Berry Vanilla Granola

It's November, again. It should be a happy month for me technically, for it's the birthday month. But somehow, with all the stuff happening around me lately, I'm not sure if there's anything worth a good cheer or so.

Am currently busy with work (rare in the quieter last quarter of the year), and there's this persistent lip rash that has been going on/off for the past few weeks or so (before I went for my Korea trip), and then, there's the health report I just received in the mail...dang. Or should I say - *whoops*.

Oh well, I can only hope that my birthday week fare much better than the first week of November. Tough, cos it's just the coming week. And I'll be pretty busy with an upcoming work event. Ha.

Anyway. Back to the main topic of the post. Granola.

 Berry Vanilla Granola

What did I say? That I was a granola chomper right? Ta-dah. Yet another granola recipe. I still have another few more granola recipes to upload. So there. Ha!

 Trio of dried berries - cranberries, strawberries and blueberries

 Freshly baked granola

Having made granola countless of times, I think I've just about mastered the art of creating granola chunks. You know the type of granola chunks that you can actually pick up to chomp on. And on. And on. This granola was sweet, probably because of all the added dried berries. If you are looking to reduce the sweetness, I would recommend probably cutting the total berries amount to perhaps just 1 cup (instead of the 1.5 cups I used). And perhaps also reduce the amount of honey or brown sugar slightly?

I like how the granola was made healthier with the use of applesauce and coconut oil. Add the chia seeds and brown flaxseed meal, and it is one relatively nutritional granola.

With November being the month where the feasting activities commence, I should probably stick to eating a clean breakfast daily so that I can ensure that I at least start the day right with relatively healthy food. Here's to more granola baking!

Berry vanilla granola
3 cups rolled oats
1.5 cup instant oats
1 cup mixed multigrain rice puffs
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup brown flaxseed meal
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup (100g) honey
80g brown sugar
1/2 cup (120g) applesauce
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup macadamias, chopped
1/2 cup dehydrated strawberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 160C.
Mix the oats, multigrain rice puffs, chia seeds, flaxseed, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and macadamia nuts in a large bowl.
Add honey, applesauce, brown sugar, coconut oil in a medium microwaveable bowl. Warm slightly in microwave for a few seconds (1/2 minute on high). Mix to combine.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix evenly.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Press the granola mixture into an even compact layer onto the lined baking sheet.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to break up the granola into clumps, and ensure even browning.
Remove from oven when granola is evenly browned. Let cool completely.
Add dried fruits and mix evenly.
Store in airtight container for up to two weeks.
Serve with yogurt or milk and fresh fruits.