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I don’t often eat cereal for breakfast, but when I do, I prefer it to be on the sweeter side. I like crunchy, sweet cereals instead of bland, unsweetened ones. For this reason, I never really enjoyed granola. It always seemed weird to me to mix dry oats with milk. It didn’t seem like cereal. It seemed like a soggy mess to me. However, shortly after Christmas, Samuel and I went out for breakfast. On the menu was a house-made vanilla almond granola.  For some reason I was drawn to this granola for breakfast. It was entirely delicious, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

So, I decided to make my own. I couldn’t stop thinking about that lightly sweet, crunchy granola. It was served with fresh fruit and cold milk. It was a perfect breakfast, and it was very filling and hearty. After thinking about it some, I wanted to make my own. I looked through some recipes, but none quite fit my low calorie needs. I wanted to make it slightly sweet and with a hint of vanilla. So, I created my own recipe for homemade vanilla granola. It was so easy! There’s no need to buy boxed granola anymore. This granola was slightly sweet, crunchy, and it held up really well in the milk. I also served berries over the granola, and it was just as delicious as the restaurant granola I had. This granola will go fast. It’s delicious on it’s own as a snack, or with milk. You can also add in almonds or dried fruit to this recipe. 

This is incredibly easy to make. The first step in making this granola is to whisk together the liquid egg whites, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and Splenda together. Stir these together until they become smooth. Add the oats to the liquid and stir until the oats are completely coated. If you want to add in nuts or dried fruit, this would be where you want to add them. You may need to add a little more vanilla and egg whites to make sure that anything you add is completely coated as well.

Once the oats are completely coated, spread the mixture onto the prepared pan. Try to get it into as even as a layer as you can so the oats bake evenly. Bake the granola for 20 minutes. It should turn golden brown and become fragrant. It smells like cookie dough while it bakes! Stir the granola once or twice during the baking. Rotate the pan halfway through as well. This will keep the granola from burning and everything will bake evenly.

Let the granola cool on the pan on a cooking rack. When it is completely cool you can break the granola into clusters and pieces. Store the granola in an airtight container. 

Oh boy, this granola is good! I definitely prefer this to a sugary cereal, which I was once a fan of. This tastes wonderful. It is lightly vanilla, slightly sweet. It hopes up well in milk, and it doesn’t lose its texture. I can’t believe how easy this was to make. You can also add in whatever else you’d like. Sliced almonds, chopped nuts, and dried fruit would also be delicious in this. I will experiment by adding raisins to this as well. If you love granola, or you just haven’t met the right one, give this one a try. It is extremely delicious and good for you!

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Easy Homemade Vanilla Granola
Total calories: 1,430
Servings: 7 (½ cup servings)

 Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 5 tbsp liquid egg whites
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup lite maple syrup (regular or pure would work well)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Splenda granulated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together liquid egg whites, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and Splenda granulated sugar until it is smooth.
3. Add the oats to the liquid mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet so there is an even layer of granola.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Stir once or twice and rotate the pan halfway through baking.
5. Let the pan cool on a cooling rack until the granola is cooled. Break the granola into clusters and store in an airtight container.

Helpful tips:
You can use pure or regular maple syrup in this recipe instead of the lite. You can also add chopped or sliced almonds or dried fruit to this granola. Just stir them into the rolled oats and then add in the liquid ingredients.

Ingredient substitutions:
2 egg whites for 5 tbsp liquid egg whites
1 tbsp granulated sugar for 1 tbsp Splenda granulated