Description
This Almond Cherry Granola is a crunchy, sweet and hearty start to your morning when paired with some greek yogurt. Made with dried cherries, slivered almonds, shredded coconut and oats, it is an easy meal prep breakfast or snack to have on hand.
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil (mild tasting is best)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup dried cherries (sweet or sweetened tart)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and place a piece of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, coconut, and salt.
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the sugar, maple syrup, olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, then remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Fold the hot liquid into the mixture of oats, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.
- Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake until mostly dry and lightly golden, about 30 minutes, stirring granola 1-2 times along the way (see note about granola clusters).
- Remove granola from oven, and mix into it the dried sour cherries. Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container.
Notes
If you want separated crisp granola: you'll want to make sure to stir the granola several times while baking, and once or twice as it cools. If you want crunchy granola clusters: don't stir the granola while it's in the oven or as it cools. See section "Crisp Granola vs. Granola Clusters" above for more.
Storing: This granola will last at least a week, but likely a lot longer. I usually use mine up within a few weeks and it's always stayed just as good as the day I've made it. But do keep in mind it has no preservatives in it so you can't leave it for quite as long as you would store-bought granola. If you made a big batch and you want to preserve the granola very fresh for a longer period, it can be frozen for about 6 months.