Make-your-own Granola!

Living in the UK, I was used to just popping into the supermarket and grabbing a packet of granola which was (relatively) healthy and good value for money.

In Austria, cereals are lot more expensive, and if you're an avid label checker like me, you'd be disgusted at the amount of sugar the most popular brands have here. So, after a quick Google, I discovered making your own granola is easy, cheaper and, as you control what you put into it, a lot healthier.

Laura's Slightly Sweet Nut & Seed Granola

(makes ~2 weeks worth!)

2 cups rolled oats (whole are the best)

½ cup chopped raw nuts (I use the Nuts Royal mix from the Alesto Fine range at Lidl - a mix of hazelnuts, blanched almonds, cashews and walnuts)

¼ cup mixed seeds (I used chia seeds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)

4-5 tbsp runny honey

3-4 tbsp virgin coconut oil

(These measurements are really flexible, so adjust your ingredients as you go along to get the right texture)

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C

2. Chuck all of your ingredients together in a bowl and mix together with your (CLEAN!) hands. Make sure to combine everything together well so you don't get clumps of coconut oil. This part is nice and messy. The mixture shouldn't be too runny but everything should be sticky and clumpy.

3. Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet or in a pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes, until lightly toasted.

4. Wait for it to cool and then crumble up.

5. Voilà! Granola!

The finished product should be stored in an airtight container and should keep well for 2-3 weeks.

So, give it a try yourself and customise it to your own taste with dried fruits, maple syrup or even chocolate chips, if that's your thing.

The finished product (my first attempt)