Very Vanilla Almond Granola
A few extra teaspoons of vanilla extract and a load of crunchy almonds make this Very Vanilla Almond Granola hard to resist.
The other day I learned that I am no good at painting… Matter of fact, I’m horrible at painting. It took me six coats of acrylic paint to perfect (if that’s what you want to call it) one 3-inch area on my very large canvas.
My favorite group of lady friends and I decided to partake in one of those ever so popular paint and wine nights. Sounds fun, right? Drink a little wine while you slap some paint on a canvas. The night started out great. We lined our homemade snacks on the bar and ordered a round of cocktails while the teacher prepared for class. It all went downhill after the first 30 minutes.
I’m no Picasso, so it was a relief to see that the teacher had gone ahead and outlined the mermaid drawing for us none artist types. I thought, hey this is kind of like paint by numbers. How hard can it be?
Hard…very, very hard. The teacher was flying through the instructions. While I was still working the sky, she was on step number seven. My cup of water was a mucky shade of purple from “trying too hard” and my pinky finger has a permanent cramp from white knuckling the paint brush. There was a lot of sweating, cursing, and heart palpitations. I swear, the teacher was picking on me. She came over several times to inform me that I wasn’t doing something right, or to snatch the brush out of my hand so that she could “show me” how it’s done. Honestly, I think she was trying to fix my painting.
Never again will I paint. Give me a whisk, and I’ll show you a few tricks. In order to make my self feel better and boost my confidence a little, I picked up my whisk and made a batch of granola. If you’re a frequent flyer here, then you know how much I love experimenting with granola flavors. So far I’ve made Cranberry Orange, Cookie Butter Cinnamon Chip, and, my favorite, Maple Pecan. And that’s just to name a few. I have plenty more hanging out in the recipe index.
This Very Vanilla Almond Granola uses 1 whole vanilla bean and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to give it that creamy flavor I love so much. I wanted you to be able to taste the vanilla right away, instead of it lingering in the background. Since almonds are one of my favorite nuts, I added a 2 heaping cups of Diamond of California Almonds to the mixture.
This granola goes great with just about anything. I’ve been eating it sprinkled over vanilla yogurt topped with fresh peaches. If you’re looking to snack healthy, reach for granola.
Very Vanilla Almond Granola
This crunchy granola is made with lots of vanilla and a generous helping of almonds. It’s healthy and highly addictive.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup grade A maple syrup (the real stuff)
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds removed
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, salt, and brown sugar. Give it a quick stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and vanilla beans. Pour the mixture over the oats. Using a rubber spatula, fold the oil mixture into the oat mixture until the dry ingredients are equally coated.
- Transfer the mixture to the parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure to spread the mixture evenly onto the sheet.
- Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture is golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- If you don’t have a vanilla bean handy, you can substitue 1 teaspon of vanilla bean paste or an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.