Homemade granola makes a wonderfully personal holiday gift. Packaged in decorative old-fashioned canning jars or in plain canning jars with a pretty Holiday themed fabric swatch cover, these beautiful homemade gifts show how much you care.
Another really inexpensive way of dressing up homemade Granola gifts is to package them in festive holiday paper bags like these offered at the Oriental Trading Company, dollar stores, and other outlets where seasonal and party goods are sold.
Easy homemade granola recipes are delicious nutritious high-fiber cereals that taste good on their own, with milk, or sprinkled on yogurt and ice cream. Whether given away as Christmas gifts or kept for bed-time snacking right out of the bag or jar, homemade granola is always a special treat.
Basic Granola Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut, flaked or shredded (sweetened may be substituted)
- ¾ cup regular wheat germ
- ¾ cup almonds, sliced or slivered
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup instant nonfat dry milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions:
- Prepare a roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable shortening and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the first six ingredients.
- Add the oil and honey to the bowl by first measuring the oil and swirling it around in the cup. This will allow the honey, measured in the same cup, to pour easily out of the cup.
- Stir ingredients again so that the oil and honey are thoroughly distributed.
- Evenly spread the granola mixture in the roasting pan.
- Bake uncovered in pre-heated oven; stirring every five minutes.
- Granola will be done when golden and nicely toasted; in about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before storing in jars or other air-tight containers.
Basic Granola Variations
Many healthy variations of the basic granola recipe can be made by adding any favorite fruits, nuts and spices. Some tasty examples are offered below.
Apple-Cinnamon Granola Recipe
When preparing dry ingredients, mix in 1½ cups chopped dried apples and 6½ teaspoons cinnamon.
Nutty Buddy Granola Recipe
Reduce oats by 1¾ cups. Add 1 cup peanuts or almonds, ¼ cup sesame seeds, and ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds to the dry ingredients.
Tutti Fruitti Granola Recipe
Mix in 1½ cups of any combination of favorite dried fruits to the basic recipe’s dry ingredients. Consider additions such as chopped pitted dates, apricots, raisins, currants, cherries and cranberries.
Maple Granola Recipe
Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Super Deluxe Granola Recipe
Reduce oats by 1½ cups, and add 1½ cups of a favorite dried fruit, plus a total of 1½ cups of any combination of the following:
- Cashew Halves and Pieces
- Chopped Filberts or Hazelnuts
- Chopped Pecans
- Chopped Walnuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
More Holiday Food Ideas
- A Southern Thanksgiving - Celebrate Muscadine: Scuppernong Grapes Highlight a Thanksgiving Feast.
- Best Southern Salads for the Holidays: Pistachio Pecan Ambrosia, Cranberry Holiday Salad and Holiday Harvest Coleslaw
- Oven Baked Beef Brisket, Slow Cooked Texas Style: Slow Roasted Smoked Beef Brisket – Easy, Spicy, Melts in Your Mouth
HOL101
Maria Blanco - Writer/Editor, Certified Family Herbalist, Naturopath, Holistic Nutritional Consultant
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