Looking for a great healthy crunchy granola recipe? Give this one a try.

My mother used to make what she called “crunchy granola” for us when I was a little girl in northern Ontario.  She mixed it up in a huge bowl, then baked it in the oven, and stored it in a big tin once it had cooled.

Homemade granola is a different consistency than storebought;  this granola recipe makes bite-sized clumps that are just the right size for little hands to hold and snack on.

When I was a girl, we ate Mom’s crunchy granola with yogurt for breakfast,  with stewed apples and ice cream for dessert, and took it in little containers for snacks on our canoe trips.  Today many families enjoy granola from the grocery store or health food store, but it is easy and cheaper to make it at home yourself.

Here is a good basic healthy crunchy granola recipe that is very adaptable to your family’s taste, with a list of variations and additions at the bottom.  If you prefer your granola crunchier, bake it a little longer, but watch out if you have raisins or dried cranberries as they can burn quickly.

Healthy Crunchy Granola Recipe Ingredients

5 cups large-flake rolled oats (NOT quick cooking oats – they will get mushy)

2 cups barley flakes

1 1/2 cups raw unsalted chopped almonds

1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup sunflower  seeds

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup skim-milk powder

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

3/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil

1/2 cup black strap molasses

1/2 cup organic honey

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 cups raisins

Method

NOTE: You can either mix this in a large mixing bowl or small bucket, then lay it on two rimmed cookie sheets to bake, or mix and bake it in a large roaster – the kind you would use for your Christmas turkey.  The second method makes softer granola.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine oats, barley flakes, raw nuts, all seeds, skim-milk powder, wheat germ and coconut.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl, stir together oil, molasses, honey and cinnamon.  Mix well with oats mixture until it is completely combined.  Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until it appears to be a golden brown colour.  Use a wooden mixing spoon to stir the granola mixture even ten minutes while baking.  Cool in pan, then stir in raisins.  Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Nutritional Information

Per 1/2 cup serving

241 calories, 3 grams dietary fiber, 14 grams fat, 24 grams carbs, 7 grams protein.

Granola is good high energy food, but is also high in calories and fat and should be eaten in small quantities with fruit, low fat yogurt or skim milk.  Try the following substitutions and use your imagination to develop your very own favorite granola recipe.

Granola Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Nuts: try chopped pecans, peanuts, or walnuts

Seeds: flax, chia

Molasses: – if black strap is too strong, use regular cooking grade or fancy molasses.

Honey – change it up – try buckwheat honey for an interesting flavor variation.  You could also try maple syrup.