I love granola but find that too often it has way too much sugar to be a healthy start to the day. This granola provides the best of both worlds. It still contains some sugar but it is also sweetened with dried fruit rather than more of the white stuff! It also contains nuts and seeds that are packed with vitamins and minerals. This version happens to contain tropical fruits and nuts (we are in Vietnam, after all) but check the Alternatives section for other great additions to the basic recipe.
The Recipe
by volume                            by weight
1/3 cup brown sugar                67 grams brown sugar
1/4 cup palm sugar                 50 grams palm sugar
1/4 cup honey                      85 grams honey
1/4 cup water                       60 grams water
3 tablespoons oil                   42 grams oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon            18 grams cinnamon
4 cups rolled oats                  360 grams rolled oats
2½ cups nuts and seeds           312 grams nuts and seeds
2½ cups dried fruits               375 grams dried fruits
Directions
Heat the oven to 325F. Chop the nuts and fruits as desired and mix with the oats.
Spread the mixture on a sheet pan.
Bring the sugars, honey, water, oil, and cinnamon just to the boil to dissolve the sugars.
Pour the syrup evenly over the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the mixture out on the pan evenly and bake for one hour, stirring every ten minutes. Let the granola cool completely and then store in an airtight container.
Alternatives
If you can’t find palm sugar, don’t worry! Coconut sugar will work just fine as will firmly packed brown sugar.
For the 2½ cups of nuts and seeds I used cashews, squash seeds, chia seeds, and sesame seeds. For the 2½ cups of dried fruits I used pineapple, dates, and mango. This is a great mix and a great flavor combination but many other choices exist.
-sliced almonds, dried blueberries, dried, strawberries, chia seeds, sunflower       kernels
-walnuts, dried cranberries, dried apples, wheat germ, pumpkin pie spice
-macadamias, banana chips, shaved coconut, pineapple, ginger
As you can see, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination! Pick your favorite flavors to make your own healthy, custom breakfast granola!
