Berries and Cream Granola
I used to take my yogurt plain (like a maniac), but recently I've gotten super into the granola life. The crunchy texture, clump factor and endless flavor combinations make granola one of my heavy rotation recipes. Homemade granola is especially great because you can make a lot of it for not a lot of cash, making it a perfect rent week recipe.
With this granola I wanted to channel summer beach vibes, so naturally, I whipped out my milk powder and dried berries. Milk powder is a powerful and underrated ingredient. It might seem like a strange addition to granola, but I love its milky flavor (duh) and its propensity to form large clumps. I also think the addition of milk powder helps give the granola a slightly softer texture inside the larger clumps. And of course, adding in dried berries brings a fruity zing that complements the milk powder perfectly.
Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!
Time: 1 hour
Makes: About 3 cups granola
Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup milk powder
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white (to make the granola more clumpy, optional)
1 cup dried mixed berries, or dried fruit of choice
Steps
Preheat oven to 300 F. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Melt your coconut oil and then whisk to combine with the honey and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Lightly beat the egg white with a fork or whisk until it is frothy and then add it to the mixture, stirring to combine. Spread the granola onto a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving it a little clumpy so that it can stick together. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Stir in the dried fruit and let cool completely before storing. Enjoy with yogurt, ice cream, oatmeal and more!
Sustainability Tips
Coconut Oil: Fair trade coconut oil is your best bet here because it means your oil was produced ethically and sustainably. Extra, extra read all about it in my sustainable oils post!
Cashews: Forever and always buy fair trade cashews. Most cashews sold in the U.S. are grown and processed in Africa, India or Vietnam at operations associated with nasty practices and poor working conditions (think: acid burns and forced labor). Buying fair trade means you won't be contributing to these bad actors.
Honey: try to buy your honey as locally as possible and don't be afraid to ask the producer how they keep their hives. Read more in my liquid sweeteners post!
Egg white: Local eggs for the win. Eggs are super easy to find locally, which will cut down on GHG emissions from travel.