Little Chefs: Homemade Coconut Almond Granola

I’m excited to be adding a new feature to the blog.  One that I should have added a long time ago.  My girls, as most kids do, love to help me out in the kitchen.  They’ll scoop, measure, mix, wash, chop, and taste everything.  It’s the ultimate boredom buster.  Whenever I see the girls on the brink of a nap (at the worst possible time to nap), I’ll ask them to come and help.  Wide-eyed, they run to grab the stool and assume the position at the kitchen counter or table.  There is no greater moment than being elbow to elbow with my girls as we prepare a meal.

I’ve tried all sorts of crafts and projects with Jenin.  Nothing has held her interest beginning to end like cooking or baking does.  It’s quickly become “our thing”.  Whenever I need an extra set of hands, no matter how small they may be, she’s right there.  I think she enjoys it so much because there are no mistakes really.  There’s no such thing as too many chocolate chips in the batter.

So here we go, our first Little Chefs recipe.  Kid friendly ingredients, procedures, and meals for your little ones.

Homemade Coconut Almond Granola {adapted from epicurious}

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300°F. Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Combine oil, honey, and sugar in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Adult step: Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well. Once cooled, the kids can resume. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.

Spread granola on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool granola completely. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

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The first time we made this, it was gone within hours.  The second time we made this, we doubled the recipe and it was gone within days.  We love, love, love it.  The girls like it plain as a snack and also with cold milk as cereal.  We also enjoy it as the crunchy topping to our homemade parfaits.  I’ve even sprinkled it on my waffles and French Toast.  It’s so yummy, that we took some with us to our local frozen yogurt shop and sprinkled it on our fro-yo! Dude, that’s love.