Coconut Almond Granola

To begin a day with a bowl of yogurt and a handful of granola is a very good way to begin a day.

Recently, I discovered the unadulterated joy of full-fat yogurt. Seriously. Why have I been settling for less? If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you go to the store and buy a few containers of organic, cream top yogurt (especially if you want to get pregnant…they say full-fat dairy is excellent for fertility).

Full-fat yogurt is cleaner and creamier, which might seem contradictory at first. But when you make a food product low-fat or fat-free, you alter or add. Take a look at your fat-free yogurt and you’ll probably see several ingredients that are far removed from the farm.

So now that I’m on this whole-foods pulpit, I might as well convince you to make your own granola. Grocery store granola is expensive and cluttered. There are usually a handful of ingredients that don’t need to be in there. Preservatives, refined sugars, artificial flavors, and colorings. And while I know that not everyone is a baker, ANYONE with an oven can make granola. It is easy, and your house will smell like cinnamon heaven.

In February, one of my best girl friends invited us to her house for brunch. Along with all sorts of deliciousness, she made a fabulous bowl of granola. After enjoying four helpings, I asked her for the recipe. This friend of mine also has the loveliest handwriting…the type of handwriting that makes me want to hang her letters all over my house. So imagine my delight when I received a handwritten recipe card.

Fast forward a few months, and I’ve lost that beautiful recipe card just HOURS before I want to make my own batch of granola. Does this happen to you? Because it happens to me all the time.

Thankfully, I’d stared at it enough times over the course of this spring that I had a rough idea of what made her granola so delicious. I consulted a few other trusted foodies, and I nailed down this recipe on Saturday night.

To make this granola even more special, I went to see Moonrise Kingdom with Ryan this weekend. We’ve been waiting to see this movie for months, and we were terribly disappointed in Paris when we missed the French opening by two days. Thankfully, Moonrise Kingdom was worth the wait. So can I say three things about that movie before sharing granola gold?

1. Ryan and I fell in love watching The Royal Tenenbaums (we named our dog Margot, after all). But in my opinion (I’m not sure if Ryan will ever admit this) Moonrise Kingdom was better.

2. In the first five minutes, we saw:  cross-stitched landscapes, a gray kitten, a sulky preteen wearing the most fabulous pink dress, and Bill Murray in plaid slacks.

3. Who doesn’t want to find their soul-mate, escape familial and societal oppression, and dance in your underwear on a beach? Ryan and I are going to Maine in two weeks, and we’re excited to have our own Moonrise Kingdom adventure along the coast.

So go see it, please. And bring a bag of this granola along. Because Moonrise Kindgom is set in the northeast at a field scout camp. Come on. Are you really going to eat popcorn? I think this coconut almond granola should be served at every screening.

Coconut Almond Granola

5 cups rolled oats

3 cups sliced almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, spices, salt, and coconut with a large wooden spoon. In a small saucepan, warm the coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and agave nectar. Pour fruit mixture over oats and nuts. Stir until oats are slightly moistened.

3. Spread on two large cookie sheets. Bake in oven, stirring mixture every 10 minutes, until gold and crisp to your liking.

4. Allow to cool before serving.* Granola can be kept in an airtight container for several weeks.

*Dried fruit can be added after baking granola.

 Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

62 thoughts on “Coconut Almond Granola”

  1. Leah @ Why Deprive?

    I always say I’m going to make my own granola, and then I forget to do it. This stuff sounds amazing though. It’s a combination of all my favorite things.
    And I agree with you about the full fat yogurt – I won’t buy anything else.

  2. Mary

    Full fat everything truly does taste about a zillion times better. After spending 30 years in a fat free/low fat world, I truly have had my eyes opened. REAL food is a completely new experience.

    That granola looks awesome, btw!

    P.S. Did I really just spy a pregnancy reference?

  4. Jeanne

    I start every day with a helping of full fat plain yogurt, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and homemade granola. It’s good stuff for sure! We’ll definitely have to give this granola a try, too. Have a happy Monday, my friend!

  6. The Rowdy Chowgirl

    Oh my goodness, I am SO with you on the full fat yogurt. Well, I believe in full-fat everything, but especially yogurt. It’s just so much better. And Moonrise Kingdom sounds absolutely delightful. Thanks for the recommendation!

