This homemade coconut cashew granola is a perfect blend of crunchy and not-too-sweet that is delicious on its own or as a topping for your favorite yogurt and fruit parfait!
Happy Friday, All! Summer weather has sure shown up in our neck of the woods; how about yours? It’s been over 90 degrees most of this week, so we’ve been looking for ways to cool off. Of course, even the heat couldn’t stop me from making today’s recipe to share with you all! I may be crazy to turn on the oven in the summer, but this granola was totally worth it.

I’ve been wanting to make homemade granola for awhile, but I never quite got around to it. But with summer in full swing, it sounded like the perfect topping to a summer fruit and yogurt parfait, and I got inspired. I remembered that in our family recipe book there was a recipe for my Oma’s granola that she used to make in big batches and mail to her grandchildren at college. I used her recipe for inspiration, but I’ve taken A LOT of liberties with it in an effort to healthify it a bit and to sub in some ingredients I LOVE (like cashews, which are way better than peanuts in my book). I’ve replaced the butter with coconut oil, and I’ve cut down on the sugar content. I don’t think the taste suffers for it at all. In fact, I like that it’s sweet, but not TOO sweet. I also added flax seed and chia seed because, well, I add it to almost anything I can. Like these muffins or these granola bites. It was great in the granola, too!

P.S. – My house smelled wonderful as this stuff was baking and I couldn’t stop snitching bites off the pan all afternoon.

Healthy Coconut Cashew Granola

Note: This recipe is HIGHLY adaptable. My Oma’s original recipe called for peanuts and dates, and used butter instead of coconut oil. I also added in the flax and chia seeds. You can easily add or leave out based on your personal preferences and what you happen to have on hand at the time. Make it a granola adventure!

Ingredients

• 6 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup rough chopped cashews
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins or Craisins (or, if you want to get crazy, a mixture of the two!)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with raised edges) or line with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, cashews, flax seed, chia, and raisins/Craisins. Mix together.
4. In a small sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted and mixture can be stirred smooth.
5. Pour hot mixture over oat mixture. Stir to coat evenly.
6. Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring twice.
7. Let cool, break apart, and store in airtight container. Serve on its own, or sprinkle over yogurt and fruit for a perfect breakfast parfait. Enjoy!

If you have a favorite granola recipe, send it my way! I’m on a roll, and I’d love to try some more variations.

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