Invent Your Own Granola!
Project Time:
45 Minutes
Get Skills!
- mixing
- chopping
- tasting as you go
What you need...
- large baking tray
- large sharp knife OR prechopped nuts
- parchment paper
- large bowl and spoon
- potholders
- Grownup Supervision
Safety Thoughts
Be careful taking the pan out of the oven; use oven mitts! Don’t taste the mixture unless it is completely cool.
Granola Your Way!
Granola is a great recipe for experimentation! You can adjust so much about it. All granola has the following:
- oats
- a type of fat (butter or oil)
- a type of sweetener
Other than this, though, the flavors are fair game! So grab a bowl, and think of all the things that could POSSIBLY go into granola, and add one of them at a time, tasting the mixture as you go.
The recipe below is the oatmeal recipe we worked out at Taste Quest Headquarters, but think of this as just a launch point for your signature recipe.
Some reasons we made our recipe the way we did…
- Many spices contain high levels of nutrients that are good for our bodies. Cinnamon can lower our blood sugar level, provide antioxidants, and help with inflammation. Turmeric is a good source of iron and antioxidants, and can also help with inflammation. Ginger can help fight nausea and reduce inflammation.
- We used natural sweeteners because they don’t spike our blood sugar level quite as much as white sugar. The fancy term for this is called a lower glycemic index. That said, the differences are small, so use regular sugar if that is what you have.
Grownup Guides
Granola experimentation is a simple one-bowl bake. Keep an eye on proper oven safety.
Enhance the experience by…
- Making a list of all possible flavors you can think of that might go well in a granola, then pick the top 3 to try.
- Tasting the raw granola mixture to practice “tasting as you go.”
- Using smaller units of measuring spoons to add up to a total to practice math.
- Allowing kids to take photos of their completed granola.
TQ Granola Recipe
This recipe is merely a suggestion for what to put in your granola. Granola is very customizable for how you sweeten and flavor it, so you can create your own signature recipe! This recipe is the product of experimentation, figuring out through trial and error which spices and natural sweeteners created the best effect. Give it a try, and customize as you choose!
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the nuts. Taste it to see if you like the combination of flavors. Adjust as you see fit.
Spread the mixture evenly across the tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
With potholders, carefully remove the tray from the oven. Add the chopped nuts and carefully stir them into the granola.
Put the tray back in the oven. Bake for 10 more minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it toasts (turns light brown) but does not burn. You may need to keep it in for longer. When finished, remove the tray and let cool completely.
Once cool, enjoy as is or add other ingredients including dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut shavings, or anything your imagination suggests!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the nuts. Taste it to see if you like the combination of flavors. Adjust as you see fit.
Spread the mixture evenly across the tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
With potholders, carefully remove the tray from the oven. Add the chopped nuts and carefully stir them into the granola.
Put the tray back in the oven. Bake for 10 more minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it toasts (turns light brown) but does not burn. You may need to keep it in for longer. When finished, remove the tray and let cool completely.
Once cool, enjoy as is or add other ingredients including dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut shavings, or anything your imagination suggests!