Toasted Maple Cinnamon Granola

Thanks for sharing!

Homemade granola is so much cheaper than store bought and tastier too! Besides it is so easy and customizable. This version is our absolute favorite!

This is the best homemade granola recipe out there.  I am just sure of it!  It is crunchy, sweet and flavorful just like you would want it to be. 

Plus it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to put together.  There is some oven time, but almost no work!

It taste of maple syrup, cinnamon and toasted oatmeal. So good! Throw in a handful of pecans if you’d like and you’ll really be in heaven!

Little Dude loves yogurt.  He loves smoothies, cups of yogurt and especially fruit and yogurt parfaits.

He thinks it is fun to dump some granola on top and crunch on the little bits of sweet goodness.  But granola can be expensive, and who knows what they put in it?

So I never keep it on hand.  I do always have oatmeal though.  

I also always have some form of sugar and oil.  So, I am always just a bit of time and hardly any effort away from granola.  

There are many variations you can make, but this is our favorite so far!

Little Dude has a new found affinity for cereal, and will eat it in a bowl with milk sometimes.  He also likes to eat it dry with his hands.

But really, he enjoys it most on his yogurt.  Throw in some strawberries or a banana and he is set!

In the picture above, we layered apple pie filling, vanilla yogurt and granola for my sister’s bridal shower brunch.  YUM!!

Update:  This granola is MiMi’s new favorite!  She stumbled back on it recently, more than a year after I posted it and decided to give it a try.

Now she is hooked.  She loves that it stays crunchy in spite of our humidity!  What are your favorite granola add-ins?

Oatmeal is one of our favorite ingredients.  We are always putting it in muffins, pancakes and we have quite the collection of baked oatmeal recipes you need to check out.

If you like your oatmeal warm, maybe you’d like apple pie steel cut oatmeal. Or if you want an excuse to have chocolate for breakfast, brownie baked oatmeal is a great option. What are your favorite oatmeal recipes?

How to make sure your granola is crunchy:

Finishing the granola in the oven is the part where it gets its crunch.  Make sure to bake it low and slow so that the sugars don’t burn before it gets good and crispy.

Stirring the granola half way through makes sure it heats evenly and that there is good air flow to all of the pieces.  Don’t skip that step.

Make sure your granola is completely cooled before you put it in an airtight container.  If it is still warm, the steam will cause the granola to loose its crunch.

Keep it out of the humidity as much as you can.  Store it in an airtight container and try to keep as much moisture out as you can.

Stored correctly, this granola will be good for several weeks at room temperature.  However we tend to go through it quicker than that.

Because it is so easy to make, it’s good to make it in small batches and make it more frequently.  That way you don’t have to worry about it losing its quality over time.

Ideas for mix-ins you could add to this recipe:

Dried fruits such as raisins, craisins, banana chips, dried cherries and more! (Mix these in after the granola is baked and cooled)

Nuts are a great add in too, chopped pecans, slivered almonds, even pepitas or sunflower seeds would be great. (You can add these in when you add the oatmeal and bake them right in!) 

Add some shredded coconut if you’d like. (I would stir this in half way through the baking process)

If you want a vanilla twist, add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract to the liquid mixture before you toss in the oatmeal.

Did you know you can make granola in the slow cooker? Try making slow cooker maple cinnamon granola for another way to get this tasty flavor combo.

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Thanks for sharing!