I’ve tried a lot of granola recipes, but the one I always come back to is from Kathleen Daelemans’ book Cooking Thin. Unlike the higher oil crispy granolas, Kathleen’s recipe makes a crunchy granola with a great vanilla flavor. The nuts make it kind of rich, so it’s probably best eaten as a dry snack then in a giant bowl with milk.
Since I’m the only one around here who eats granola, I make this in small batches.
Kathleen’s Crunchy Granola
Cooking Spray or olive oil for misting
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
2 tablespoons water
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray or mist with olive oil.
Stir together oats, pecans and almonds in a mixing bowl.
Place brown sugar, water and salt in a 2 cup microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over oat mixture and stir until oats are coated with mixture.
Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes, stopping to stir mixture every 15 minutes or so. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Made a double batch of this granola today. It’s fantastic and I love how crunchy it is! I had a few spoonfuls over a cup of Oikos Black Cherry Greek yogurt and it was amazingly good!
Love that this is made without added fat/oil. Can’t wait to try this out!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I am delighted to find an oil-free extra-crunchy granola. I will be making this again and again.
Have you tried Andy’s fairfield granola from Nigella’s feast( and how to eat). It looks good, doesnt use a lot of oil and I’ve heard good things about it. I have a link to sarah discovers how to eat( girl who is making all the recipes from how to eat) and she made it in her blog with pics.
s’kat and Michele,I hope you like it. Again, it is very crunchy since it doesn’t have oil. So keep that in mind.Michelle, the pecans and the almonds really are the best part.
Sounds so good, especially the pecans. Can’t wait to try it!
I’m the only one around here who eats granola, as well. What a bummer!Thanks for your small portions recipes, I usually just get the Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Bars instead!