  9. Liz

    Oh, yeah, homemade granola is best! And yours looks marvelous, my friend. Sending baby dust your way~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  10. Beth Michelle

    I want to see Moonrise Kingdom so bad! I love Wes Anderson films. Unfortunately I will have to wait till I go back to the states for the summer since it isn’t out in Israel yet.
    I have greek yogurt and homemade granola every morning for breakfast! Nothing beats homemade granola. Yours looks wonderful! I will have to add it to my list to try.

  11. Hope

    I’m DYING to see “Moonrise Kingdom” and I completely love this post. Oh, and cheers to full-fat ANYTHING, I say! And to you and Ryan!

  13. Veronica

    I’ve been meaning to make some granola for a while now, so I will definitely try this recipe! I agree- nothing beats the homemade stuff! 🙂 p.s. The Alamo South has a Moonrise Kingdom photobooth…

  14. Sprigs of Rosemary

    This granola has such a great mix of flavors and textures. Lately, I’ve been making granola bars. Don’t know why I don’t think of granola. I haven’t had whole milk yogurt in a long time. I know that the last time I drank whole milk it tasted like a milkshake. Similar, I’m guessing. Thanks for the movie recommendation, but we’ll probably wait until it’s on pay-per-view!

  15. Annie

    You’re so right about granola-homemade is way better than store-bought. And I want to see that movie-it’s the only one in a while that would pull me from my house projects and sweet pup to see which says a lot. Now I’m going! It looks almost as good as your granola sounds.

  18. natalie@thesweetslife

    ahhh just today i ate some full fat cottage cheese and LOVED it–i’m all for full fat dairy 🙂

    and we’re dying to see this movie (me and my ryan ;))–glad to know it’s so good!

  20. Amy @ fragrantvanillacake

    There is nothing like home made granola…the way it smells while, baking, muching on it warm, enjoying it with yogurt! Yours sounds delicious, and as far as I am concerned, coconut belongs in vanilla and I put it in EVERY batch of mine ;)! Hope you are having a wonderful week Monet :)!

  21. Jen @ Savory Simple

    I agree with you about the full fat. When I see low-fat or fat free I just think about how the original product has been over processed. I’d rather eat it less often and enjoy the food stuff!

  22. Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet)

    We came thisclose to seeing Moonrise Kingdom while in Portland, but then my BIL hurt his back, so that altered our plans the last couple of days. Is it playing in Austin? If so, we might have to make the drive up to go see it…don’t think it’s showing here in SA, even at The Bijou. And your granola looks fabulous…

  23. Becky

    Monet,
    Your granola looks so inviting. I can’t wait to sprinkle some of it on my Greek yogurt, or nibble like popcorn. I never thought of taking granola to the movies, Great idea! I even have coconut oil, which would work well in the granola.

    Have a great rest of the week!

  24. Anne@FromMySweetHeart

    Oh Monet…this granola makes me really happy! This is so much better than popcorn any day! So glad you gave the movie positive reviews! I am looking forward to seeing it! By the way…I took a peek at Cakestand! You have some serious baking skills and talent! Beautiful! : )

  25. Jacqueline @HowtobeaGourmand

    Monet,
    I couldn’t agree with you more. I started making my own Granola with almond and dried blueberries last year as I had leftover oats and there is now no way I would buy store Granola. It is so easy to make and a real breakfast treat. Your coconut version sounds scrummy!

  26. Dana

    I think this delicious sounding granola should be served at EVERY screening of a movie! It sounds wonderful!

  27. Vegan Thyme (Kelly)

    Dear Monet! I have been itching for a trusted granola recipe to try–this looks so wonderful! And, sadly, I am not getting your blog updates on my blogroll (which is where I keep up with everything I love!), thus have missed several of your posts. I need to fix this immediately. So sorry to have missed you, but glad to be back. Always love reading what you have to say. And, that movie, a must-see for DH and me.

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  30. Priscilla | ShesCookin

    I’ve been making our favorite Eleven Madison Park Granola for quite awhile and this looks like a wonderful way to change it up! And I agree about the full fat yogurt – lowfat and fat-free just isn’t worth sacrificing the creamy taste and consistency.

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