This easy homemade fall granola was originally an impromptu Saturday afternoon activity after a morning spent digging through my growing stack of magazines. I’ve made a promise to myself that I’m actually going to take the time to read through each of the magazines I get monthly, rather than letting them continue to pile up. I dog ear pages, try to glean inspiration from gorgeous spaces, and I absolutely save more recipes than I could ever dream of making.
But this granola seemed easy enough, and I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. The recipe originally came from an Apples Foster dessert that was perhaps in the September issue of Southern Living. The charming Ivy Odom introduced the recipe with a line so good I wish I’d thought of it, “Southerners reach for their pie plates and cake pans long before their fall sweaters and boots.”
That’s exactly what I was doing as I tried to channel fall in the midst of a day that was probably going to reach 80 degrees. I had no intention of attempting the Apples Foster, but I did want the sweet crunch of granola. The recipe was incredibly easy, perfect for whipping up weekly.
Easy Homemade Fall Granola
Since making this recipe several times over the past two months, I’ve tweaked it a bit, mostly to add more spices (anyone else find that recipes never include enough of the spices?!). This is where I’ve landed seasonally, though I’m sure I’ll tweak it some more as the months change and flavors evolve. Trust me, this is a recipe you’ll want to bookmark.e
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- .5 tsp. nutmeg
- .5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 large egg white, beaten
Mix all ingredients. Spread on a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, making sure to stir it occasionally. Once it turns golden brown and has dried out, remove it from the oven and let it cool for another 30 minutes. I store it in a mason jar to top oatmeal, yogurt, and baked fruit (and, occasionally, eat on its own).
