That’s Totally Nuts! 



Homemade Cranberry, Hazelnut & Chocolate Chuck Granola 

Kind of got carried away there with all those unhealthy comfort food posts this month. In my defense, A)It’s birthday month. B)Unfortunately I’ve been sick at home with some nasty virus I picked up in Mexico, most of this month. Comfort food is the least I could do for myself. But it’s time to get my act together and get my healthy back on. (For the sake of that dress I bought for the B-day!)

Healthy according me (which is the only according that matters on this blog) has to be wholesome. It also has to be delicious and this granola recipe is all that and then some more.  As it happens, this recipe is pretty flexible in that mix & match sort of way, so you don’t have to worry about finding that one particular ingredient that is just not available at your go-to grocery! 

It also happens to be my favorite recipe to work on with my little one, because it involves ooey gooey messy hands, a lot of snacking, and of course conversations with my Karma.(As my dear sister calls it!) While making this batch, we had a bit of “Despacito” playing in the background. So I asked Karm if he liked Justin Bieber. His response….

Karm: Of course, I love Justin Bieber. I even know a Justin Bieber joke. My friend told me.

Me: That’s cool, can you tell me the joke?

Karm: No, not really. It’s very Inappropriate! 

(I’m still trying to figure out if I should be worried that he knows inappropriate jokes or to be happy that he knows the word “Inappropriate”. Or (maybe) be proud that he can tell what’s inappropriate and when not to say it?) 

Ingredients 

• 1 + 1/2 cups Old fashioned rolled oats (2 cups if you want to skip bran buds)
• 1/2 cup Kellogg’s all-bran buds 
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (replace with nuts of your choice)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (replace with pumpkin seeds/ chia seeds)
• 1/2 cup cranberries (replace with dried fruit of your choice)
• 3 tbsp honey 
• 3 tbsp maple syrup 
• 2 tbsp coconut/olive/canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• A big pinch of salt 
• 1 cup chocolate chunks (now if you’re not into chocolate, you can absolutely avoid it. But I’d recommend some therapy!) 



Preparation 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F
2. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except the chocolate chunks and mix it all up really well (preferably using hands for that perfect clumpy texture)
4. Spread the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Thin and even layer will help roasting evenly. 
5. Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, turning the mixture over every 10 minutes so that it cooks through. (Do not forget to turn it over unless you’re into charred granola.)
6. Once baked, let the granola completely cool down and then mix in the chocolate chunks. 
7. Eat it with a splash of milk or yogurt  for breakfast. By itself for snack. Or make an ice cream sundae for dessert. 

Products and places 👇🏼 

http://www.all-bran.com/products/bran-buds.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/regular-rolled-oats.html

http://m.wholefoodsmarket.com

https://www.verybestbaking.com/products/4029/tollhouse/nestle-toll-house-semi-sweet-chocolate-chunks/

https://www.simplyorganic.com/simply-organic-pure-vanilla-extract-4-fl-oz/