What's Cooking Wednesday

Vanilla Chai Granola

I've said it before and I'll say it again, granola is so easy to make at home.  The only way you can mess it up is by perhaps overcooking it!  Forget the store-bought stuff, it's loaded with sugar!

The best thing about homemade granola is you can customize it to your tastes and honestly just use what you have in your house.

Ingredients

3 cups oats
1/2 cup almonds, chopped or slivered
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey, agave or maple syrup (you pick)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish or pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flax seed and spices.  Stir and then add applesauce, honey (agave or maple syrup) and vanilla.  Stir to combine, should be clumpy.

3.  Add almonds, stir to combine.

4.  Pour into baking dish and spread evenly.

5.  Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring/turning every 10-15 minutes.  Let cool and store in an airtight container.

So delicious on its own with some milk or with fresh fruit and yogurt.  It's the perfect power breakfast!