How a frugal farm girl makes DIY GRANOLA: One customizable formula with endless possibilities.

Recently -- in an effort to be more self-sufficient and frugal -- I've been learning how to stock my pantry with homemade products to replace store-bought items. One such product is DIY Granola. Who doesn't love granola? Whether you eat a bowl for breakfast, or simply sprinkle it on yogurt or a dessert, granola is a fabulous food to keep in your pantry. But have you seen how expensive granola is in the store these days? And those store-bought packages are dinky! You can save big bucks when you make your own. And granola is super-duper EASY to make, especially when you follow this customizable formula:  

One easy formula for endless granola creations...

Just choose your ingredients based on what you have in your pantry! Select from each of the following columns in the amounts shown:

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3 cups Grains	1 cup Raw Nuts	1 cup Raw Seeds	3/4 cup Sweetener	1/2 cup Oil	Spices / Extracts
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats Rolled Barley Rolled Rye Uncooked Quinoa (2 tbsp added to other rolled grains) Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats (1/2 cup added in with other rolled  grains)	Hazel Nuts Walnuts Pecans Peanuts Coconut Chips Almond Slivers Pistachios Cashews	Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds Flax Seeds Millet Sesame Seeds Hemp Seeds	Brown Sugar Honey Molasses Brown Rice Syrup Maple Syrup Agave Nectar	Canola Oil Olive Oil Avocado Oil Sunflower Oil Coconut Oil (melted) Peanut Oil Walnut  Oil Grape Seed Oil Butter (melted) (2 to 4 tbsp of beaten egg white can be used to replace some of the oil if desired)	3/4 to 1 tsp Salt (salt is essential, but all other spices are optional) 1/2 tsp Ginger 1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 1/2 tsp Cardamom 1 tsp Nutmeg 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder 2 tsp Vanilla Extract or another, like almond, coconut, strawberry, etc.

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Next, choose your add-ins to finish your granola after it's been baked (after baking, because dried fruit can burn if baked with the rest of the mix, chocolate chips will melt, and roasted nuts could burn since they've already been roasted once).

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Add-ins should equal 1 to 2 cups total.
Dried apples, chopped Dried pineapple, chopped Dried apricots, chopped Dried mango, chopped Dried strawberries, chopped Dried plums, chopped	Raisins Craisins Dried Cherries Dried Blueberries Dried Goji Berries Banana Chips	Dried Dates Chocolate Chips (or another variety of chips) Roasted Nuts or Seeds (add roasted nuts and seeds only after baking. Since they are already roasted, they will burn if baked again)

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Now, here's how to make the granola:

1. In a large bowl, combine your chosen grains, nuts, seeds, salt, spices and extracts.

2.  Add sweeteners and oil (and egg white if using). Stir it all together with a rubber spatula.

3. Spread the combined mix on a large deep cookie sheet, or split between two 9 X 13 baking dishes. Just be sure to line your chosen bake-ware with parchment paper and you're good to go. 

4. Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes, stirring once or twice at intervals. The granola is done when it looks nicely browned. It's okay if it doesn't seem crunchy when you first take it out of the oven. It will harden as it cools.

5. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet, or in the baking dishes for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a long piece of parchment paper on the counter. Carefully stir in any post baking add-ins, such as dried fruit, or roasted nuts (see above list). When the add-ins are mixed in, allow the granola to finish cooling completely. When the granola is totally cooled, store in an air-tight container in your pantry.

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Not sure where to begin your granola making adventure? Try the following recipe. You'll be hooked on making your own granola in no time!

Orange Cranberry Walnut Granola

The following ingredients are broken down according to the chart for DIY Granola, above. Once you've made a batch, you'll want to go back and experiment with creating your own recipes!

INGREDIENTS

Note how selections are made from the categories above...

Grains

2  1/2  cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2  cup quick cooking steel cut oats

Nuts

1  cup chopped raw walnuts

Seeds

1/2  cup raw hemp seeds

1/2  cup raw sunflower seeds

Sweetener

1/2  cup honey

1/4  cup brown sugar

Oil

1/2 cup avocado oil (or another oil)

Spices / Extracts

3/4 teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons cinnamon

2  teaspoons vanilla extract (all natural)

2  teaspoons orange extract (all natural)

Dried fruit

1  cup raisins
1  cup dried cranberries (or try orange flavored dried cranberries, I found mine at Trader Joes)

Makes approximately 2 quarts or 16 servings.

INSTRUCTIONS

Just like above...

1. In a large bowl, combine everything except the last 2 ingredients (you'll add the raisins and cranberries after baking, or they could burn). Stir together with a rubber spatula until well combined.

2. Spread the combined mix on a large deep cookie sheet, or split between two 9 X 13 baking dishes. Just be sure to line your chosen bake-ware with parchment paper and you're good to go. 

3. Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes, stirring once or twice at intervals. The granola is done when it looks nicely browned. It's okay if it doesn't seem crunchy when you first take it out of the oven. It will harden as it cools.


4. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet, or in the baking dishes for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a long piece of parchment paper. Carefully stir in the raisins and cranberries. Allow the granola to finish cooling completely, then store in an air-tight container in your pantry.

UPDATE!! FREE PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

CLICK HERE to download your FREE Orange Cranberry Walnut Granola recipe card.

(You'll receive a PDF of the nearly 5X7 card that will print out nice and clear!)

Let's visit: What is your favorite variety of granola? Do you make your own? Have any tips? Let's chat in the comments below...

Joy--Fearless Farm Girl,

"Farm girl: it's a verb, because it's what you do."