This homemade granola recipe is inspired by my Aunt Melissa. We lived on a commune in Vermont in the 1960s and 70s, where we grew and prepared all our own food. The actual granola recipe was lost when my aunt passed away decades ago, but I know this one is close because the smell as it bakes transports me back to those days. Melissa made massive batches of the healthy, slightly sweet cereal, enough to feed the dozens of people who shared the land with us, and also to sell at the local co-op, where my dad worked.
I love to pair this granola with homemade yogurt. If you’ve never made homemade yogurt before, you are in for a real treat. It is incredibly simple to make and it tastes amazing. You may never go back to store-bought again once you give it a try!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (170g) honey
- 1/2 cup (110g) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (108g) oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 cups (480g) rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (35g) sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (35g) pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup (150g) chopped nuts
- 1 cup (100g) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1 cup (120g) chopped dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats.
- In a bowl, whisk together the honey, maple, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped nuts, coconut and the honey mixture.
- Divide the granola onto the two baking sheets. Spread it evenly over the mat.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then stir the granola. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes and stir. Continue this process until the granola is golden brown.
- Cool completely, add the dried fruit. Serve with yogurt or milk.
Love that you honored Melissa Zoë.
My grandchildren love the homemade granola!
They eat it with milk, though my husband and I eat it with Greek yogurt!
As always, thank you Zoe for sharing your delicious recipes!!
I was Melissa’s business partner in this endeavor 🙂 and I have wonderful memories of us stirring great quantities of honey and/or maple syrup with the oil, mass-producing bag after bag of this wonderful granola. We used an old pizza oven, which worked perfectly for it.