When I was young, I consumed an exorbitant amount of cereal: before school, after school, before soccer practice, after soccer practice—basically any time I could squeeze in a bowl, I would. I had a rotating arsenal of standout cereal actors from Gorilla Munch, to Life Cereal, to Go Lean Crunch. The common theme was, of course, the crunch factor. My love for cereal even went so far as to motivate my 8th grade self to bring a box of Pumpkin Flax Granola in my suitcase all the way to a soccer tournament in Sweden because apparently, I could not go two weeks without it. As I got older, this love affair with cereal began to fade to make way for more sophisticated mornings of omelettes and avocado toast, but at the beginning of this year, this old love was restored in the form of Purely Elizabeth granola.
Thus began my rather expensive addiction to these $7 bags of heavenly goodness. My happiest January mornings were filled with heaping bowls of this granola paired with sliced bananas, persimmons, coconut flakes, and honey. Unfortunately, my bank account was not as happy as I was with this addiction, inspiring my quest to create a granola recipe with this same crunchy golden satisfaction but that wouldn’t break my bank account in the same way. After much experimentation (and many failed attempts to create the crunchy cluster texture I so desperately desired), I have created what I believe to be a Purely-Elizabeth-rivaling recipe for homemade granola.
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Combine the ground flax and water to create your flax egg. Set aside to thicken.
Whisk together the oats, oat flour*, coconut shreds, coconut sugar, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
*Make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats until they become flour!
In a separate bowl, combine the flax egg with the olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Thoroughly mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Lightly press the mixture into a lined baking sheet (should be ~1/4 thick).
Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.
Remove pan from the oven and let it cool completely.
Break the granola into chunks of desired size u0026 enjoy 🙂
The cinnamon and the vanilla marry well to create a lovely flavor palette, while the maple syrup and coconut sugar provide a subtle sweetness. The olive oil adds nice savory notes while not being too overpowering (as I have found coconut oil to be). The combination of oat flour and rolled oats as well as the binding that the flax egg provides work together to create those beautiful clusters. The chia seeds and coconut flakes are entirely optional but add another layer of texture and depth that I appreciate.
As always, this recipe is very open to experimentation. Mix in raisins, nuts, cacao nibs, or even chocolate chips. Use honey or agave instead of maple syrup. If you do prefer the flavor of coconut oil, use that instead. Swap out cinnamon for other spices like turmeric or cacao powder. Let your imagination run wild.
Enjoy this granola with milk, on top of smoothie or oatmeal bowls, or straight from the jar (no judgement). I’m never spending $7 again on a bag of granola, and after trying this recipe, I hope you can say the same.