chunky flax granola

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because we are all spending much more time at home, i have not been meal prepping as much. leisure evenings mean we have plenty of time each night to get a dinner together.

i used to spend my sundays chopping, slicing, and baking for the week. i still slice a few bananas to freeze for smoothies, but my prep these days involves a loaf or two of bread ^[4] and my weekly granola. ^[5]

normally, i make all the granola we eat. if you’ve been to the blog before you know how i feel about homemade (it is always better than store bought).  while i was doing the shopping a few weeks ago, i saw that whole foods had bulk chunky flax granola. it looked 100% homemade so i splurged.  it was AMAZING!

how to make chewy and chunky granola

the whole foods granola was chunky and  chewy. it was basically a chewy granola bar broken into pieces. it was perfection and i knew i had to make it for myself.

to get clumps i added oat bran to the oats (you could also use oat flour or wheat germ) and  did not stir the granola  mid-way in the baking time. for soft granola clusters i used more honey than i normally use, and cooked the granola at a lower temperature and for less time.

the end result was exactly what i was looking for. this flax granola is ALL clumps, and they are soft and chewy just like the whole  foods granola that  i cannot walk past without grabbing a handful.

chunky flax granola

Print Recipe ^[6]

chunky flax granola

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal ^[7]
• 1/4 cup Oat Bran ^[8]
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cherries)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• preheat the oven to 275°
• line a Rimmed Baking Sheet ^[9] with parchment paper
• in  large bowl combine the oats, oat bran, flax, almonds, fruit, cinnamon, and salt
• in a small saucepan, over medium low heat, combine the honey, oil, and brown sugar. stir until the brown sugar dissolves. remove pan from the heat and add the vanilla
• pour wet ingredients over the oats, and stir well to combine
• spread the oats onto the baking sheet
• bake 30 minutes (do not stir while baking to keep clumps intact)
• once the granola comes out of the oven, press down gently before cooling
• once cool, break into clumps and store in an airtight container for up to one month

in place of the almonds use walnuts, pecans, or a mix substitute raisins, and or cranberries for the cherries

enjoy!