Oh, granola, how I adore thee. Sunny Kansas Granola is a healthy homemade granola blend, naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and dried fruits. I also love the added flax seed, pepitas, quinoa, coconut, and almonds along with the whole oats.
Servings: 18servings
Calories: 199kcal
Ingredients
Maple Syrup Mixture
1/2cuppure maple syrup
2large egg whites, beaten well
1/3cupvegetable or canola oil
1tsp.pure vanilla extract
1tsp.ground cinnamon
½ tsp.kosher salt
zest from half a medium orange
Granola
2cupschopped dried fruit, such as any combination of apricots, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, mango, cranberries, or golden raisins, as desired
3cupsold fashioned oats (not quick oats)
¼cupwhole flax seeds, optional
½cuppepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
½cupdry quinoa, any color, optional
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, optional
½cupsliced or slivered almonds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Place the maple syrup, egg whites, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest into a saucepan, whisking to combine over medium low heat for a few minutes, just until warm.
Place 1/2 cup of the warm syrup mixture into a medium mixing bowl; toss with the dried fruit and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flax, pepitas, quinoa, coconut, and almonds. Pour the remaining warm honey mixture from the sauce pan over the oat mixture; quickly and gently toss the granola to combine.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the prepared granola mixture out over the prepared baking sheet in a single layer; bake the granola, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Remove the sheet pan of granola from the oven; gently add and stir in the reserved fruit mixture, tossing to combine. Spread the granola out in an even layer once more; bake an additional 20 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time, taking care to leave some clumps of granola here and there.
Let the baked granola cool; store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. **Granola must be stored in refrigeration due to the egg whites as an ingredient.
Notes
**Be sure to check the blog post for tips and tricks, specific instructions, recommended tools, and FAQ’s for making this recipe.