Recipe: Homemade Cranberry Orange Granola

Photo by Asia Bradlee

There’s nothing better than the warm, spicy smell of homemade granola. Not only does it make your house smell amazing, but it’s a lot better for you than many of the store-bought kinds. When you make your own granola, you have direct control over how much sugar is added, and you use real ingredients, as opposed to anything artificial or with added preservatives.

This granola gets its flavor from a traditional fall fruit pairing—orange and cranberry—while dark chocolate adds a touch of indulgence. Sprinkle the granola over yogurt, try it as a snack, or my personal favorite: Eat it as a healthy dessert. The recipe calls for almond butter, but go ahead and sub with whatever nut butter works best. The same goes for the walnuts and the oil you use. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or nuts of choice
• Zest of one orange
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbs melted coconut oil
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup dark chocolate or cacao nibs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Zest the entire orange and set aside.

In a bowl, add the oats, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix together.

Add the orange zest and knead it with the oat mixture to make sure the orange flavor permeates throughout the granola.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and combine.

Place the oats on a baking sheet. If you want chunky granola, press down the granola so that it’s one flat piece packed tightly together. If you want crumbly granola, spread the mixture on the pan and keep it loose.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the granola cool. If you wanted the granola chunky, break off chunks of the larger piece into your desired size. Add the cranberries and dark chocolate to the granola and stir to combine. Enjoy!