Make it Or Buy It? Granola...

I love granola. I mean, I really, really love it. With milk, over yogurt, even just grabbing a handful for snack. However, storebought granola can be expensive. Most storebought granola is somewhere between $0.25-$0.50 per ounce. So, what is the cost difference between homemade and storebought granola.

I have found most baking supplies to be found most inexpensively at Costco. For the nuts, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla, I used Costco prices. For the honey, I used the industry average price, and for everything else, I just used the price I last paid for the item.  

Quick Oats (I can find quick oats for $0.59/lb in the bulk bins at our health food store) $0.30
Sweetened Coconut...$0.23
Ground Flax Seed (optional, not counted in cost analysis)
Chopped Almonds...$0.70 
Chopped Walnuts...$1.17
Raisins...$0.36
Oil...$0.08
Honey...$1.56 (wow, honey is getting expensive!)
Vanilla Extract...$0.03
Cinnamon...$0.02

Total Price for 1 batch of Granola (about 5 C)
$4.45 or $0.18/oz

Bottom Line:
MAKE IT
Not only will you save up to half the cost of storebought granola, you can also customize the ingredients and have a much healthier final product with less sugar and preservatives.

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Granola   

This granola tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie with nuts. I like to serve it over yogurt for a hearty, protein packed breakfast. It's not overly sweet, but the cinnamon and honey add a nice warmth and hint of sweetness.

• 2.5 C Quick Oats
• 1/2 C Sweetened Coconut
• 1/3 C ground Flax Seed (optional)
• 1/2 C chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 C sliced Almonds
• 3/4 C Raisins
• 3 TBS Oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or whatever oil you have on hand)
• 1/2 C Honey
• Pinch Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (if you really like cinnamon, you can use a whole teaspoon)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet with raised sides by covering with parchment paper. (The honey is sticky and you don't want a mess!)
• In a large bowl, combine quick oats and coconut. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• While oats and coconut are toasting, mix flax (if using), walnuts, almonds, and raisins in the same large bowl. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together oil, honey, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• When oats and coconut are done toasting, add them to the bowl with the nuts. 
• Pour honey mixture over oat/nut mixture and thoroughly combine all ingredients. Make sure there are not a lot of "loose" oats. 
• Bake in the oven an additional 8-10 minutes. 
• Set aside to cool, and break into pieces. 
• Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (If it lasts that long!)
• You can customize this recipe with whatever nuts and dried fruit you want.  

Check out the Entire "Make it Or Buy it" Series HERE

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