Granola as such emerged in the United States at the end of the 19th century, by the hand of Dr. James Cale Jackson in 1863. Worried about finding a variant for the vegetarian diet, he invented this cereal mix which he called “granula”, a term that with over the years it evolved to its current name.
Granola is a food made up of nuts, rolled oats mixed with honey and other natural ingredients. The mixture is baked until crisp. During the cooking process the mixture is stirred to maintain the loose consistency typical of breakfast cereals.
Why maple syrup instead of sugar? It’s just a personal choice.
Some studies suggest that maple syrup’s antioxidant plant nutrients (known as phenols) offer health benefits. Antioxidants are key to fighting unhealthy substances in your body known as free radicals.
Of all the sugars available, I like maple syrup because of the nutrients mentioned above. It can be used with whole grains (in baking, in buckwheat pancakes) for fiber to prevent blood sugar and insulin swings. Just be sure to use pure maple syrup; many store-bought maple syrups are just sugar-heavy syrups with maple flavoring.
While comparable in calories and carbs, maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Also, because maple syrup tends to be sweeter, theoretically you can use less of it. But moderation is key, as it is with any sugar. If you prefer white or brown sugar, you can always switch.
In this recipe I use unsweetened coconut because I like to have it for breakfast but I don’t like consuming a ton of sugar for breakfast so if you like a sweeter granola, go ahead and add sweetened coconut, a sprinkle of sugar, more honey or maple. This recipe is super easy and it’s a great recipe to play around with and customize to fit your taste! Try it!
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp honey
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
Method:
Preheat the oven to 250 F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and coconut.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, honey, vanilla and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and once it’s cooled completely transfer into a large bowl or tray to air it out. If it’s not completely cooled, condensation will happen and it will make your granola soggy and spoil faster.
Optional: Add raisins or dried fruit and mix until evenly distributed.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
