Crispy granola clusters with shredded coconut, almonds and three kinds of plump juicy raisins made with heart healthy coconut oil.
We like our granola chunky so you can pick it up and eat it as a snack. The secret to making chunky granola is to firmly press the mixture into a rimmed cookie sheet and don’t stir it while it’s baking. After it’s done baking, let it cool completely before breaking break it up into clusters.
I was sent a copy of Superfood Kitchen to review and one of the healthy pantry staples Julie talks about in the book is coconut oil. You can substitute it for butter in many recipes. It has no cholesterol, and is a heart healthy food that can keep your body running smoother.
When I was at Costco, a bought a giant jar of coconut oil, then I bought another jar at the grocery store because I forgot I bought the giant jar. So I’m well stocked with coconut oil, and I’ve been busy dreaming up recipes that use coconut oil. I’m thinking January might be coconut oil month on Barbara Bakes.
I like to pick up ingredients for granola at Winco in the bulk foods section. They have a wide variety of healthy grains and dried fruits. This time I bought a 3 raisin blend that had plump golden raisins, as well as two other kinds of giant raisins. I try and tuck the fruit under the oats a little bit while I’m pressing the granola down into the pan, so that the fruit doesn’t dry out or brown too much.
The coconut flavor in the granola is not overpowering. I would definitely use the coconut oil again, even if I’m not adding shredded coconut to the granola. If you wanted to amp up the coconut flavor even more, you could add a little bit of coconut extract.
Coconut Granola Clusters
Ingredients
- 4 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ¾ cup dried fruit I used a raisins
- ¼ cup wheat germ optional
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix oats, brown sugar, almonds, raisins, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a microwave safe bowl heat honey until warm, about 30 seconds. Stir in coconut oil. Continue stirring until coconut oil is melted. Whisk in vanilla extract. Pour liquids over the oat mixture and mix thoroughly until everything is completely coated.
- Spread evenly on a parchment or silpat lined rimmed cookie sheet and press down firmly. Bake at 300º for about 20 minutes until slightly golden brown. Don’t stir during baking. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an air tight container.
More granola recipes you might like:
Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Barbara Bakes
Apple Cinnamon Granola, Two Peas and Their Pod
Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars, Sweet Basil
Cranberry Almond Oat Granola Clusters, Not Quite Nigella
How to Make Your Own Granola, Completely Delicious
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
this is MY kind of recipe. Hope you’re well! Miss you
Amanda
Love the clusters! Beautiful pictures too!
Ronja @ a dash of faith
Looks delicious! Golden raisins with coconut sounds like a very tasty granola to me!
Susan
I love to make home made granola! Thank you for the great tip on how to keep it ‘chunky’ for snacking. I hate when I buy something I already had in the pantry. Can’t wait to see what you do with all of that coconut oil 🙂
Amanda
Oh, I love home made granola – nothing tastes so good, but I do tend to over-do it, so I’m not sure how good it would be for me.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Amanda – it is easy to over-do nibbling on the clusters. Luckily, I have lots of eaters at my house.
jehanne@thecookingdoctor
Thats a good tip for getting clusters, thanks Barbara! Always wanted to have granola clusters but my fortnightly granola always, always turn out ‘piecemeals’..I must give your recipe ago for our next batch!
Terra
I have said for weeks now, I need to make some homemade granola. AND yet I still have not made any. I love your recipe, especially your addition of the coconut oil! Yum, Hugs, Terra
Kristi Rimkus
There is nothing better than a homemade granola. I love skipping all the additives, extra sugar and salt.
Michele
Made last night, it was a fantastic breakfast.
Thank you
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Michele! So glad you liked it.
Lauren
Yum! Sharing on my FB page…I love clustered granola! 🙂
Valérie (Franche-Comté)
Barbara
Idéal pour bien terminer la semaine
Belle journée
Valérie.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Love these granola clusters! They look so crunchy!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I made something very similar once and thought, “It will be great to sit beside my computer – a healthy snack.” Well, I bet I gained a ton because I kept eating until it was all gone. 🙂 Might be time to do it again. It’s healthy, I know.
Emily
Except for the coconut oil, I have all this on hand–yay! I will stock up on coconut oil next time I’m at Costco. YUM!
sally @ sallys baking addiction
the clusters are the best part! I have a recipe for just granola clusters too. so many huge clumps to munch on – rather than all the crumbs at the bottom of the bag. i love using coconut oil is my granola recipes.
Rocky Mountain Woman
That would be great to take to work and munch on during the morning….
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Mmm such a fabulous idea. And I love coconut and almonds in granola!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
I love home made granola and always wondered how to get decent clumps. I shall try this with my next batch!
kelley {mountain mama cooks}
Nice tip to press into the pan before baking. I like clumps too and have found that adding an egg white helps but I’m going to try this next time around! Have a great weekend!
Rosa
Oh, perfect! Those granola clusters look ever so tempting. I love those flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa