Friday Food Craft: Go-To Granola

Article first published as Easy Granola Recipe on Blogcritics.

So, as I am sure you will notice, I published this recipe first on blogcritics.com. They contacted me earlier this week asking if I would like to be a food contributor, and how can I resist sharing my recipes with even more people? So from time to time I will be publishing articles there before they show up on Craftinomicon. If waiting until Friday for your food craft fix proves too hard, you can now check there and see if I have published anything early.


If you're like me, you are always looking for snacks that are easy to take with you on the go, but aren't going to totally trash your diet. This recipe fits the bill, an easy granola that you can whip up in 30 minutes, and change from time to time by switching out various ingredients so you don't get bored.

The ingredients are easy to find:

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (4 cups)
Raw Sliced Almonds (1/2 cup)
Raw Sunflower Kernels (1/4 cup)
Unsweetened coconut (shredded or flakes) (1/2 cup)
Maple Syrup (1/2 cup)
Canola Oil (2 Tablespoons)
Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
Nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)
Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
Dried fruit (1/2 cup) I have used dried cranberries, raisins, figs and dates, but any dried fruit will do.

All measurements may be approximated to use what you have on hand, and you may certainly substitute different nuts for the almonds and sunflower kernels if you like. Also, if maple syrup isn't your favorite, try a local honey instead.

All you need to do is mix together all the ingredients, except the dried fruit, on a baking sheet (I prefer one with sides so I don't spill my granola everywhere) and place it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Halfway through baking, stir your granola to make sure baking occurs evenly.

Once you take it out of the oven, stir in your dried fruits and place it into an air tight container. I have been known to place mine into several smaller mason jars (approximately 4 ounce jars) so that I can easily grab one at a time and not have to measure into bags later.

This granola will keep for up to 3 weeks in the air tight containers.