Coconut Granola Crunch

I’m about to get sappy on you.

There are a great many things in my life right now that are wonderful: a new baby for a dear friend, healthy and “energetic” nephews, two cats (one skinny, one fat) and a dog that (appear to) love me unconditionally, and great professional and personal opportunities in my very near future.  I’m tying up a lot of old loose ends and looking not at the past but at the joys of life around me….right now.  This food blog has been a key ingredient in my recipe for finding happiness (whoah…I apologize for the extreme obnoxious cheesiness…)  But I mean it.  To the friends I have made through this blog-the Facebook friends, the Twitter friends, the readers, the subscribers: meeting/emailing/tweeting/etc you has been one of the best parts of the blog.  I mean it.

Group hug.

No, really.  And, what does this have to do with granola?  Really nothing.  Except that Greek yogurt is one of the things in life that makes me happy.  Granola and fresh fruit make it pretty good, too.  Granola is healthy, full of versatility, adds a little unexpected crunch to things, and almost everyone I have ever met likes it.

Make it how you want it, but make sure it makes you happy.

So, what do you like in YOUR granola?

Coconut Granola Crunch

Servings: 12 cups granola

Ingredients

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole unsalted almond

1 cup ground flax seeds

2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

Optional: various dried fruits

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack in the lowest position, as well as a rack in the center position.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

3.  In a large bowl, mix the sugar, oil, honey, vanilla, sat, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a large spatula.

4. Add the rolled oats and stir to combine.

5. Divide the oat mixture between two rimmed baking sheets and, using your spatula, spread the oats out uniformly on each pan.

6. Bake the granola for 15 minutes, and remove the baking sheets from the oven.

7. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds to each baking sheet, stir to combine, and return the baking sheets to the oven, switching and rotating their positions.

8. Bake for another 5 minutes, and remove the baking sheets from the oven.

9. Add the flax seeds evenly over the granola, combining well.

10. Return the baking sheets to the oven, rotating and switching positions again, and bake for another 10 minutes.

11.  Remove the baking sheets from the oven and add the coconut (1 cup per baking sheet) to the granola, mixing well.

12.  Return the baking sheets to the oven one last time, rotating and switching the baking sheets, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

13.  Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool completely on wire racks.

14.  Serve with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, or dried fruit as desired.

Source:  Adapted from Sur la Table

March 30, 2011 - 5:12 am

gourmet - Great pictures!
…looks quite delicious!

March 30, 2011 - 10:52 am

Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 - I second your thoughts on how wonderful it is to meet great people through the food blog world. It is so uplifting and inspiring to see what other people make and get feedback on your own dishes. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful food that you do!

March 30, 2011 - 12:53 pm

Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living - I love how versatile granola can be, and this one sounds delicious! I’m working on creating a macaroon granola recipe that has many of the same ingredients – I’ve been on a huge coconut kick lately.

March 30, 2011 - 10:43 pm

Katie - That looks like heaven on earth. Fo’ real.

March 31, 2011 - 10:05 am

Courtney - I love coconut and granola, so I’ll have to give this a try soon. It looks delicious!

March 31, 2011 - 10:23 am

Jenny @ Strungbycolor - Shan! I make all my own granola and eat it every morning. I am always experimenting with new add-ins and have seen coconut as a comment ingredient. Your post inspired me to try it next time…can’t wait! Thank you! 🙂

March 31, 2011 - 11:42 am

Tine - I love coconut in my granola!

March 31, 2011 - 5:29 pm

Annie - Oh darling, I love you. This post is full of warm fuzzies 🙂 The blogosphere can be really wonderful – try to keep focusing on that. I love these pictures too. Just beautiful!

March 31, 2011 - 5:50 pm

Paige at The Spice House - This looks very like my granola recipe, actually, except that now I can’t have salt so I compensate with toasted sesame and lemon peel, and use mace instead of nutmeg to bring out the nutty flavors and a little cardamom to sharpen the lemon. Still using up last summer’s dried tart cherries, but soon I’ll be down to raisins…

April 5, 2011 - 7:37 pm

Mestebla - I am making this tomorrow to have with my homemade yogurt. I can’t wait! 🙂 Thanks for a great looking recipe!

August 9, 2011 - 5:01 am

The Curvy Carrot » Maple Blueberry Parfaits - […] cup granola, homemade if you have […]

September 19, 2011 - 5:03 am

The Curvy Carrot » Granola with Yogurt and Honey-Baked Figs - […] table, I came across this recipe from Cooking Light.  Granola?  Check.  I’ve made that before.  Greek yogurt?  Ummm, I only have TWO huge containers of it in my fridge because I am constantly […]

May 20, 2012 - 8:00 am

h - I made this but subbed extra virgin coconut oil for the oil and it was fantastic.I also reduced the sugar to 1/3.Thanks!

July 11, 2013 - 7:06 am

Carolyn Smith - Waking up early, checking Pinterest…and found your blog and wonderful food inspiration! Thanks for sharing. I will be cooking up the Granola asap.