Chai Spice Granola

Written by on in Snacks

Are you looking for the perfect healthy snack to get you through to the next meal, well Chai Spice Granola is the perfect choice.

Everyday around mid morning I start to get a little hungry. Now I already had breakfast and its too early for lunch so I am always looking for a snack that will hold me over until its time for a meal. Sometimes I reach for a piece of fruit or a breakfast cookie like my ( Blueberry Almond Breakfast Cookies ). A lot of the time I grab a yogurt, but sometimes I want more then just a plain yogurt. I always enjoy a little crunch with my yogurt. Granola is the perfect crunch that I am looking for. But if your not a yogurt eater, a bowl of just granola would satisfy anyone.

Now you can buy granola at the store out of a box but it is usually loaded with sugar and other ingredients like preservatives that are not good for you. When you make your own you can control the amount of sugar you add and you can leave out all the preservatives because it is not going to sit on a shelf for months at a time, waiting for someone to buy it. I also love making granola myself because I can add a variety of flavors, which are not always available in the store bought kind. For this batch of granola, I went with a Chai Spice.

As with any granola I make, I start with the basics. To a large bowl I add old fashioned oats, chopped pecans, chopped almonds and shredded unsweetened coconut and I mixed that well to combine. This is the base to most granola recipes.

Then this is where the basic recipe turns into something special. Now you can buy store bought chai spice. I love King Arthurs Chi Spice, but if you don’t have pre made chai spice you can easily make your own with ingredients you will find in your pantry, like ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground allspice, ground cloves, ground cardamom, salt and black pepper. Weather you make your own or you use a store bought spice, just add it to your base granola mixture and toss to combine.

Now its time for the liquid ingredients. In a small saucepan over medium heat I added coconut oil and maple syrup and cooked until coconut oil was completely melted and mixture was warm. I removed it from the stove and whisked in my vanilla and almond extracts. I poured the warm liquids over my granola and tossed them well to combine.

I preheated my oven to 300º. I lined two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread out the granola on each one making sure not to over crowd. I placed them in the preheated oven and baked them for 20 to 25 minutes. I removed them from the oven and tossed the granola. I returned them to the oven and baked an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the granola was golden brown.

I removed the trays from the oven and let the granola cool completely.

Once the granola was completely cooled, I placed it in an air tight container.

So give homemade granola a try. It’s a lot easier then you might think.

Chai Spice Granola

Ingredients:

  • 4 Cups old fashion oats
  • 1 Cup chopped almonds
  • 1 Cup chopped pecans
  • 1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 Cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
  • 1/2 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon store bought chai spice or entire chai spice recipe below

Chai Spice Ingredients:

  • 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/4 Teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan add coconut oil and pure maple syrup and cook at medium low heat until coconut oil is completely melted and mixture is warm. Remove from heat and pour in vanilla and almond extracts, whisk to combine and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl add old fashion oats, chopped almonds, chopped pecans, unsweetened shredded coconut and chai spice. Mix until completely combined.
  4. Pour liquid ingredients over oat mixture and toss to coat. Spread mixture out onto prepared baking sheets in an even layer, making sure not to over crowd. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven and toss granola with a spatula. Return granola to oven and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes or until granola is golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, store in an air tight container.
  6. Enjoy.