Honey Almond Apricot Granola

The ultimate healthy granola recipe flavored with honey, almonds, apricots, and coconut which is baked until golden brown and delightfully scrumptious! 

It's the holiday season and I have a lot of new recipes to share with you.  To get them all out to you I will be changing my post format slightly.  I'll be streamlining it to get the most recipes out to you.  The new format will include:

• Description of the recipe
• Primary and alternative uses for the dish
• Key items to make the recipe
• Substitutions and variations
• Kitchen Notes and tips
• Most importantly "THE RECIPE"

I hope you enjoy the this format.  Please leave me feedback on what you think and if you feel anything is missing.  Happy Holidays! 

Honey Almond Apricot Granola

Granola has become a staple in many houses.  It's a trend that you see in a lot of restaurants and can be made so many different ways.  Making it at home allows you to have control over the ingredients, cutting back on salt and sugar that frequent the store bought variety.  Plus another great reason to make your own is that it is so cheap to make, and it is EASY.....so so so easy to make at home.  

This recipe is one of my favorites made with good local honey for sweetness, some chopped apricots for tang, nuts for crunch, and a little sweetened coconut for flavor.  Try it soon, you won't believe how easy this is to make and it will last for a few weeks stored in containers.

What do I use granola on?

• Sprinkle on top of yogurt
• Sprinkle on apples and bake them
• On top of ice cream or frozen yogurt
• Roll bananas in them and freeze them
• Sprinkle on salads
• Top off you oatmeal with it
• Eat is with milk like cereal
• Make a yogurt parfait
• Add it on top of chocolate bark
• Add it on top of brownies

What ingredients do I need?

• good honey (I try to buy a local honey)
• old fashioned oats
• sweetened shredded coconut
• sliced almonds
• canola or grapeseed oil (flavorless oil)
• dried apricots
• golden raisins

Substitutions and Variations

• use unsweetened shredded coconut
• use coconut shavings
• leave out the coconut
• use chopped cashews, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts
• use dried figs, dates, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, or cherries
• leave out the raisins or use currants or black raisins 

Kitchen Notes and Tips

• Make sure to watch the granola closely as it cooks.  It browns easily.
• Make sure to stir occasionally during the baking cycle.
• All the mixture to cool on the sheet pan before adding in the dried fruits.
• Use a large sheet pan so you have a lot of surface area
• Use parchment paper on the pan if you would like
• Store in an air tight container for a few weeks

Enjoy!!!

Honey Almond Apricot  Granola

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 

1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/4 quarter cup honey
3/4 cup small diced dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350ﾟ. 

Toss the oats coconut and almonds together in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl.  Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir until all the nuts and oats are coated.  

Pour on to a large baking sheet pan. Bake stirring occasionally with a spatula until the mixture turns golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.  Add apricots and raisins. Store in an airtight container.