AN EASY GRANOLA RECIPE ANYONE CAN MAKE

When my rockstar employee Gretchen told me she had an easy granola recipe she knew I’d love, I was admittedly skeptical. I’ve said this time and again but here it is one more time: I really have zero confidence in the kitchen.

I know that’s hard for some of you to fathom. I don’t know why or how it came to be but I just never learned how to cook when I was younger. Truth time: before I moved to San Francisco, I had never even boiled a pot of water. Then I spent a couple years in New York living off of coffee and takeout and using my kitchen cabinets to store sweaters instead of pots and pans. The few times I’ve written about food on my blog, I’ve gotten feedback that the recipe is too basic or that I’m cheating by using store-bought ingredients instead of making my own. And I totally get it. It’s well-intentioned feedback (and would be valuable input for a more seasoned cook) — but it leaves me feeling like it’s too late for me to learn, or at the very least too scary to share that undertaking with my readers.

But you know what? I know I’m not the only girl in the world who doesn’t know her way around a kitchen. Hell, half my friends in New York haven’t set foot in a grocery store in years. I happen to love the idea of sharing recipes that are easy for anyone to take on, whether you’re inexperienced, working crazy long hours, or, yes, using most of your kitchen as additional closet space. We all have to start somewhere and I’m starting here. Without further ado, my favorite new recipe: Gretchen’s granola. Scroll down to the bottom to read exactly why I love it! Spoiler alert: I’m addicted.

design darling granola recipe

You’ll need:

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
4 teaspoons vanilla

easy granola recipe

1. Mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. Combine coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in a separate container. (Measure the honey in the same cup as the oil to prevent it from sticking!) Heat in microwave until melted.

easy granola recipe design darling

3. Pour the microwaved mixture into your first bowl.

4. Spread mixture on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300* for 30 minutes, stirring at 15 minutes.

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5. Let cool and enjoy! Store in air tight container.

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What I love about this recipe: 1) it takes 35 minutes, start to finish. 2) it doesn’t make a mess if you use parchment paper on your cookie sheet. 3) it makes your house smell amazing. 4) it makes enough granola to last a few days. 5) the day we made it, I literally ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Gretchen says it even makes a yummy ice cream topping! Sign me up.

Anyone else a little tentative when it comes to the kitchen? Who wants to join me in taking baby steps towards learning how to cook? Who can teach me about food photography? 😉 I’m all ears!