies, it’s hard to find one out and about that I can eat.
Here a a nut-free granola with pepitas, cranberries and apricots!
{ ingredients }
- 4 c. old-fashioned oats (could replace with Gluten-Free oats to make this GF)
- ¾ c. Ground Flax (or Wheat Germ)
- 2 TBS. chia seeds
- 1 t. salt
- ¼ c. brown sugar
- ½ c. honey (or maple syrup)
- ½ c. canola oil, avocado oil (or coconut oil if you aren’t allergic)
- ½ t. cinnamon
- ½ t. vanilla extract
- 3/4 c. pepitas
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries
- 1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped
- ½ c. shredded, unsweetened coconut (optional if you aren’t allergic)
{ directions }
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together oats and flax (or wheat germ).
- In a small saucepan, whisk together salt, brown sugar, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Once the honey mixture boils, remove from heat.
- Pour honey mixture over the oats and stir until the oats are completely coated. Add cranberries, apricot and coconut (if using) and stir to combine.
- Spread oat mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet. (I like to use a wooden spoon to gently press together clumps of the oats to get those great crunchy clusters at the end!)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on top, stirring halfway through.
- Remove from the oven, press oats gently again with a wooden spoon to form those clusters, and allow to cool completely before storing granola in an air-tight container. (The granola will continue to get crispier and crunchier as it cools.)