Spiced Honey Nut Granola

In an effort to eat less chocolate croissants (who am I kidding right now, really), I’ve been trying to wake up earlier during the work week so I can squeeze in time for a quick breakfast before heading out. Unfortunately, that means advanced planning and earlier alarms. Having something already prepared makes my morning much, much easier and gives me more time to sit down and enjoy my meal, rather than having to whip something up that I’m forced to eat (with my mittens off, no less!) on my walk to work.

Granola is something very nostalgic for me. I have tons of really fun and beautiful memories of times with my grandma, but out of everything, my two strongest memories of her involve smells. The first is the smell of orange Dial hand/dish soap that she always had by her bright, white kitchen sink. The second is the smell of her granola. I don’t know or remember what was in it at all, but the smell is something I’ll never forget, and I think about it every time I eat or crave granola. Now, I’ve never made granola by myself–I did help Grandma once or twice, spreading around the oats with my little, sticky hands, but I had no real idea of what I was doing. Her recipes are all at my dad’s house, and while I would love to try her version, I decided to make up my own, heart-healthy, super nutty kind. Ever since my cardamom-crumble experience, I’ve been putting it in everything, including this granola. I’m still not over how versatile a flavor it is, and hopefully it’s not boring anyone (is anyone reading this? am I boring myself? maybe.), because I’m not planning on retiring it to the back of the spice cabinet anytime soon.

Spiced Honey Nut Granola

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, and seeds. In another bowl, combine all other ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread the mixture on 2 baking sheets (1 will work in a pinch but you’ll have to do some serious stirring and maybe up the cooking time a few minutes).

Pop the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir, then put back in the oven for another 10-12, or until the granola becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Delicious with almond milk (and probably any other milk/milk substitute) or with Greek yogurt, it’s a fast, and nutritious breakfast that will feed you for days !

-K