chai coconut almond granola

Fall is officially here! Here's to comfy sweaters, tall boots, slouchy beanie hats, campfires + s'mores, everything pumpkin, apple picking and the beauty in the changing of the leaves. 

Hands down, Fall is my favorite season of the month- there is nothing I dislike about Fall. When it arrives, it comes in the form of a big long hug from a long lost friend.

To kick off the Fall Season, I'm cranking on the oven and cooking up batches of granola, slowly simmered chilies + stews and canning up a storm. 

This granola is so , so good and super easy to put together , it also has the bonus of making your home smell oh so good.

I always keep a batch of my Instant Chia Mix on hand- if you do not have the means of time to make a batch sub in your favorite chai tea with a little extra cinnamon or use a vegan friendly chai latte mix such as Oregon Trail Chai Mix and reduce or eliminate the water all together.

If you use certified gluten free oats this granola is great for your gluten free loved ones.

It's kind of silly to buy granola at the store when making your own is so easy and tastes better, the good stuff can put you back  at least $5 or $6 bucks, when making your own will cost you maybe $1 or $2 per batch if that. I absolutely love using maple syrup as the sweetener in all my granola recipes, orange juice is another great way to add sweetness if you aren't feeling the maple syrup.

Almonds or any nut for that matter is a must- do it...unless you have an allergy, then don't do it.

Pour it over your fruit + yogurt, eat it by the handful or drown in a bowl of mylk- whatever suites your fancy.

 I do all of the above, one at a time of course. 

I also love giving away mini mason jars to people; instant love in a jar.

Do you make your own granola- what is your favorite combo?
Tell me how much you love Fall, I am pretty sure there's not a soul around that 's disappointed when Fall rolls around...if there is they must be the same people that hate Christmas.

Chai Coconut Almond Granola

you will need:

the dry

1/2 cup Quinoa 

2 cups Oats (not quick cooking)

1 cup Whole Almonds 

1/2 cup Flaked or shredded coconut unsweetened or sweetened 

2 tbsp Chia seeds 

the wet

1/4 - 1/3 cup Water
1/2 cup Maple syrup 

2 tbsp Coconut oil
1/2 c (dry mix) Homemade chai mix 

assembly:

pre heat oven to 250 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl- set aside.

In a small sauce pan add the wet ingredients until coconut oil melts and chai mix is incorporated.

Dump the coconut chai mix into the medium mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula.

Evenly spread the granola onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet (large) - place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark turn the pan and stir around the granola, bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack- with the back of a spatula firmly press down on the hot granola (this helps to form those awesome granola chunks!).

Allow to fully cool prior to storing in an airtight container. Will keep up to 4 weeks when properly sealed
(mason jar works awesome!)

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes turning granola at the 15 min mark.
Bake an additional 15 minutes for an extra crunchy granola.

Enjoy!