Homemade European Style Granola

Inspired by an online friend who lives in Europe (Germany or Switzerland?) I tried homemade European style granola for the first time.  And it turned out great.

I used her basic recipe and modified it using ingredients I have and ingredients readily available locally.

Low Sugar

Using just a bit of honey and only ¼ cup applesauce, this granola is not full of added sugar like store-bought. 

Protein

Nuts provide a bit of protein.  I used sliced almonds and pecan pieces.  I have walnuts but forgot to add them.  Darn.  It would be easy to add anything after the fact.  No problem.

Pumpkin seeds are awesome, but I didn’t have any this time.

Mix

Two bowls – one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients and a baking sheet is all you need to get out.  Oh, plus a measuring cup and spoon.  This really doesn’t make a huge mess. 

Like everything else I do in the kitchen.

Bake

We have a new countertop oven and I’m not comfortable with the temperatures yet.  So I watched this granola like a hawk and stirred it every ten minutes.

It browned up nicely, but I could see that it would get overdone quickly.

Fruit

Adding dried fruit after the granola has completely cooled is sort of the coup de grace.  Of course, dried fruit packs a lot of sugar, so I used golden raisins and dried cranberries very sparingly.

Eat

I mixed in about 1/3 cup of granola into Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and it was really good.  Then!  The next meal I tried it as cereal in a bowl with a bit of milk.  Even with no added sugar it was so good.

This recipe is all good calories, but I need to remember moderation. 

Store

I placed the granola into three separate glass jars which will store for two weeks.  If I don’t think I will use it up by then, I’ll transfer to Ziploc and freeze.

What took me so long to make and eat granola?  So good.

Print Recipe

Homemade European Style Granola

Easy to use ingredients you like and what you have on hand. Healthy ingredients makes this much better that store-bought.

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Ingredients

• 2½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup toasted or raw nuts I used chopped pecans and sliced almonds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• pinch salt
• ½ cup dried cranberries, cherries or raisins optional

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well combined.
• Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is lightly toasted and fragrant.
• Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool completely.
• If using dried cranberries or cherries, stir them in once the granola has cooled.
• Store the granola in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.