Hit The Trail Granola

Sweet, simple, healthy, wholesome, feel-good “hit the trail” granola. This crunchy trail mix granola is simple to make and has so much flavor and texture!

Another January week, another healthy-ish recipe. It’s been far too long since I’ve made granola and I put an end to that this past Friday. Three new granola recipes are coming to you over the next few weeks and I’m sharing my most munchable flavor today.

Three loves of mine: fluffy blankets, granola, and trail mix. Let’s combine two out of three… actually, if I count all the trail mix granola crumbs spilled on my fluffy blanket while watching TV/munching then we have a tasty (and messy) triple threat.

Moving right along…

One of my most popular granola recipes is this Vanilla Almond Granola. And here’s why: it’s easy, it’s crunchy, it’s tasty. For today’s granola variety, I simply switched up a few ingredients and added all sorts of trail mixy things.*

Granola is so simple to make at home. I have no idea why I ever bought it from the store. It’s overpriced, the ingredient lists are usually odd, and it’s likely full of refined sugar and unnecessary fats. Granola is one of the easiest, practically-no-work-involved healthy snacks and you don’t need 27 different weird ingredients to throw it together. My basic formula is usually oats, nuts, dried fruit, something sticky (like maple syrup, honey), and a binder (like coconut oil, peanut butter). I customize it based on the flavors I’m craving or the ingredients I have on hand. Like this tropical granola or my apple spice, pumpkin spice, and chocolate crunch granolas. I get it, I’m a granola girl.

*Let’s discuss trail mixy things.

I have a love/hate relationship with trail mix. I love how it tastes, all the different textures, and anything with cranberries and almonds wins in my book. But then I hate how I can easily polish off 93529736 servings in only 10 minutes.

Almonds, dried cranberries, raisins (sorry!), some cashews, and chocolate chips grace my crunchy granola in each spoonful. The nuts are mixed in with the granola prior to baking and once finished and cooled, the dried cranberries/raisins and chocolate chips may be added. The chocolate chips are completely optional so don’t feel pressured to have chocolate for breakfast. There are worse things. The raisins are optional too. I’ll cry a little inside my raisin loving heart, but I’ll get over it. Especially if you add the chocolate chips. Yay.

Some Important Ingredients

The granola is sweetened with maple syrup. I made this particular granola twice and the first time I used honey. The granola lacked flavor, so maple syrup is my sweetener of choice. Make sure it’s a pure variety. Also important? The coconut oil! You can use canola or vegetable oil instead, but for granola I prefer coconut. Only ¼ cup of it– not too much in the entire batch. But this little amount gives crunch and a little richness. It’s perfect.

The egg white—it’s odd, I know. But a lot of granola recipes actually include an egg white. It’s the perfect binder. Another binder I use is almond butter. You can use any nut butter (or sunflower seed butter) that you have. Between the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and the almond butter—this granola has so much cozy, comforting, wonderful flavor.

I hope you try it! And maybe even snack on it while hiking some trails. Get it? Hit The Trail! So dorky.

Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥

“Hit The Trail” Trail Mix Granola

• Author: Sally
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 cups
• Category: Snack
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Sweet, simple, healthy, wholesome, feel-good “hit the trail” granola. This crunchy trail mix granola is simple to make and has so much flavor and texture!

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Ingredients

• 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned rolled oats*
• 3/4 cups (105g) whole unsalted almonds
• 1/2 cup (65g) whole salted cashews*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil
• 1/4 cup (60g) almond butter*
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (120g) dried cranberries or raisins (or 1/2 cup each)
• 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Toss the oats, almonds, cashews, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium heat-proof bowl, microwave the maple syrup, coconut oil, and almond butter together for about 30 seconds. Alternatively, you may melt these ingredients together in a small pan on the stovetop. Remove from the microwave and using a fork or rubber spatula, stir until everything is melted together and smooth. You may need to microwave it for 10 more seconds or so. Allow to cool down for about 5 minutes (you don’t want to cook the egg white!). Once slightly cooled, whisk in the egg white and vanilla. Pour over the oats and toss to coat. Make sure all of the oats are moistened.
3. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet (it usually always fits onto just one– if too crowded, use two baking sheets and bake at the same time on different racks) and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the granola to cool completely – the air will help the granola obtain a crunchy texture. Once cooled, toss in the dried cranberries/raisins and chocolate chips.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead Instructions: Granola remains fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
2. Gluten Free: Use certified gluten free oats if intolerant.
3.  Almonds: 3/4 cup (53g) sliced or slivered almonds work as well.
4. Cashews: I prefer salty cashews but unsalted are just fine.
5. Oil: Either canola or vegetable oil instead of coconut oil is fine.
6. Nut Butter: Any nut butter you like may be used instead of almond butter. Sunflower seed butter works as well.

Keywords: homemade granola, trail mix granola