Year Round Granola

Yep, a granola that is perfect year round.  Doesn't matter what the weather is like, this granola is precisely what I need to get me out of bed.  For the summer mornings when it's 90 degrees before 9am and for the winter mornings when the best part of breakfast is just getting to eat something hot and feel the steam warm my face, this granola is my go-to for a filling, nourishing way to wake up and brave another day.

In the summer (which, where I live, lasts from April till November and also visits a few times in December) this granola is great with some raw milk, coconut milk or whatever you like. Cold and crunchy, it's as if every bite is doing its best to shake the sleepiness out of my head.

In the winter I cook this in the crockpot with some raw milk or coconut milk till it is a hearty porridge-like mess of yumminess.  The oats cook all the way and are soft and scrumptious while the slivered almonds retain their crunchiness, still determined to wake me up. (Have you figured out yet that I am not a morning person?)

So here ya go:

Preheat oven to 300

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups steel cut oats*
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup coconut sugar
3 cups almonds -- half sliced, half slivered**
1 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3 T cinnamon

Combine ingredients in stationary mixer or by hand in a big ole bowl if you are doing this old school.  Pour into a pan (at least 9x13 in size) and bake in 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Store in container in fridge.***  Enjoy with milk for a cold,delicious and invigorating breakfast.  Or....

If you prefer to enjoy this granola cooked, simply combine 4 cups granola, 1 1/2 cups milk and 8 cups water in a crockpot and cook till soft.  I usually set it on high for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.  Most often, I cook it the night before because there is no way I will ever be up 3 hours before the kids.  This is great stored in the fridge after cooking and it reheats well.  Some people may prefer the cooked version because the protein in the oats is much easier to digest when cooked.

And now, a few points of interest:

*The steel cut oats can be really crunchy if the granola is eaten cold so if you really are not looking for a  very crunchy granola then just use all rolled oats in this recipe.

**Almonds sliced or slivered...Why does it matter?  When the granola is cooked in the crockpot, the sliced almonds will break down and become a part of the soft porridge, but the slivered will retain their crunch, to a degree at least.  So it's your call, if you want that extra crunch whether you prepare the granola hot or cold, then be sure to have the slivered almonds. 

***Why store it in the fridge?  Well, there is just something extra delicious about a cold granola.  But that might just be me.  Also, I know a lot of people will be eating this with an alternative milk and having the granola cold helps with the weird fact that alternative milks never seem to be a cold as dairy milk.

Oh, and sometimes when I am feeling really cuh-ra-zeey, I will omit the cinnamon and add half a cup of cocoa powder to make chocolate granola.  Needless to say, the kids love it when I do that.

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.  Or request a recipe.  Or tell me about your favourtie book.  Or your favourite color.  Keep it fun and pinkies up, y'all!