I am nuts about Almond Granola!

I have made granola a million times. I am always tweaking the recipe or looking for the next interesting nut or seed to add into it. It's so versatile. Change it up to fit your life, just be care with the dry-to-wet ratio of ingredients.

The thing that takes this granola over the top is the almond oil. I didn't want the same ol' vegetable oil for this recipe. It take the the flavor to whole new level. There are many health benefits to using almond oil both topically or through ingesting it.

Almond oil has been known to help relieve inflammatory conditions and because of the Omega-3 fatty acids, it lessens your risk of cardiovascular diseases. The health of your hair and skin can also be improved by almond oil.

  • 5 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup roasted, salted whole almonds
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup almond oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tbsp Penzey's Cocoa mix (optional) - Very subtle flavor. I was honestly looking for a more chocolate flavor.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mix together oats, nuts and seeds in one below. Set aside. Mix together brown sugar, oil, honey, vanilla and cocoa mix in another bowl. Stir to combine. Gently fold in the oats mixture. Make sure all ingredients are completely incorporated. Line two (9x13-inch) sheet pans with parchment paper. Spread the mixture onto the two pans and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking. 

* Note: Every oven is different. So you may need to adjust the baking time. 

Check the granola at 15 minutes. At 20 minutes, you should start to smell the granola. If you want a more toasted flavor, let it bake 5 minutes longer but be very careful, granola can burn very quickly. 

Let granola cool for 1 hour. Store in airtight container for up to 3 weeks. 

Yield: 9 cups. 

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