As soon as I posted photos of my homemade granola I started to get requests for the recipe on Facebook and Instagram. Here you go folks, it’s a recipe so easy even I can do it.

Within hours of making it the boys (all three of them) had put a sizable dent in it and it was gone within a couple days.

What you will need:

4 Cups rolled oats

1 Cup sliced almonds (I used the Vitamix to grind whole almonds)

1 Cup raw sunflower kernels

1 Cup whole flax seed

1/3 Cup vegetable oil

1/2 Cup honey

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

How it’s done:

1) Preheat the oven to 300.

2) In a large bowl mix oats, almonds, sunflower kernels, and flax seed together. In a second bowl mix oil, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon, add to the dry mixture and mix well. Spread mixture on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3) Bake for about ten minutes, remove from oven and stir. Return to the oven and bake for another ten minutes or until golden brown.

4) Remove from oven and let cool completely. As the granola cools, squish clumps together. Once cooled store in airtight container.

What I’m going to try next time:

While this granola was REALLY tasty, I think it could use more honey. Next time I’m going to try less oil and more honey. I’d like it with a little more cinnamon flavor too.

To add a little to the nutrition factor I’m going to try it with chia seeds.

We love Craisins around here so I want to try adding some to the next batch. Any dried fruit should be added towards the end to avoid burning.

If you want to add chocolate chips wait until you take the granola out of the oven so it doesn’t melt.

The great thing about granola is that you can add just about anything that you and your family enjoy, the sky is the limit.

For dessert, instead of ice cream I sat with a bowl of vanilla yogurt with a few tablespoons of granola mixed in. It was a bowl of sweet, crunchy yumminess. I also added some to my multigrain Cheerios for an extra kick.

Granola is healthy and VERY tasty but mind your portions or it’ll have you packing on the pounds.

Have you made your own granola? How did you do it? I’d love it if you’d share your recipe with me so I can give it a try.

Kitchen Adventures (Volume 1)

In an effort to do more in the kitchen I decided to try and make my own version of Nutella. I can’t take credit for it though, the inspiration for this endeavor was all Steph from Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom.

Recently Steph shared how to make your own peanut butter and it got me thinking…Nutella…Mmmmmmmmmm.

So I searched the internet for how do make that chocolaty treat in my own kitchen. I found what looked like a reasonable recipe and decided to give it a try.

What I did.

First I roasted a heaping cup of hazelnuts in the oven and removed their skin. Once they were cooled I tossed them in my food processor and sent them for a spin.

Hazel nuts ready to roast.

Roasted nuts being freed of their skin. Just give them a massage in a kitchen towel.

In Steph’s nut butter tutorial she said to keep them going until they were nice and smooth. This happened a lot faster than I had expected. Within a minute or two there was a nice, creamy, lump free mixture moving easily around my food processor.

Processing the nuts. Please don’t judge me for my ridiculously small food processor.

While the nuts were getting buttery I melted a bag of chocolate chips over medium heat.

To the nuts I added two tablespoons of vegetable oil, three tablespoons of powdered sugar and  one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and mixed them together. Once the chocolate chips were melted I added them to the nut mixture.

It was very warm and I expected it to thicken up once it cooled down. It did not.

The finished product.

After consulting with my culinary inspiration, Steph I figured out how to tweak things and make them better.

What I’ll do next time.

I need it to be a little thicker so I’m taking out the oil. The nuts have their own oils so why am I adding more? IF I decide to add the chocolate I will use baker’s chocolate next time. My goal would be to just use the hazelnuts, sugar and cocoa powder.

So with a few small tweaks I’ll be able to make that chocolatey treat whenever the mood strikes. Hhmmmm, that might not be so good for my waistline though.

Despite the thin texture, my Nutella went fast. We dipped graham crackers, marshmallows, pretzels, and even just a spoon.

It wasn’t perfect but the boys really enjoyed it.

Have you ever made your own Nutella (or any other nut butter)? How did it turn out?

If you have made your own Nutella please send me your recipe so I can give it a try.

Stay tuned for more of my Kitchen Adventures. Next up…Strawberry Shortcake.