The Granola That Barely Lasts a Day at Our Place

You know those recipes that quietly earn their spot as a pantry star? This is one of them. It's not fancy, it doesn't have a clever name, but it's an absolute winner.

This granola has become a staple in our household - and not just for breakfast. It's easy, affordable, and fairly healthy, which ticks all of the right boxes for me. But most importantly, it's delicious. Seriously, I make a triple batch thinking it will last for a month and it's been devoured by the end of the week!

It's loaded with crunchy almonds, tangy cranberries, and just the right amount of sweetness. I love a handful as a mid-afternoon snack, and my kids often take a little tub to school to have with some Greek yoghurt and berries. It's one of my favourite things to gift to friends too - just pop it in a cute jar with a ribbon and it's well received every time.

The best part? It's endlessly customisable. Throw in your favourite nuts, swap the cranberries for dried apricots or sultanas, sprinkle in some seeds, replace the butter with coconut oil and honey with maple syrup if you want to be extra healthy (although I do prefer the buttery taste!). You really can't go wrong!

Here's my take on the recipe - feel free to tweak it and make it your own. And I highly recommend making more than 1 batch, at least double or it will be gone too fast!

The Granola That Runs Out Too Fast
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbs salted butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius.
In a small saucepan, melt together honey, butter, vanilla and cinnamon.
Place oats, coconut flakes and almonds in a large bowl.
Tip honey mixture into dry ingredients. Stir well and ensure dry ingredients are evenly coated.
Tip mixture into a large baking dish or tray lined with baking paper.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well.
Repeat this process two more times - baking and stirring every 15 minutes - until golden and toasty. (Oats will remain soft until completely cool).
When cool, stir through cranberries.
Store in an airtight container in the pantry.

Let me know if you try it - and especially if you come up with a brilliant name for it. I've been calling it "That Granola" for years, and I think it's time it got a proper title!