There are some recipes I feel I could spend the rest of my life tweaking. I have been making this granola (referred to as toasted muesli in the past) for almost two years now, and just this past week, I made my favorite version to date.

Before making this latest change, I had made two others that I felt considerably improved the flavor and cooking process:

1.) In place of the olive oil, I started using grapeseed oil or canola oil, whose neutral flavors I find preferable in this application.

2.) I turned the oven down to 300ºF (from 325ºF) and now bake it for 40 minutes without stirring once. Once it has been pulled from the oven, it cools completely on its sheetpan, which allows the granola to clump, not so much into clusters, but into ragged shards, which I like. Baking at a lower temperature is liberating — I no longer feel a slave to my timer and oven during the last 10 minutes of cooking, and I’ve yet to burn a batch.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago in the Bircher muesli post, this granola is a staple in our house — a double batch never lasts a full week — and while sometimes it’s tempting to buy granola at the store, I’ve yet to find a good one. Have you? Seriously, I’d like to know.

Anyway, just like last year, Mother’s Day and World Fair Trade Day fall during the same weekend, and the theme this year is: “Moms Make a World of Difference.” One of the founding principles of Fair Trade is Women’s empowerment. In addition to freedom from harassment, Fair Trade certification ensures that women have a voice, a vote, and a leadership role in the community.

What is Fair Trade

• Fair Trade helps farmers (more than 1.2 million worldwide) in developing countries build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities

• Products that bear the Fair Trade logo come from farmers and workers who are justly compensated.

• Fair Trade ensures that farmers follow internationally monitored environmental standards and also provides financial incentives and resources for organic conversion, reforestation, water conservation and environmental education.

• Fair Trade empowers women to play an active role in their families and in their co-ops by starting businesses with guaranteed access to health care, certain job rights and freedom from harassment.

• Fair Trade supports education with revenues set aside to build schools and maintain enrollment.

Thank you to Fair Trade and to all of the Fair Trade vendors for donating the contents of this giveaway! UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. WINNER IS ILONA

Fair Trade Nutiva coconut oil:
coconut oil

ready for oven
pre-baking
just out of oven
granola clumps
This coconut granola is a staple in our house — a double batch never lasts a full week — and while sometimes it's tempting to buy granola at the store, I've yet to find a good one. // alexandracooks.com
jar of granola
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Coconut Oil Granola

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 5 cups (10 servings)
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Description

If you feel like making substitutions and bulking this up with dried fruit and puffed cereal, view the original recipe.

I highly recommend making a double batch. See recipe below for double-batch proportions and timing.

Parchment paper sheets — can’t say enough about them. Save them and use them again and again — I fold mine up and stick them in a ziplock bag.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (102g) whole millet
  • 2 cups (204g) oats (not instant)
  • 3/4 cup (48g) unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 1/4 cups (128g) sliced almonds
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil (melted), grapeseed oil or canola oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the millet, oats, coconut flakes, almonds and salt. Pour in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir to coat.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the oat mixture out on it. Place it in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges look slightly dark— keep an eye on it as every oven is different. Note: As soon as you start smelling it, start checking it. This may take you 30 minutes; it may take you 45 minutes depending on your oven and baking pan. Do not stir.
  4. Let the mixture cool completely on sheet pan. When ready to store, lift up edges of parchment to loosen the granola — this will create nice big shards. Transfer shards to storage container. Pour in remaining granola — it will inevitably break into smaller pieces.
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: granola, oats, millet, coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, sea salt

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coconut oil granola

Coconut Oil Granola (Double Batch)

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cups
Print Recipe

Description

You can bake this double batch on two sheetpans, rotating them halfway through the cooking. OR, make a double batch on a single large sheetpan: I love these 15x21x1-inch sheetpans.

Parchment paper sheets — can’t say enough about them. Save them and use them again and again — I fold mine up and stick them in a ziplock bag.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (160 g) whole millet
  • 4 cups (408 g) oats (not instant)
  • 1 1/2 cups (100 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 1/2 cups (220 g) sliced almonds
  • 2 tsp sea salt, such as Maldon
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted), grapeseed oil or canola oil (often I use grapeseed oil for simplicity)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the millet, oats, coconut flakes, almonds and salt. Pour in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir to coat.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the oat mixture out on it. Place it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to hour, or until the edges look slightly dark. Note: As soon as you start smelling it, start checking it. This may take you 30 minutes; it may take you an hour and 15 minutes depending on your oven and baking pan. Really try to use the visual cues: lightly golden throughout with slightly darker edges.
  4. Do not stir: As in: Do not stir during the cooking process or when it comes out of the oven.   
  5. Let the mixture cool completely on sheet pan. When ready to store, lift up edges of parchment to loosen the granola — this will create nice big shards. Transfer shards to storage container. Pour in remaining granola — it will inevitably break into smaller pieces.
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: granola, oats, millet, coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, sea salt