Cranberry Coconut Almond Granola

This past weekend Jacob and I were browsing the cereal aisle of our local health food store when I had a realization: I thought, "I can make these organic, artisan, fancy pants granolas at home for 1/4 of the price". I think paying over $2.50 for a box of cereal is ridiculous. These boxes of "artisan granola" were closer to $4 or $5. No way, jose. I was raised dutch and will always be dutch. I don't like to pay more for something than I absolutely have to (unless it's spiced gouda cheese or salt licorice, of course). And so this recipe was born.

You can totally customize this granola however you would like - the base for the granola should stay the same, but you can add whatever special additions you have on hand to create your own special version.

Start with a large sheet pan. Put down a layer of parchment paper.

Next, measure out the dry ingredients and put in a large bowl. I went a little crazy in the bulk section yesterday. The nice thing about purchasing items like this in bulk is that you can purchase exactly how much you want to use for a recipe. And, it's typically far cheaper than buying the same ingredients pre-packaged.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed up, heat up the wet ingredients in a small saucepan.

Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well.

Pour the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minute, stirring halfway through. When the granola is golden and has made the house smell delicious, take it out of the oven and let it cool.

I like to wait until after the granola has cooked to add any dried fruit, since it can get a little charred in the oven. I added dried cranberries after the granola had cooled.

Once the granola is completely cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and enjoy it for weeks!

Eat your granola with yogurt, with milk, with fresh fruit, with ice cream, or plain and by itself! It also makes a great gift!

Cranberry Coconut Almond Granola Recipe:

Yields approx. 5 cups granola

- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

- 1/2 cup millet (this can be found in the bulk section of your grocery store, or near the flour in the baking aisle)

- 1/2 cup shredded coconut

- 2/3 cup almonds (I used blanched, slivered)

- 1/2 cup flax seeds

- 1 tsp salt

- 2/3 cup honey

- 2 tbsp molasses

- 1/4 cup coconut oil

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, millet, coconut, almonds, flax seeds, and salt.

- In a small saucepan, heat the honey, molasses, and coconut oil.

- Once the wet ingredients are melted and mixed together, take the pan off the heat and add the cinnamon and vanilla extract.

- Pour the warm honey mixture into the bowl with the oats and other dry ingredients, stir to incorporate.

- Pour the mixture onto the parchment lined pan, spread evenly.

- Bake the mixture for a total of 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes to ensure the granola on the edges doesn't burn.

- Let the granola cool, then add the dried cranberries.

- Store in an airtight container, and enjoy!

Almond Joy Brownies with Chocolate Ice Cream and Coconut Shell

Just so you know, most of the recipes I post on the blog are total experiments. I usually find myself in a bind, needing to create a dessert for a gathering, and don't want to make the trip all the way into town to purchase supplies. So, I open up the cabinets and see what I have to work with. On this particular day I wanted something a little more exciting than just plain old brownies. I found almond butter, coconut cream, slivered raw almonds, and some shredded coconut in the cabinets and I immediately thought "almond joy brownies"!

I mixed up the batter according to package directions, and added a couple of tablespoons of coconut cream, and a couple tablespoons of almond butter (no, these were not exact measurements by any stretch of the imagination). Mmmm, brownie batter.

I decided to later the coconut and almond on top of the brownie batter for better presentation and to allow them to toast ever so slightly as they brownies were baked.

Finished pan of goodness.

All served up on a platter, ready for ice cream.

Now this combination was no first time experiment this time around. I love the combination of ice cream and coconut butter, and here's why....

If you plop a few tablespoons of coconut butter (not coconut cream) in the microwave for 30 seconds or until fully melted, then pour it over ice cream, guess what happens? Coconut shell! You know, kind of like that horrible-for-you chocolate shell stuff that you buy off the shelf in the grocery store? The stuff that brought pure joy to you as a kid? Well here's the grown up version. Can't. Get. Enough.

Even if you don't make the brownies, at least try the coconut shell next time you scoop yourself a bowl of ice cream. You won't be disappointed.

Almond Joy Brownie Recipe

- 1 package brownie mix (I prefer the dark chocolate kind), prepared

- 2 tbsp almond butter

- 2 tbsp coconut cream (or heavy coconut milk)

- 1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds

- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or un-sweetened, depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have)

- 1/4 cup coconut butter

- Chocolate or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

- Mix brownie batter according to package directions

- Add almond butter and coconut cream to prepared batter, mix until incorporated

- Pour batter into a well greased 9x13 pan

- Top with chopped almonds and shredded coconut

- Bake according to brownie package directions

- Serve brownies with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of melted coconut butter for maximum flavor and enjoyment.