A few years ago, my mom decided to play Martha Stewart and make homemade granola to give to our neighbors as Christmas presents. As you might expect, she turned to Martha herself for a recipe, but ended up making so many batches that she adapted it into a recipe that is now her own. And it is to DIE for.
My friends all refer to it as the “crack granola” because once you start snacking on it you can’t stop. I us it as a garnish on my favorite greek yogurt, my morning oatmeal (with a dollop of peanut butter too) and as a yummy snack to eat all by itself.
It is packed with flavor and, unlike most granola on the shelves at Whole Foods, contains no preservatives since it comes straight from mama’s kitchen. It’s also gluten-free, as an added bonus.
It’s almost impossible to mess up: sometimes burning it a tiny bit can make the taste even richer and more decadent. Like we did, feel free to take this recipe and modify it however you like to make it your own. Options include adding dried fruit, coconut flakes, chocolate chips and more. The possibilities are endless.
After we perfected this recipe in December of 2013, we packaged it all up in mason jars tied with beautiful Christmas ribbons, and, much to our neighbors’ excitement, the tradition has carried on every year since.
Better-Than-Martha-Stewart Granola
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds, pecans and cinnamon and set aside.
Combine vegetable oil, brown sugar, honey and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add in vanilla and stir.
Immediately pour the mixture over the oat and nut mixture. Stir until evenly distributed throughout the bowl.
Lay granola evenly onto baking sheet, then bake for about 25 minutes until granola is golden brown.
Halfway through baking, take the granola out and stir it. Be sure to move into an even layer again before placing back in the oven.
Allow granola to cool completely (I usually let it sight overnight) then break into chunks and store in an airtight container. I store it in the fridge if I make it in bulk. This helps it to last longer and also gives it an extra crunch when I mix it in yogurt or cereal.