Olive Oil Granola
If you haven’t made granola from scratch, now is the time! Whenever I see granola at the store I am always shocked when I see the amount of processed sugar and preservatives packed into the ingredients. Homemade granola is really easy and when you make it yourself you can control the amount of sugar AND use ingredients that aren’t processed. Once you make it from scratch, you won’t go back.
The key to good granola is, obviously, the ingredients. The two main things to think about are the “fat” and the sweetener. I usually use coconut oil or butter as the “fat,” but I wanted to try out using some olive oil instead and I love how it turned out. It’s a little more crunchy and a little less sweet. I love olive oil on just about anything, so it was a win for me. As for the sweetener, I usually use honey. Nothing seems to compare. I don’t use processed sugars for this, and I have used maple syrup (which is also really good), but honey always add the chewiness that I like as well as a lovely floral flavor that you just can’t really get from anything else.
Get creative with this! Add in any kind of nuts, dried fruit, seeds, anything! If you want to add a little chocolate to make it more of a treat, then I would mix it into the granola once it cools completely.
Tips for Olive Oil Granola
Use good olive oil. It doesn’t have to be a crazy expensive finishing oil, but use something you would drizzle on a salad or dip bread in to add the fruity olive flavor.
Honey is my favorite sweetener for granola. I have used maple, and definitely love the flavor, but the honey adds a great chewy texture that makes the granola so delicious.
Don’t forget the salt. I like using kosher for the extra salty crunch. I use kosher for most of my baking and cooking.
If you want to use butter or coconut oil, check out my other recipe here!
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 unsweetened shredded coconut (if you can't find unsweetened you can use sweetened)
1/4 cup wheat germ, optional
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pepita seeds (aka shelled pumpkin seeds)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt (I like using kosher)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup honey (for a little sweeter flavor, add an additional 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, pepita seeds, sesame seeds, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and toss together to combine.
In another bowl, combine the honey, vanilla and olive oil. Stir to combine.
Pour the mixture over the ingredients and stir together using a rubber spatula.
Make sure all the ingredients are evenly coated with the oil/honey mixture.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly spread the oat mixture between the two sheets.
Press together with the spatula so that the oats stick together; this creates the large "chunks" when you break it apart after baking.
Bake for 12-14 minutes; until the ends start to brown slightly.
If you would like it to be extra crunchy you can let it bake for about 3-5 minutes longer; making sure it doesn't brown too much.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled use your hands to break up the large pieces and serve.
Store in an airtight container.
