Whenever I want my house to instantly smell like holidays and warmth and fall and happiness all rolled into one, I throw a batch of granola in the oven.

(Emotional eater, much??)

This recipe is much-loved in my house. All three of my kids request it for breakfast, lunches and snacks. And I don’t mind making it, because it’s super, super easy to throw together.

I make it nut-free so my daughters can take it to school sprinkled on top of some plain yogurt. Of course, I spoiled them once with a few chocolate chips on top and now they request that frequently. But then again, if a few chocolate chips mean they’ll eat hemp seeds, oatmeal and sunflower seeds, I’m quite okay with it.

Homemade Maple Granola
Inspired by Elizabeth Rider’s Easy Homemade Maple Almond Granola

I’ve adjusted this recipe over time to suit my needs and my child’s nut-free school. I add the hemp hearts for the added protein since I have a vegetarian. My daughters can’t detect the hemp and it provides them with a bunch of benefits. And even though this recipe calls for sunflower seeds and raisins, you can use any seed or dried fruit. Mix it up with your favourites to make it the way you love it.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

½ cup hemp hearts or hemp seeds

¼ cup seeds (I use sunflower seeds)

½ cup dried fruit (My kids love raisins!)

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp pure maple syrup (You can also use honey)

½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 – 325 F (depending on your oven). I prefer a bit hotter.

Combine all of your ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix it up with your hands.

Spread it out onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Just until the edges start to go golden brown. (You don’t want to it to get too toasty because it ends up tasting off.)

Let it cool and enjoy!! I store mine in a mason jar. It rarely lasts long in my house – but it should be good for around 2 weeks.

What types of granola have you made? If you’ve made this and have added your own twists to it, feel free to share!