Chai-Spiced Granola

{Before I get into this granola recipe, don't forget to go enter my giveaway for a Tory Burch lunch box and $10 Starbucks gift card!!} 

Ok, back to business.

I really love making homemade granola. It's easy. It's relatively quick. And you can can customize it to suit dietary preferences. I feel like store-bought granola uses a lot more additives and sweeteners. I like to keep mine pretty "natural" and as "clean" as possible. And, when you make your own, you can make it any flavor your want!

The cast of characters I used for this recipe: rolled oats, rice crispy cereal, sliced almonds, almond meal, flax seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.

First, I like to mix up all the dry ingredients and get everything mixed together so I don't have clumps of salt or spices anywhere.

Then I pour all the liquid over top and stir together. The mixture is super sticky, so it's best to use a spatula or spoon.

Then, all I do is dump it on a baking sheet lined with parchment and pack everything down with the back of a spatula. I want it to be kind of compressed to that large granola chunks will form. Those are my favorite.

I baked my granola at 300 for about 15 minutes, then lowered to 250 for another 20 minutes. About every 10 minutes I went in and mixed everything up so that some pieces don't brown more than others. You will know when its getting close to done when you kitchen starts to smell amazing!

I let the granola cool completely before eating or storing away. Ok, I might have nibbled on some while it was still warm. Since I was giving my granola away as a gift, I packed it in a mason jar and tied a festive ribbon around it. I love this stuff. I have to give it away or else I will just eat all of it. It is so additively good!

Recipe after the jump!


Chai Spiced Granola
Ingredients
3 cup rolled oats
2 cups rice crispy cereal
1 cup almonds, sliced
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup flax seeds (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix with hands or a spoon to fully incorporate spices.
3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the honey, oil, and vanilla and mix. Pour over dry ingredients.
4. Using hands or spoon, mix in the wet ingredients into dry until all dry ingredients are coated.
5. Pour the granola mixture onto a baking sheet (or 2 depending on how big your baking sheets are) and press down with your hand or a spatula.
6. Bake granola at 300 for 10-15 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 250, and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Mix up the granola about every 10 minutes to ensure even baking.
7. Remove granola from oven and allow to cool completely before eating or storing.