Homemade Granola

With Christmas less than a week away, I thought it would be a good time to share my homemade granola recipe. This granola recipe is super healthy, using flax, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds, as well as unsweetened applesauce (instead of oil). It is also low in sugar, using only a small amount of honey. My granola recipe is packed with nutrients, and is great to snack on throughout the day.


Once I make a big batch of granola, I package it in inexpensive jars (I found some at Walmart) and tie a ribbon around each one with the list of ingredients and a gift tag. This way, the recipient can reuse the jar once the granola is gone.

I kept this granola recipe very basic, it is definitely build-able  Throw in some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and substitute the applesauce for pumpkin puree to make it a pumpkin spice granola. Or add in some cocoa powder and shredded coconut to make it a little more sweet. There are so many different nuts you can add as well: chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, or macadamia nuts.

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup milled flax seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. sea salt

                  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Use cooking spray to coat two large baking sheets. 

Pour the raw granola onto the baking sheets in a thin even layer. 











Bake the granola for 20-30 minutes, flipping/stirring the granola every 10 minutes (VERY important!) to make sure it's cooking evenly and not burning. 

Let the granola cool before transferring to storage containers. Enjoy!