This year, in addition to my favorite gift to give…a tea mug filled with indulgent loose tea, I’m also going to try something new.  It’s inexpensive, original, and heart-warming – a jar filled with homemade granola.  Who doesn’t love granola??

I went to the local craft store and purchased 12 glass mason jars for $11.99 and filled each one with homemade granola which is so very easy to make and tastes much better than anything you can buy.

Here’s my recipe.  Please excuse the lack of measurements.  I just taste as I go which is the reason why I can’t bake!

I use gluten-free rolled oats, but regular rolled oats are good too.  Just make sure you get the kind you have to cook and not the quick cooking oats.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  While you wait for it to heat up, mix together some oats and some shredded coconut – I use the unsweetened, unsulfured coconut, but again, use what you like.  You can use a ratio of 50/50 or whatever you think looks good.

On the stove top, melt about a cup of raw, organic, unrefined coconut oil and pour it over the oats and coconut mixture – just enough to wet the ingredients.  Then spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 5 to 7 minutes.  I keep checking on it because it can burn quickly and you just want a nice golden color to it. After about 5 minutes, I stir it up and put it back in for a few minutes – this gets it nice and evenly browned.

Let it cool and then add what you want.  I usually put in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, more coconut (the toasted and untoasted coconut together tastes great!), dried cranberries, raisins, sliced almonds and whatever else I have lying around. Then sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a little brown sugar.

You can get really creative with the packaging too.  I usually write the ingredients on brown paper – lately I’ve been using my kid’s brown lunch bags.  I cut out a square using my daughters craft scissors that make a wavy edge, write the ingredients and sign it Happy Holidays.   I also use my daughter’s glue sticks to stick the ingredient list on the jar.  It really helps to have a crafty 4 year-old in the house. Tie a ribbon around the top and you’ve got a great looking gift!

Enjoy making your own granola and please share your recipes.

Thanks for reading!