Soft Maple & Brown Sugar Granola

Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day. I'm just not usually hungry in the morning and I have a hard time finding things I like as I don't like to eat a heavy meal first thing. I typically just make a protein shake with lots of spinach and stuff, but that gets tiring after a while. 

I wanted to find something healthy, yet filling, so I started researching granola recipes. I tried a few, but just didn't find anything I really liked. I have found that most of the store bought granola is so hard that my jaw would be sore from chewing it! So I decided to just come up with my own recipe. 

After making it one time it was a hit and it was gone in just a couple of days! I've since made it several more times (and I usually double this recipe so it's enough for my family!) and I think I've got it just right! Hope you enjoy!

Soft Maple & Brown Sugar Granola

(3 cups oats total)

1 1/2 cups regular rolled or steel cut oats

1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Arrange pecans and almonds on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside.

3. Once the nuts have been toasted, reduce oven temperature to 300°.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

5. Add oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a large bowl bowl. Set aside.

6. In a medium microwave-proof bowl, melt butter and coconut oil in microwave at 30 second intervals. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

7. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and almond extract to butter/coconut oil. Stir to combine.

8. Pour maple syrup and oil mixture over oats and stir to combine.

9. Pour granola onto baking sheet that has been layered with parchment paper and spread into a thin layer.

10. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir around with a spoon. Mixture will look really liquidy but it is fine. The oats will absorb the moisture as it continues to cook. Rotate pan 180° and put back in oven to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, rotate pan again, and return to oven for another 10 minutes. After that it should be done.

Depending on your oven and if you do want a crunchier granola, return to oven for another 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook because even once it is removed from the oven, it will continue to cook a bit on the hot baking sheet. I would recommend making the granola as the recipe is written, then adjusting to your preference from there.

I do not like to break the granola up too much while I am cooking it as we like more of the granola clumps. If you do not like clumps in your granola, feel free to break it up more as you cook it. 

Once the granola is finished you can add in dried fruit or even mini chocolate chips if you desire. The great thing about it is there are so many variations on what you can put in it!