Sometime in the past several years granola has become my breakfast staple. I’m not sure why it took me so long, I mean granola has been around for my entire life, but I was never quite in the habit of making it regularly like I am these days. For me it checks all the right boxes in terms of what I’m craving first thing in the morning; whole grain, crunchy, sweet but not overly so, nutty, full of flavor. And the options for grains and flavors are endless, which is one reason I was so thrilled to come across Minimalist Baker’s recipe for a buckwheat granola. Brilliant!! I had previously just used oats as the main grain, but the buckwheat really kicks up the intensity of the crunch factor and the flavor.
And regardless of what grains, nuts, oils or sweetener you’re using the method is all pretty much the same. Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl, stir in the wet ingredients, pour it onto a pan and pop it into an oven. You can have the delicious smell of baking granola wafting through your house in 45 minutes or less!
And here’s my perfect breakfast, granola in milk and yogurt embellished with some fresh berries.
Crunchy Buckwheat Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats gluten free if you're celiac/gf intolerant
- 1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped or whatever nuts you choose/have on hand
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or other neutral oil like corn or safflower
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup almond/peanut butter or other nut butter of your choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup dried fruit my favs are blueberries and cherries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 ℉. Prepare a baking sheet lining it with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. (This will make clean-up a breeze!)
- In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients; oats, buckwheat, coconut flakes, nuts, chia seeds, cinnamon and salt.
- Melt together the oil, maple syrup and nut butter. This can either be done on the stove top in a small saucepan, heating over medium heat for a few minutes. Alternatively, place ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until completely melted. Allow mixture to cool and then stir in the vanilla.
- Once cooled, pour syrup mixture onto dry ingredients and stir to blend well.
- Dump granola onto a prepared baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, stir granola, (the perimeter tends to darken first so be sure to mix those browner sides into the center)and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Granola is done when it has a nice golden/amber color.
- Allow granola to cool, stir in dried fruit if using, and store in an air-tight container.