Homemade Chunky Granola

This homemade chunky granola is as easy to make as it is to eat! Chock full of oats, nuts, and big 'ol clusters, you'll find yourself making it every week. Warning: this stuff is crazy addictive!

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What could be more satisfying than a bowl of homemade chunky granola?

Probably two bowls!

Oh man did our week start off exciting. Little D managed to get herself an all expenses paid trip to urgent care first thing in the morning, due to busting up her forehead. I'll spare you the details, as this is a food blog, but we'll just say she got in a fight with a bedframe and lost.

I don't know what it is about toddlers. When it comes to injuries, they are crafty little boogers!

You'll be happy to know she's patched up and totally fine now.

...And running around like a crazy person again.

Mom however, has a few more gray hairs and spent the rest of her day eating her feelings.

But at least it involved this tasty granola! So I'll call it cheap therapy!

This granola is seriously addictive. It's sweet, chunky, crunchy, and full of oats, nuts, and seeds.

It has just enough sweetener and a little bit of cinnamon to taste sensational and to create nice bunches of clusters.

I added a little dash of coconut for extra sweetness and crunch, but that's totally up to you!

I can't get enough of this stuff. Each time I walk through my kitchen I find my self grabbing a handful and popping the whole thing in my mouth--like an animal

Thank goodness for the Roomba!

Ways To Enjoy Your Homemade Chunky Granola

• Pour in a bowl and have it with your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk and fruit.
• Pour it over yogurt or chia seed pudding. You can find a nice chia seed pudding recipe here.
• Top banana muffins with it before baking.
• Stir into some pancake batter for granola pancakes.
• Top vanilla ice cream with granola and drizzle with Maine maple syrup (this is Tim's personal favorite).

Tips For Achieving Chunky Clusters:

One of the things I love about granola is the big, crispy, clusters. I love that you get a little bit of everything in one bite!

Here is how you get those delightful little chunks:

How To Make Homemade Chunky Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup of wheat germ
• ¾ cup of sliced almonds or whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup of white sesame seeds
• ¾ cup of shredded, sweetened coconut (optional)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅓ cup of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup of honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, or blueberries) to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 325º

Combine all of the ingredients from the oats through the salt in a large bowl. 

Stir until well combined and set aside.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine the water, oil, syrup, honey and vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well mixed and all the oats and nuts are completely coated.

Pour granola onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Pack down granola tightly and evenly to about ½" thick.

Don't worry about spreading the granola all the way to the edges of the pan. 

Pop in the oven and bake at 325º for 40-50 minutes, or until the granola looks nicely browned and crispy around the edges.  Do not stir.

Once the granola is a rich brown color and delightfully fragrant, remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle dried fruit over the top.

Allow the granola and fruit to sit for about an hour to completely cool. 

Once the granola has cooled, break it up into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Prefer your granola a little looser?

Maybe you don't want a super chunky granola this week. Here's how to get a crispier, less chunky batch:

• Preheat your oven to 300º
• Combine all the ingredients as listed in the recipe and pour onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Spread granola into a thin, even, layer
• Bake 40-45 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes, until nicely browned.
• Remove from oven, let granola cool completely and add in the dried fruit (if using).

Fun little additions and variations!

Half the fun of making granola is remixing the original recipe! You can change up the seeds, the dried fruit, spices, etc... to totally customize it to your taste and mood!

Here are just some fun suggestions:

• Add chocolate chips (after baking and cooling)
• Replace the almonds with peanuts or walnuts or any other favorite nut
• You can omit the maple syrup and do all honey
• Add pumpkin, chia, and/or sunflower seeds instead of sesame seeds.
• You can add in uncooked quinoa
• In the fall, switch out the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice and make pumpkin spice granola!
• Use raisins, dried apples, currants, dried dates, dried figs, dried cherries, or dried blueberries in place of the cranberries. Or do a mix!

Pin It For Later!

Tools You May Need:

My Half Sheet Pans

My Favorite Parchment Paper Sheets

The Rubber Spatula I've Used Since Cooking School

Other Breakfast Ideas:

The Best Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie